Perfect Morning. Perfect Day
My morning routine (or total lack of it!) used to look somewhat like a mini-tornado every morning:
- Hitting snooze on the alarm clock a few times
- Flying out of Bed at the last minute possible
- Rushing to make sure the kids were up and getting ready
- Wildly gathering up everything I needed for the day
- Slamming my travel mug in the coffee maker
- Breathlessly flying out the door
My day would always progress on in the exact same way! It was usually a flurry of running from thing to thing. I routinely ended the day wondering what I had accomplished.
I was stretched to the limit with stress, overwhelmed and frazzled. Then I had a wake-up call. Something needed to change. One evening I lost sight in my left eye. It returned — but the doctors said it was stress-induced. I needed to make a change and quickly. That is when I began experimenting with my morning routine.
I started with a commitment to 15 extra minutes in the morning for me. It took at least 6 months to get this down consistently. Then I began to notice that the days I started intentionally flowed better! I was more efficient, calmer, and more prepared. I still had just as many tasks to accomplish and people to see. My stress was reducing.
Fifteen minutes flowed into drinking my entire cup of morning coffee intentionally. As I started my morning better, I became clearer on how to be more effective at work. My confidence grew and I was clearer on what I wanted out of life.
The quiet mornings planted the seed of eventually leaving behind my very stable corporate job to embracing my dream of entrepreneurship. That dream continued to grow and it became clear to me that my passion and skill would be better used working as a full-time life and business coach.
Today, having made that transition, I embrace my mornings as the most important part of my day where my mindset and connection to my own wisdom is affirmed each day.
If you are like I used to be — frantically racing out the door each morning — I encourage you to begin with just 15 minutes for you each day.
Here are 3 habits to develop to start your day strong:
Silence
The first thing I start with is five minutes of mindful silence. Listening to your breath acts as a cleansing reset for the mind. If you are not used to silence even five minutes can seem like a long time. You can use an app like Headspace which is a great tool to begin a mindfulness practice or just listen and count your own breaths.
Affirmations
The second five minutes are reviewing positive affirmations. They get you focused on the right things from the beginning of the day. These statements can include every aspect of how you want your life to be from parenting, relationships, job, money. They should be positive powerful statements that draw you forward to what you want. Affirmations are key in helping you create new habits and establish new neural networks to support those habits.
Journaling
The last thing is five minutes of writing down your thoughts and feelings is a powerful way to re-connect with your own inner flame. You can begin by listing a few things that you are grateful for. Other ideas for journaling are re-writing your affirmations; asking questions like — What do I need to know today to be the best that I can be? Or logging emotions and feelings about events in your life. If you would like some sample journal questions download my free journal guide.
I challenge you to explore the possibilities of how your day can unfold in a new way. Commit to consistently starting your day different and see what outcomes shift.
When I was going through life-coach training one of the concepts I learned was a perfect today makes a perfect tomorrow. I did not understand what that meant at first. Now I understand that for something to duplicate it first needs an example to duplicate from. By creating your ideal 15 minutes in the morning you send a new signal to the rest of your day that there is a new pattern to duplicate. You too can begin to create a perfect day from a perfect start to your day.
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Vicki Haddock of Transcending Limits LLC is a life and business coach with a focus on helping you make your Eiffel Tower size hopes and dreams a reality. Vicki uses her life experiences of overcoming toxic environments at home and at work; being a single parent and learning first of all to embrace her own wisdom and spirit. She also uses her 20 year background in the transportation, safety and financial industry combined with her professional coach credential (ACC by the International Coach Federation) and the latest in neuroscience to help individuals and companies create excellence and live joyful fulfilled lives. You may reach her at Vicki@tslimits.com
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