I’ve never been one for the morning routine but last year a mentor explained his routine and I decided to give it a go! A morning routine allows you to “install” a behaviour which will help you organise your mind/body for the day ahead. So, in the spirit of my last blog post which was about pulling yourself out of a rut, this post is in a similar vein.
So here’s the morning routine I was recommended. Feel free to add some or all of this to your daily schedule as you see fit! In part this is a reminder for me too, so I don’t forget it!
The Morning Routine
Get up and take a cold shower! Now here in the UK, it was winter last year when I was given this routine and I wasn’t down with it! My mentor was in Costa Rica – so that should tell you something! Anyway I reluctantly gave it a go and found it incredibly powerful.
A cold shower shocks your body and as it happened it was just the thing I needed. I had been suffering from a bit of depression and I definitely feel the cold shower in the morning helped get me out of my head, and into my body and being in the present moment, rather than rethinking the past (being stuck in my head).
Sit for 10 minutes completely still. Being still is a powerful practice. It calms you, centres you and focuses you on the moment. If you’re not familiar with the practice of being still, it’s definitely worth doing. You’ll probably fidget and look about the room, so it helps to close your eyes. Being in stillness reduces responses in the parasympathetic system – responsible for fight or flight. It also increases responses in the sympathetic system, responsible for rest and relaxation.
Read a book for 10 minutes. My mentor was using a self help book and I did the same. I was reading at the time The Slight Edge – by Jeff Olsen, which was definitely appropriate to the practice. Check it out it’s a great read! The slight edge is about how small things done repeatedly over and over can have a massive implication over time!
The Morning Routine – Intention Journalling
Once you’ve finished reading grab a pad and a pen. You’re going to write out your goal multiple times. If you don’t have a goal written down, or a tangible intention to aim for, you might want to read my post on sharpening your axe. In it, I explain the process called Cybernetic Transposition.
This is basically finding a suitable goal/intention that you want to achieve and writing it out multiple times to affect your subconscious mind. Doing it regularly implants an idea into the subconscious and it comes up with ideas and strategies for the goal’s achievement.
Start by writing your intention out 10 times, but you can do more if you wish. If you don’t have a suitable goal, it’s worth spending some time on this thrashing out a goal you’re inspired by and is not too difficult at first. That way, you’re enthused enough to do the work, and not put off by thinking it’s out of your grasp.
Gratitude
And finally in the morning routine write out 10 things you’re grateful for. I’ve just done this now and I can attest to its power. This is one of the most powerful things you can do and if you do nothing else, do this!
Writing out things you are grateful for shifts your energy/vibration and your mindset. As you practice this more and more, you will find your mind looking for more things to be grateful for over time. If you’re suffering from anxiety or depression, or just feel “stuck” in life, a gratitude journal is a powerful “go-to”.
Now this seems like a lot of work and of course you can take any part of it and organise it to suit you. In total this should take no longer than half an hour. You can also add some exercise before the shower as a lot of people like to start their morning with a run, or some form of exercise.
There’s a great book called the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod if you’re interested in this topic. He also has a Facebook group sharing positive ideas for a morning routine. Check it out here.
Racap
So here’s a quick recap of the morning routine:
- Cold shower – if you’re terrified start with a limb at a time and build up!
- Sit still for 10 minutes – set a timer
- Read 10 minutes of a self help/psychology book
- Intention writing – write your goal/intention out 10 times minimum
- Gratitude journalling – write out 10 things you’re grateful for
I find this useful if I’m feeling stuck with my affiliate business and often I get ideas come up during or after the practice. So pay attention and write down any insights which come to you – that’s your unconscious mind giving you insights to questions you have been asking.
In all this should take no longer than half an hour and it sets you up for the day! If you’ve enjoyed this post please share it!