What does a Winning Morning Routine have to do with how to live a happy life? Plenty! The moment we awake brain patterns quickly claim our attitude towards the day. For many of us by 12Noon we feel good or bad about what we have accomplished. By mid-afternoon, energy levels decline. Wait, we have choices… to take new actions for new results! Read on for 9 uplifting options, what NOT to do, and the best life changing daily action you can take.
Prepare Ahead- Be clear on priorities. Plan action steps the day before. Think through the day to come. What can you do in the evening to save steps? Make lunches, your outfit is clean and ready, kids backpacks prepared with homework inside (yes, it needed to be said). What will save time through the day? Any errands you can knock out in the direction you are going? Keep priorities first and secondary tasks second. Wake up knowing your road map.
Get the Best Sleep- Bedtime can be a soothing ritual of self-care. Your bed should be as comfortable as possible. Create the most relaxing atmosphere. In contrast, create a great environment to awake to with sunlight, fresh air, pleasing accent colors, etc. Get your body in rhythm by going to sleep and waking up at the same times daily. Shoot for 7-8 hours of sleep for an enthusiastic start and enduring energy.
Turn Your Snooze Time into an Awakening Time- Allow a spiritual moment before the ego awakes to connect with your soul. Pray, be grateful, listen silently, or visualize and feel your ideal end result when achieving your goal. You can set your intention or a theme for the day that supports your success. Imagine the impact on your relationship if you used this awakening time daily to tell your significant other how much you love and appreciate them.
Hydrate- I will save the abundance of health benefits from water for another day. The point is you just awoke from one-third of the day without water. Every cell in your body from head to toe needs water for you to function at peak performance. So when you are preparing fuel for your body, add a glass or two of water.
Sunlight, Fresh Air, and the Morning Sky- Allow the sunlight in to awaken you naturally if possible. Open the windows or step outside on lovely mornings for a refreshing start to the day. A few minutes watching the beautiful changes of the horizon during a morning sunrise is uplifting.
Self-Care with Benefits- At the very minimum, music is energizing. Exercise kick-starts your metabolism. Stretching and deep breathing stimulates the brain. Yoga combines stretching, breathing, and meditation. Whatever your propensity choose self-care with benefits to get off to a great start.
Shower and Shine– Kind of a given. Feeling clean, fresh, and looking your best to start the day increases your confidence walking into the office along with the number and type of opportunities that come your way.
Fuel Up with a Healthy Breakfast- Your body slows while you sleep but still a surprising amount of activity is going on within. Your eyes and brain become quite active through REM cycles. Tissue growth and repair takes place. The immune system increases production of certain proteins. Hormones are released and the list goes on, all running on stored energy. So it makes sense to fuel your body with a nutritional breakfast for a peak performance day.
Quiet Moment- If you are looking for a deeper experience incorporate a quiet block of 10-20 minutes or whatever you choose for meditation, journaling, gratitude, prayer, spiritual reading, writing down your goals, etc.
What NOT to Do
Avoid Email First Thing in the Morning- Email can quickly detour you off your plan and lead to others rearranging your day. Set up blocks of time a little later to manage email.
After Prep Time, The Best Action to Take First Every Morning
Do what is going to make you happy long-term! Want to lose weight, write a book, or stop procrastinating? Then exercise, write, and do. Want to build a skill, develop expertise, overcome a fear, or create more income in your business? Practice the skill, read or call an expert, take steps to face your fear, or take action that directly develops income. Do it first! We learn in action. You may feel resistance. Growth is not easy. Use gumption to carry through. Feel great for going for it even if you are still emerging, and allow it to energize you for the remainder of the day. Action builds knowledge, experience, strength, confidence, and the list goes on. Taking the most productive actions puts you in the best position for the rest of the day and the rest of your life!
On paper jot ‘My Winning Morning Routine puts me in The Best Position for the Rest of the Day & The Rest of My Life’. Below it list options you want to create your Winning Morning Routine. Do what is needed to keep it forefront until it becomes routine. Pick up a free Rewarding Daily Habits Chart on the Develop Good Habits Page of the author’s website to track your progress. Begin incorporating your Winning Morning Routine and let me know how your days change… StartingNow!
Beth Tabak of www.StartingNowCoaching.com is a Personal Life Coach & owner of Starting Now. She coaches big thinkers to be unlimited, stand out in the crowd, & experience the vastness of their capabilities. Stop by to see the personal growth & development information, tools & support available to you plus to connect with Beth on social media.