After sharing a list of tips or offering several strategies in a workshop, I am often asked, “If I were to do just ONE THING that would make the biggest difference in my success, what one thing should I choose?”
What response comes to mind first for you?
While we all have unique personalities and need to answer that question for ourselves, some strategies serve well across the board. One of those involves an intentional morning routine. How you start your day very often carries over into how you live and work throughout the day.
Think about this morning, for example. Did you begin your day by jumping out of bed before sunrise, running 3 miles, reading an inspirational chapter, and expressing gratitude for the great day ahead?
Or did you hit “Snooze” 4 times, complain about how little sleep you got last night, race to work, and jump right into email?
How has the rest of the day panned out for you?
Our mornings set the tone for our days. Five years ago when I made the commitment – or should I say, “started the experiment” 🙂 – to wake up a bit earlier and start my day in a new way, I wasn’t sure it would make much impact. I just knew I wanted to do something differently and needed to wake up on my own terms.
Now, my morning routine has become like water and air to me. I feel out-of-sorts on the rare days that I miss my morning ritual. Even my kids can tell if I’ve skipped my morning practice!
What would start your day off right? 3 strategies to consider:
- Set your intention. Before you even get out of bed, decide what kind of day you’ll have – even assigning a word to it, like “joyful,” “relaxed,” or “energizing.”
- Never hit the snooze button. Seriously! Hitting snooze means starting your day behind. (Mel Robbins wrote a terrific article on this recently in Success magazine.)
- Write. Whether you record random ideas, dreams, or your goals for the day, put pen to paper for a few minutes (or for several pages, as author Julia Cameron recommends). You’ll boost your creativity at the only time your thoughts are fresh and unaffected by the day’s events.
Creating a morning ritual can be as rejuvenating as it is productive. Consider what activity will boost your mood the most – whether it’s exercise, journaling, prayer, or something completely you.
Then, decide what will make that routine easy and fun. For example, I adore the auto-brew feature on my coffee maker. Hot, fresh coffee is waiting for me the moment I walk down the stairs!
Your next step? Give it a go. Make the commitment to yourself, make it easy, and make it happen. Implement your morning routine for one week and reassess at the end of the week, tweaking as necessary.
As Terri Buillemets reminds us: “Every morning is a beautiful morning.”