COMMUNITY

How Taking Sleep Seriously

Saved My Life
Made a deal with my free spirit to be more disciplined ~ and the
di erence it made
by Jinny S. Ditzler, Jinny is the founder of Best Year Yet® and the author of Your
Best Year Yet! The system has over 1 million individual and organizational users
around the world.

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No, the little girl with the balloons isn't me, but that's exactly how I feel these days.
I'm getting enough sleep, and I feel better than ever ~ ready for the day, productive,
happy in my heart, and on top of what matters.  

The problem

Until a year ago I avoided discipline, guided by the invisible hand of thoughts like
these:  

I'm a free spirit ~ not meant to be tied down.

I prefer to keep my options open.
If I have to get it done, then I'll stay up and do it ~ I have no choice.
Bedtime is my time to relax and read  ~ it's OK to stay up late ~ I
deserve it!
Burning the candle at both ends is what successful people have to
do.

These attitudes led to sleep deprivation, which led to exhaustion, foggy brain,
sluggish creativity, and a sense of being down rather than up.  In other words, my life
was imprisoned by poor habits, which robbed me of my natural motivation and
wisdom.  I had hundreds of ideas for helping others through writing, speaking, and
coaching, but too few of them saw the light of day.

Cost of pushing myself too hard

It's easy to see other folks who are running on empty, looking wasted, and not as
lucid as usual.  Many years ago that was me ~ but worse.  I was leading a growing
global company, and I loved it.  Then problems started keeping me awake at night,
and some nights I slept not a wink.  If this keeps up, what happens then?  You lose
yourself! 

I did irrational things, had conversations that left people confused, and embarrassed
myself by having to pull out at the last minute from speaking at a global conference. 
Fortunately I found a therapist, who helped me understand what was happening ~
and with his help and the support of my family and colleagues, I found myself.

At the end of that year I told a group of friends that it had been my Worst Year Yet!

I'm not a product of my circumstances. I

am a product of my decisions.  ~ Wayne
Dyer
What changed my mind about getting enough sleep

First was reading Arianna Hu ngton's story about how "Collapse from Exhaustion
was a 'Wake-Up Call'.   It was like looking in the mirror.  Her honest sharing of her
mistakes touched my heart and made an impact on my 'keep pushing' habits.

Secondly according to recent studies reported in TIME seven hours sleep is the

minimum we need to improve health and increase longevity ~ and the longer I live,
the more information on longevity catches my eye. Matthew Walker, a professor of
neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, states,

I used to suggest that sleep is the third

pillar of good health, along with diet and
exercise, but I don’t agree with that
anymore. Sleep is the single most e ective
thing you can do to reset your brain and
body for health.

Rules I follow to save my life

These are the steps I've taken, and they have made my life happier, healthier, and
more meaningful.  I don't expect you to follow my plan, but I hope this list inspires
you to make changes that would make a di erence to you.  

1.  Start 'slow down' at least 60 minutes before bed time, including a

hot shower.
2.  Lights out at 10:00 pm and get up at 6:00 am (with a few
exceptions).
3.  Bought a watch that tracks everything about my sleep ~ I love
keeping score!
4.  Do an hour of meditation practice at 7:00 am.
5.  Do 25 minutes of stretching and strengthening exercises after
meditation.
6.  Make a Weekly Plan to progress my Best Year Yet plan ~ my top
priorities for the year.
7.  Schedule two hours for writing every weekday.
I feel more alive, productive, happy, and useful than I have in a long time.  Benjamin
Franklin did a good of crystalizing these lessons.
 Your net worth to the world is usually
determined by what remains after your bad
habits are subtracted from your good ones.

__________________

To nd out more about executive coaching and integrating Best Year Yet into your
business, contact Laurie@bestyearyet.com. Or click here to make your own Best
Year Yet plan ~ or click here to read Your Best Year Yet!, which includes a 10-question
workbook.

— Published on March 23, 2018

CREATIVITY, MENTAL HEALTH, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, FUEL YOURSELF, WEEKLY

PROMPT

Jinny S. Ditzler, Jinny is the founder of Best Year Yet® and the author of
Your Best Year Yet! The system has over 1 million individual and
organizational users around the world.
Jinny's purpose is to support people to use their gifts to have dreams come true and to
know that they matter. She is one of the first founders of the modern coaching
movement, and a regular contributor to Thrive Global and LinkedIn, having written
eight years for The Hu ngton Post. She’s the first to say none of this could have
happened without her family, the clients, and the global team, all of whom
contributed valuable knowledge, skill and talent to bring the program to its worldwide
status.

Jinny started coaching business leaders and executives 37 years ago, and in the early
1990’s her work evolved to include top business teams and organization-wide
programs, designed to transform the way people work together to achieve better
results and build happier companies. The Best Year Yet Partners have worked with
such organizations as Zurich Insurance Group, NatWest Bank, Bank of the West USA,
Heineken, Pepsico and such nonprofits as The Hunger Project, Wounded Warriors, and
the Humane Society ~ as well as smaller businesses, schools, and charities around the
world.

Jinny is currently writing a new book and coaching leaders. Her blessings are a happy
marriage of 37 years, two remarkable sons, two perfect daughters-in-law, and four
beautiful granddaughters.
 The Thrive Global Community welcomes voices from many spheres. We publish pieces
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“ People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the

coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can
nd a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own
mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew
yourself. ”
— MARCUS AURELIUS

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