By Thrive Global.
When you have the opportunity to ask some of the most interesting people in the world about their lives, sometimes the most fascinating answers come from the simplest questions. The Thrive Questionnaire is an ongoing series that gives an intimate look inside the lives of some of the world’s most successful people.
Thrive Global (TG): What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Tiffany Cruikshank (TC): Meditate (with my partner when we’re both home).
TG: What gives you energy?
TC: Creating, helping others, teaching. Doing what I love for work.
TG: What’s your secret life hack?
TC: I really really love what I do. Also, I place the same value and priority on the things that keep me in balance as I do my work. Most importantly though, I know what I’m good at and I stick to that which allows me to be focused and efficient.
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
TC: I am a book junkie, there’s no way I could choose just one! I have hundreds of books on my bookshelves, each one I adore.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
TC: No way, I don’t usually touch my phone from 8 p.m.-10 a.m. If I need to create or write content or manuals I turn my phone and emails off completely, it’s the best way to increased productivity.
TG: How do you deal with email?
TC: At the beginning of the week I make sure I carve out the time I need to do other things whether that be meetings or chunks of time to create things for our business and then I let the emails fill in the rest of the time. If not I would spend all of my time on email…
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
TC: Meditate. It puts things in perspective, makes the rest of my day more productive and at the end of my day I feel better with this.
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
TC: The worst was right after I finished my masters in Chinese Medicine almost 15 years ago, my adrenals were shot. Building my body and mind back up was a long road and it made me really respect my body and learn to find a better balance. Since then I would say the times I feel burnt out are the times when I am not taking time for myself and when I lose the excitement for what I do. That’s when I go back to the drawing board to see what needs to shift.
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
TC: I’m a perfectionist so I always feel like what I do can and should be better. There’s a constant voice inside me that needs everything to be perfect that I have to ignore on a daily basis or else I would never do anything.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
TC: “Just do it! (There’s no better time than now!).”
About Tiffany:
Tiffany Cruikshank is an internationally renowned yoga instructor and educator, author, and health and wellness expert who travels the globe training both yoga instructors and students on how to use yoga as medicine. She is the founder of Yoga Medicine and makes it her mission is to help people everywhere to create healthy a lifestyle that allows them to thrive (not just be alive.) Tiffany was previously the Acupuncturist and Yoga Teacher at the Nike World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon. She has a pre-med Bachelor’s degree in Medicinal Plant Biology & Nutrition, a Master’s degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine and a specialty in Sports Medicine & Orthopedics. She is the author of two books – Meditate Your Weight and Optimal Health for a Vibrant Life.