Posted on
Morning Routine
BY: Alan0 COMMENTS CATEGORY: Daily Routine
How to Start Your Day
We all have them! If you are among the people who wake up after sleeping (a.k.a. still among the living), you have a ‘Morning Routine’. The big question is: Does the way you start your day prepare you to live the most productive and fulfilling day possible?
Download the FREE “Daily Routines” Guide
The more you choose to ‘float’ through life and take it all as it comes, the more your environment and those around you will dictate for you the quality and focus of your life. It leaves a lot up to hance. Conversely, the more you intentionally set your sites on who you want to be, and what you want to do, the more your life gets molded into one that can be truly satisfying for you. The way you set your course for the day first thing in the morning is perhaps the most important component in that equation.
I don’t know a whole lot about horse racing, but i do know you want your horse to make it out of the gates clean at the start of the race. If there is trouble at the start, it becomes real challenging to catchup with the pack and finish the race strong. Every morning the wide open track of a new day lays before you, and how you spring out from the gates can make all the difference.
Not as Easy as it Sounds
Personally, I have struggled on many fronts to make my life the adventure it should be. Among those, I am NOT a morning person! What seems to make sense to me is sleeping in as long as possible, and in the shortest amount of time I can manage, roll out of bed, shower, dress, slam breakfast, and get to wherever I am supposed to be. The problem is: What seems to make the most sense to the lazy part of me, is in direct opposition to the part of me that wants to live each day to the fullest.
Filled with Opportunity
The fact that life comes pre-installed with a daily wake/sleep schedule gives us all the opportunity to wipe the slate clean every morning and get a fresh start on all that matters most to you. Whether this ‘opportunity’ is for others to squeeze out of you everything they can get, or whether it is your opportunity to advance your goals, is entirely up to you… if you head into the day with a plan. What is worse is when the day has no plan and you wind up feeling at it’s end like it was wasted because you never quite got a grip on the wheel and figured out where to go. Therefore, let’s lay out the steps to take to make each day count:
- Prime the pump
- Start your engine
- Head off in the right direction
“Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!”
Coming out of the gates strong is hard when the engine isn’t firing. While some rely on an invigorating shower or 12 oz. of a highly caffeinated beverage to get their eyes open and pointing in the same direction, relying on something outside of yourself for that jump-start keeps you dependent on things you can’t always control. It is important to learn how to tap into your own energy source without relying on anything after the alarm clock.
The Big 3
Cars have an engine to provide the thrust, but they also have cooling systems, electrical systems, suspension, and climate control. If any of those is out of whack you are in for a rough ride. To get your day off to a proper start, we need to focus on your main systems.
The Physical – You need to get your metabolism up and running, stretch the fatigue out of your muscles, and get your heart pumping. You need to have some water in the tank, and put enough oxygen in your system to feel alive.
The Emotional – You will have emotions in the morning, but the good news is that you get to pick which ones you take with you! Once you learn how to be intentional about setting your emotional temperature gauge it becomes as easy as picking out which of your clothes you want to wear for the day.
The Spiritual – Whether you are in touch with this ‘system’ or not, we all need a compass, a belief-set that guides us and gives us a reason to keep going. At some level, when you start driving down the road, you have to have some idea of where you are going to wind up, even if you don’t know exactly how you are going to get there. If some component of your day can be connected with taking your life to where you want it to go, your day will take on meaning and value to you and feel like it was worth living. To do that, you need to have a map, and look at it.
The Road Map
Once the engines are running, you need to figure out where the finish line is and the route you are going to take to get there. Daily planning should be so much more than just laying out your to-do list and cramming it all into a daily calendar. What are the priorities that matter the most to you? How do you fit that in while taking care of your responsibilities to others? What impact do you want to have on those you encounter today? What messages do you want others to get from you? What truths about yourself do you need to hold onto regardless of what messages may come your way from others?
What works for You?
In the video on this page, I lay out a plan and some specifics that I have developed that works for me to get my motor running. When I start the day this way, it takes on a different quality, a different energy, and is far more purposeful than the days when I just roll out of bed and ‘wing it.’ And I don’t just mean the work days either. The weekends are precious opportunities, and starting them without getting myself synced up is like throwing the gift of a free day away. This plan energizes body, mind, and soul and leads to putting together a daily plan that lays out prioritizing the things that matter most to me, ensuring that I move my agendas a little further down the road on a daily basis.
Your plan may or may not end up like mine. You might insist on that caffeine fix, and that’s fine, if that’s what you feel you need. But make an effort to design and refine your morning routine. It sets you in the position you need to be in to feel fully alive and intentional with your life.
The FREE Guide
The following link will allow you to download a Free Guide to designing your Daily Routines. This will provide you with my suggestions, specific time recommendations for the full routine, or shorter options for the days you are more pressed for time, and instructions and space to design the routine that works the best for you.
In addition, it contains additional information for planning out your Evening Routine to properly conclude your day and set you up for a solid night’s rest, and a plan for Mid-Day Habits to keep you on track so you don’t get distracted from the plan you set in the morning.
Download your FREE Daily Routines Guide!
Investing in You!
Remember how someone once told you that sending a little chunk of your paycheck off into an investment account would one day pay big rewards? The impulse to ignore that advice and enjoy your money now is the same voice that whispers to hit the snooze button and let the day figure itself out as it comes to you. Do you know people who never saved for retirement? Do you know people who had an ounce of discipline and are set to retire in comfort? ‘Budgeting’ a few minutes every morning pays some huge dividends later in the day if you ‘invest’ it wisely.
You only get one life to live, and this day is a part of it you can never get back. Live each one Intentionally! Make the fullest use of the gift this day can be for you!
FREE Download: DAILY ROUTINES – Habits to Take Back Control of Your Life!
Posted in Daily Routine