Morning Routines Of Successful People Inspire My Day

Hello, Is Anyone Awake Yet?

I spent 20 years working in Silicon Valley, but after the early 2000s dot com crash, jobs were scarce.

I went from mid-six figures to looking at 10 dollars an hour Craigslist ads. I had to reinvent myself!

I became a coach and internet marketer and I’ve been happy ever since.

What was crucial to my period of reinvention was a habit I’ve had all my life. I’m an early riser.

If I set my alarm for 5 am, I’ll be up at 3 am. No matter what time zone, travel, it doesn’t matter.

Some people tell me it’s a curse, but to me, it’s a blessing.

That’s my quiet time to get stuff done before my kids get up.

My routine used to be to grab a cup of coffee and browse the newspaper. I think I adopted that routine because that’s what my parents did. Now I haven’t read a newspaper in years.

It’s like injecting negativity right into your bloodstream first thing in your day. It was wreaking havoc on my subconscious!
A couple of years ago I read the book, “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod and it transformed my life. Hal’s story of coming back from a terrible car accident inspired me to change my own habits.

 

I’ve been doing my miracle morning routine for about 3 years now and the benefits have been fabulous.

I start each morning with some focused quiet time where I can ease into my day.

Starting about six months ago I began slipping back into my old patterns of watching the news on TV and my whole day was off-kilter.

My business started lagging and on the whole, too many negative thoughts were invading my brain.

Then I jumped onto Perry Marshall’s 30-day challenge that got me back on track with my gratitude practice.

I try to spend at least 30 minutes of quiet time before I start interacting with other people and technology.

Hal and Perry recommend you stay offline for an hour or two hours, but that’s not always possible for everyone.

The amount of time you spend actually isn’t the most important factor. What’s key is creating boundaries around that space and time. It’s possible to change the outlook of your day with just 5 minutes if that’s all you have available.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to increase your length of time as your practice develops.

For me, I practice the Silva method of meditation and I do that at the beginning of my day for 15 – 20 minutes before I get up for my cup of coffee.

Some days I’ll read, some day’s I’ll journal, but I’ll do something nourishing for myself before I give any energy to anyone else.

 

Action Steps

1. Wake up as early as you can so you have time before you have any responsibilities.
2. Spend time alone working on a practice like meditation, journaling, reading, or gratitude.
3. Try to spend 30 minutes to 2 hours before interacting with technology.
4. Build a toolbox of tools to make your mornings powerful and nurturing.

 

Result You Will Achieve

A focused quiet period at the start of your day that can center you for the work ahead.

 
This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.