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: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Maria Menounos: I used to check my emails, but I stopped that and I’m soooo much happier everyday. I prime for 10 minutes with Tony Robbins’s priming technique, think of 3 things I’m grateful for and 3 goals I’m working towards.
TG: What gives you energy?
MM: Almonds! Coffee! Nature really energizes me. Hikes!
TG: Name a book that changed your life.
MM: So many! Many Lives, Many Masters. Tony Robbins. Money: Master The Game. The Sleep Revolution.
TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?
MM: It’s on my nightstand next to me charging. But I hate my phone. I want to figure out a way to remove it from my life. I’m trying to set new boundaries with myself and others. My New Year’s resolution was no phone on Sundays. Unless I’m traveling, you won’t see me on it.
TG: How do you deal with email?
MM: I hate email! So much unnecessary communication takes place via email now. A one minute phone conversation gets played out in 30 minutes of back and forth email exchanges. It’s frustrating. I try to file things away and have my email organized into categories and use all the fun tricks Gmail provides, but the bottom line is, I wish I could change my email and phone number and only give it to 5 people.
TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
MM: Probably feed my phone addiction. I check my work emails, my emails, my social accounts, and poof the time is gone! As I answer these questions I realize how badly I need to solve this crisis!
TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
MM: Right now! The last 3 weeks have fried me. I’m back to being stressed and I know I need to implement some solutions or it will just do me in. Biggest problem is the phone…I spend too much time answering every little email that by the time I’m done, I’m wiped and haven’t accomplished any of my work. Think I’m changing my email right now!
TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
MM: Well, we all have those moments don’t we? I felt like I failed recently and instead of feeling bad, I turned it around. I saw it as a gift. I saw it as a new path. I saw this obstacle as the way. I truly believe that God guides me and throws bricks down at me to change my course. When the bricks hit my head, I listen. I still hurt, I still feel rejected or failure at times, but I quickly pick myself up and say that isn’t my direction, and work harder. It’s how I’ve always succeeded. What better example of this than the recent Super Bowl. To me that was more than my favorite team the Patriots winning. It was an inspirational lesson for all that you never lose unless you quit. They tried everything and kept failing. An on side kick. A fake to Edelman to quarterback and so much more. Had they given up, they would have lost. Never give up. Never quit. I also believe who you keep company with will make a big difference in how you handle failures as well. Luckily I have great people around me and that always helps too.
TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
MM: You never lose unless you quit, everything you want is on the other side of fear. I have an entire quote wall in my home just to remind me of these messages I hold so dear. Rocky Balboa — It ain’t how hard you can hit, it’s how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take! These are my messages of inspiration in life.
Maria Menounos is the host of E! News and Sirius XM’s Conversations with Maria Menounos, CEO of AfterBuzzTV, and a die-hard animal lover. She’s a two-time NY Times best-selling author of her EveryGirls Guide To book series, including “The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life” and “The EveryGirl’s Guide to Diet and Fitness.” Her newest book is called “The EveryGirl’s Guide to Cooking” — available now!
Originally published at journal.thriveglobal.com