Morning rituals of world-class performers…
How do you begin your mornings? Do you reach for your phone to check email? Scramble about trying to find things? Or do you train? Meditate? Say what you are grateful for? Today we are going to look at some of the morning routines of successful, world-class performers. These routines are outlined in the book, Tools of Titans that we have discussed here. There are other routines written about in the book; these are some of the more common ones. What is common among over 200 of those interviewed is that the majority of them have some type of morning ritual. They understand the importance of starting the morning well and on purpose as it shapes the rest of their day. Here we go!
Morning Rituals Note: ‘They’ refers to the successful people interviewed in the book mentioned above. I’ve added specifically what I do indicated by ‘LS’.
Put as many things on autopilot as possible - These successful people stick with a routine so that they don’t have to waste mental energy and time thinking about what to eat, for example as does Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip. They may have the same thing for breakfast every day.
LS - My day is planned the night before by putting together what I’m going to wear, my gym bag, and my lunch. There is no scrambling around looking for a sock or staring in the refrigerator. All is done the night before.
Morning meditation or mindfulness practice - Defined as a rehearsal or practice or routine that helps you to develop present-state focus and awareness of your thoughts. They do their mindfulness practice before any inputs, meaning before checking email, etc. Some use meditation apps or listen to a single track of music over and over like Matt Mullenweg, lead developer of WordPress. A higher percentage of the males use TM (Transcendental Meditation) whereas the females are more likely to use Vipassana (one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation). Some like Maria Popova, founder of BrainPickings.org, uses the same guided mediation audio from Tara Brach’s Smile Meditation.
LS - Every morning I use the guided meditation app, Headspace.
Make the bed - By making the bed in the morning, it starts your day with something you have control over. If you start there, you can build momentum during the day and ‘bookends’ your day with seeing something you’ve accomplished.
LS - Without question, I make the bed every morning.
Fasting - Not eating for extended periods of time (intermittent fasting), say from dinner that night before until lunch the next day, is done by more males than females. People like General Stan McChrystal, only eat one meal per day. Others, like Malcolm Gladwell may only eat one or two meals per day.
LS - Every morning I do intermittent fasting in the range of 12 hours before eating. Roughly once per week I extend that to 14-18 hours and once for 24-hours which you can read about here.
Journaling - Many journal every morning. Particularly creative people such as Brian Koppleman, co-writer for the movie Rounders and Ocean’s Thirteen. He his also co-creator and executive producer of hit show, Billions. He uses a journal called Morning Pages and has recommended to many of his friends.
LS - After meditation or yoga, sometimes I have insights that I write down in my journal. Primarily I write in my journal at night for what three things I accomplished, what three things I’m grateful for, other insights, and lastly, what three things I’m going to accomplish the next day.
Other resources: Five-Minute Journal - like the name suggests, it only takes a few minutes. It’s a great way to practice gratitude as you write down each day three things you are grateful for.
So there you have it. Morning rituals. I asked you at the beginning what your morning ritual was. I would like to know your thoughts. What do you do? Is starting a morning ritual part of your goals for this year? Send me a message or share with the GreenNote Fitness on Facebook. They more we share, the more we grow. A lot of the power of rituals and routines comes from the simple fact that they are always there. They are grounding experiences to which you can always return, no matter what’s going on. ~ Jonathan Fields I am hopeful that you see some value in beginning your day from a place of purpose and intention. Doing that each and every day can have a great impact. It is one of the few times of the day that we can control. It may require
going to bed a little earlier and getting up a litter earlier but I promise you, it is worth it. You are worth it.
To your mornings and your journey, Lisa Schaffer GreenNote Fitness P.S. Check out my Facebook page for inspiration. P.P.S. Discover GreenNote Fitness recommendations for recovery, supplements, protein bars & powders, nutrition, equipment, books and more in the GreenNote Fitness eStore **Do you have a friend that would benefit from this information? Please forward it to them!**
