SUMMARY:
Have you ever had a morning that started with hitting the snooze button two or three times? Perhaps, it progressed to sluggishly grabbing a morning coffee and watching depressing newsreels while munching on soggy cheerios. But what if you could start each and every day with excitement? What if you actually smiled each morning you awakened? What if you moved your body in such a way that made you feel alive and prepared to take on the day’s challenges? What if – by the time you arrived to work – you felt you had accomplished a healthy, happy and energetic mindset that drove you to perform more efficiently and effectively in all of your daily tasks?
In this post, I discuss the defining characteristic of the top 1% that I discovered in my research: the commitment to performing a beneficial morning ritual. In addition, I walk you through the four areas of personal growth that I define as the necessary components of an effective morning ritual: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. I provide you with my real-life examples of how I accomplish this and provide ways for you to simplify the process so that anyone can achieve an inspiring morning ritual, if even for 10 minutes.
You see, if you are to define “success” as the ability to serve others daily with your contributions and to properly utilizing your God-given gifts, then each day you experience this, is a success. So, how do you achieve this if you are not creating an environment that propels you through your day with energizing joy; if you are not improving the quality of your life or developing a sense of fulfillment? The answer is: you can’t. However, you can move in the right direction by adopting a beneficial, daily morning ritual. It will change your life…
FULL POST:
Have you ever had a morning that started with hitting the snooze button two or three times? Perhaps, it progressed to sluggishly grabbing a morning coffee and watching depressing newsreels while munching on soggy cheerios. The routine may continue your morning ritual with jumping into the shower and dressing as quickly as possible in an effort to not be more than 10 minutes late to work. You finally arrive at your job, highly caffeinated, clean, complacent, ready to respond to the pressures of the day and other people’s agendas. really inspiring and uplifting, huh? I used to have mornings like this on the regular. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I had a morning routine. It just wasn’t inspiring in the least bit.
But what if you could start each and every day with excitement? What if you actually smiled each morning you awakened? What if you moved your body in such a way that made you feel alive and prepared to take on the day’s challenges? What if you spent time getting to know – and hear from, your Creator each day? What if you felt inspired by your future and what you will accomplish? What if – by the time you arrived to work – you felt you had accomplished a healthy, happy and energetic mindset that drove you to perform more efficiently and effectively in all of your daily tasks? What if this mindset fueled you to achieve great things and to inspire those around you to see the world differently?
MY RESEARCH:
After leaving my corporate job in search of “something more”, I began researching the daily habits of the most successful people on the planet. I specifically looked for those individuals that not only were financially successful; but, those that are truly content in their life, maintain successful relationships and are making a positive impact in the world with their contributions. Interestingly enough, after watching many YouTube videos, reading biographies and many books, I found multiple patterns and similarities with each successful individual. The common thread that most stood out to me: the practice of a morning ritual.
You see, if you are to define “success” as the ability to serve others daily with your contributions and to properly utilizing your God-given gifts, then each day you experience this, is a success. So, how do you achieve this if you are not creating an environment that propels you through your day with energizing joy; if you are not improving the quality of your life or developing a sense of fulfillment? The answer is: you can’t. However, you can move in the right direction by adopting a beneficial, daily morning ritual. It will change your life…
WHERE DO YOU START?:
So where do you start? You start by identifying all of the areas you wish to improve upon; the areas you wish to transform into your best self. Ideally, these areas include your spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional self. There are many ways you can tailor a morning ritual to fit your specific needs. You can create a morning ritual that is 10 minutes or an hour long. It is truly up to you to decide what you wish to accomplish and what outcome you wish to have. The goal is to create as long or short of a routine that touches on the four areas of your personal growth.
MY CURRENT ROUTINE:
Let me outline my morning ritual for you so that you can get an idea if you are stuck. Now, I don’t do everything, every day; but, I touch on each area (mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, etc.) every day, if only for one minute. Here is a rough outline of my morning:
1. Your morning ritual ultimately starts the night before. You must go to bed at a reasonable hour. Prior to hitting the pillow, take time to journal what you are grateful for. Visualize your day the next day and what you will do to foster success. Tell yourself that you will sleep soundly. Along with telling myself this, I have been able to wake up at 4:58, two minutes prior to my alarm going off by stating what time I wish to wake up, the night before.
2. Once awake, I smile. Whether or not I feel happy, I train my body to feel happiness as a result of the physiologic response that smiling generates.
3. After I have smiled, I put on athletic clothes and jump on a mini-trampoline or “rebounder” for 5-10 minutes. While on the rebounder, I perform 30 rounds of quick nostril breaths (four quick breaths in and four quick breaths out is one round). This type of breathing propels oxygen immediately to the brain and I feel wide awake by the conclusion of 30 rounds. After my 30 rounds of breaths, while I’m still rebounding, I state what I am grateful for including the things I take for granted (i.e. the sunrise, my phone, my car, the ability to walk, my healthy relationships, etc.). Rebounding has been proven by NASA scientist to be the greatest exercise for improving lymphatic flow, detoxification, building bone density, cardiovascular strength, and muscular strength. And for those a bit vainer, it is the best treatment for cellulite as a result of the increased pumping of the sluggish lymphatic system. You’re welcome!
4. After I jump, I take in a full liter (yes 4 cups) of water and drink it within 5 minutes. Drinking this much water helps to rehydrate the body after many hours of fasting, further enhances the detoxification of the body and gets the digestive system in full working order (if you know what I mean).
5. In addition, I make a cup of hot lemon water with juice from 1/2 to 1 full lemon. This increases the diuresis in the kidneys, supports the liver’s ability to detoxify and aids the stomach and small intestine with more efficient digestion.
6. As I sip on my hot water and lemon, I read from an inspirational book. My personal favorite is reading scripture. However, If not spiritual text, I pick an inspirational book related to a topic that motivates me to move in a forward and positive direction. My current favorites are from Brendon Burchard or Napoleon Hill. I read for about 15 minutes.
7. After reading, I pick one passage or thought that stood out to me and I meditate for 10 minutes while listening to music. I like binaural beats music (you can find binaural beats music on YouTube) for this because this type of music helps to synchronize with brainwaves — and as a result, the brain can focus more easily. I’ll use this time to pray and to listen for direction and guidance.
8. I then take just 10-15 minutes to visualize. I really enjoy using the Six Phase Meditation by Vishen Lakhiani (on YouTube). This practice involves six phases including compassion/connection, gratitude, forgiveness, visualize the future, visualize the ideal day, asking for a Divine blessing.
9. I end my morning ritual by creating an ultra-strong cup of pour-over coffee and then reviewing the goals I’ve written down for the year. I then write down the three goals I am currently working on (physical goal, business-building goal, and my 30-day challenge). After writing these down, I write three action items that will help me to get closer to accomplishing each of these. These three things are my first to-dos of the day after I complete my morning ritual. and then review the top three items that I have given as “to do’s ” for the day to support the most important result-driven goals. This keeps my mind in problem-solving mode and open to new ideas and opportunities.
10. Lastly, it is time for a 20 minute to 30-minute workout, depending on the day. This is a non-negotiable action item for the morning as physical exercise provides a wealth of mental, emotional and physical benefits.
Excluding the 20-30 minutes of exercise, my personal morning ritual is roughly an hour long. Now, of course, the morning ritual you choose to create does not necessarily need to be this lengthy; but, you can see from the amount of life-enriching terrain covered in just one hour, that it is very difficult to have a “bad” day. On the contrary, over time, my actions throughout the day, start to naturally align with the inspiring goals I have set for myself. My spirit feels more connected to God. My soul is more connected to those I care about. My work becomes more productive and more inspiring. My energy is increased and bountiful throughout the day. In essence, just one hour sets the foundational mindset for success in every area of my life. Now, imagine what may potentially happen to your day, if it started out this way each morning!
THE COMMON MISTAKE:
The most common mistake that folks make when trying a morning ritual is to make it too complicated. You don’t need an hour or as many steps as I have outlined, here. You can start with just 10 minutes of deep breathing and write down three things you are grateful for. It can be as simple as you wish. Just make this routine a habit.
Now, it is your turn! Let me know what daily rituals you have – or wish to have, in your morning routine!
At the end of the day, this is one incredible way to supercharge your health; to simplify your lifestyle and to satisfy that lovely soul of yours.
With much gratitude to you, my friend,
XOXO,
Dr. Linné
Originally published at www.journeytowardjoy.com