Morning Rituals For Success

What do you do first thing in the morning? Check your email or social media? Do you usually wake up late and rush through your morning to get to work? Do you love working out first thing in the morning? What are your current morning rituals – the habits you’ve created to start your day?

Morning rituals are one of the most important things to get right, because it will have a huge impact on the rest of your day.  If you start off on the right foot, it creates momentum that you carry through your day.  It’s also important on a psychological level. When you wake up and the first thing you do is for yourself, you are communicating to yourself at a deep level that you are important and you build a sense of self worth.

So where do you start?

Here are some elements that I include in my morning ritual:

Meditation — This is my absolute must do.  If you’re going to do just one thing, choose this.  Meditating first thing in the morning sets the tone for your whole day.  It taps you into your intuition and puts your mind and body at ease.

Exercise — Working out first thing not only wakes you up, but also kickstarts your metabolism for the rest of the day.  Even if it’s just a little bit for 15 or 20 minutes, exercise will keep healthy.  I also find that if I exercise in the morning, I’m less likely to overeat.

Journaling — I love writing in the morning, my mind is fresh and my head isn’t full from the day.  I find that writing comes easier and I have my best ideas in the morning.

Inspirational Reading — If you have a particular spiritual or uplifting book that you enjoy, it’s a great time to plant those ideas in your mind.

Practice Affirmations — Same thing, practice uplifting, positive thoughts and ideas in the morning.  It will create uplifting, positive momentum through the day. You can even double this up with exercise and practice your affirmations on the treadmill or while doing reps with weights.

Now, pick a couple things that you think sound exciting and make a commitment to practice these things first thing every morning for the next 40 days.  Take notice of how you life shifts when you make yourself the most important part of your day and intentionally set a positive momentum in the morning.

Here are a few things to watch out for:
– Avoid checking your email or social media first thing.  You don’t have control over what you’re going to see and you’re approaching your day to be reactionary.

– Get down if you miss your morning ritual. Worrying about feeling good is counterproductive.  If you committed to a 40 day practice, then just start back at day one the next morning.

In the comments below, share what you are going to start as a morning ritual.  Or if you already have a morning rituals, share what you are already doing.