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The sun is up and another day has dawned. How are you going to greet it? Is it Rise and shine! and Up and at ‘em! Or are you more likely to “wake up on the wrong side of the bed”? Whatever the case may be, the way you kick off your morning has a huge effect on how you navigate the rest of the day. Having a consistent morning routine provides a foundation for everything that happens between the time we wake up and the time we go to sleep. A morning routine is essential for creating outcomes. It prepares you for the day so that you can perform in such a way that you are moving toward vision.
Before I started the journey toward personal mastery, my morning routine was pretty simple: I didn’t have one. It was roll out of bed when I felt like it and prepare myself for whatever crappy job I had lined up that day. When I’d finally had enough and decided to create the life I wanted, I started by observing the behaviors of highly successful people. And if there was one thing that was common among all of them was that they utilized a structured morning routine. I’m talking about more than just taking a shower and grabbing a piece of toast as you run out the door. What I noticed, whether it was a martial arts master or an investment banker, the people I observed started their day with some type of internal practice or meditation, movement of the body, and getting nutrition into the body. And although the content of the routine may vary depending on the day, they engaged in a routine every single morning, no exceptions.
A solid morning routine aligns you for the day that you're about to have so that you can perform impeccably at a high capacity. A morning routine trends you in the direction of your vision and what you want to manifest. If you don't already have a morning routine then your first order of business is to start one. Immediately. Every high achieving person absolutely has a designed morning routine that positions themselves to perform well throughout the day. And hey, we all wake up sometimes and, seemingly for no reason, we have low energy, we’re feeling a little fatigue, maybe physically we don't feel well. Sometimes we just have some weird emotional funk, maybe our hormones are out of whack, who knows what it is? We wake up and our mind’s a bit foggy or we just can't stop obsessing about something negative or something critical or something that has nothing to do with what we need to get done that day. This is where having a regular morning routine is crucial. It gives us the time to check in, recognize where we’re at, and then get us aligned with the day ahead.
So, where to begin? At a very minimum, your morning routine should start with a quick check-in. Where am I? How do I feel emotionally? How do I feel physically? Where is my focus? From there, move into 20 minutes of internal training. And I didn’t just make up that number or pull it out of the air. There’s actually science behind it. Research on meditation has shown that it’s right around the 12 to 15 minute mark, if you're doing the right meditative or internal training practice, that the functions and operations of the brain shift into a meditative state. This is where we are able to access peace and joy, the body relaxes, and the brain shifts down into the Delta state. So with a commitment of 20 minutes, we’re giving ourselves a solid 5 to 7 minutes of being “in the zone”. That may not seem like a lot of time, but the key here is to get that higher, love based state activated so that we’re ready to take on the day.
Now, here's the thing that some of you may be thinking: Joey, 20 minutes? Like, two-zero? Not 2 minutes but 20 minutes? Are you f-ing crazy? Do you know how busy I am? Do you know what my kids are like in the morning? Do you have any idea what I have to get done in a day? I don’t have 20 minutes to just sit still and do nothing! Yes, I get it. But if you’re the person that just thought 20 minutes was an insane request, this is what you’re saying to yourself:
My life is completely out of control because I am unable to plan and make 20 minutes a day happen. And if I’m unable to construct 20 minutes of my day to make sure I execute on something that is essential for myself, I have no hope to fulfill my vision.
I know what it is to be busy. I have a very full life. But whenever I declare something as important, Bam! I start it right away. I clear the time, I create the time, I mold the time. Remember, the most valuable resource we have is time. Minutes are diamonds. So if you can't stop and construct 20 minutes to make sure this thing happens, it likely means there are other things you aren’t making happen, because it's occurring to you as you can't. The belief that “I have no time” simply comes from not managing the time well and not having an effective system. You can shift the belief from “I can’t possibly do x, y, or z because I don’t have the time” to “I can make the time for the things that are important.”
So let’s not waste any more of those diamonds. Go ahead, right now, and choose the earliest time in the morning that you can commit to a morning routine. Take a second and write it down if you can. Keep in mind that your routine should be the first thing that happens in the morning, so be realistic about it. If you normally wake up at 7:00 a.m. and you're thinking, “I'm going to start waking up at 4:30 a.m. because I'm passionate and I'm excited and 4:30 a.m. is when this thing is going to happen!” sorry, but you’re fooling yourself. It's a fantasy. Just set your alarm 20 minutes earlier and then sit up, right there in the bed, and do your 20 minute practice. Now, if you’re someone that just has to jump in the shower first thing, or brush your teeth, or even go to the gym, that’s fine. Just make sure you do your 20 minutes immediately after.
Alright so, you’ve named your wake up time, now keep in mind, this is an everyday event. You’re not taking weekends off! If you wake up a little later on the weekends, fine, figure that in. However, from an energy standpoint, you aren’t doing yourself any favors. If you get up at 6:00 a.m. during the week, even if you really hate it, energy wise it’s best to just keep waking up at 6:00 a.m. Statistics show that going to sleep and waking up at the same time everyday creates a steady biorhythm and provides for optimal energy throughout the day. But if you live all week to sleep in on Saturday morning, go for it. Just make sure to stick with your morning routine when you do wake up. (We’ll address the whole “living all week just to sleep in on Saturday morning” thing another time.)
Now that we’ve established 20 minutes of internal practice right when we wake up, let’s add to the routine. We’ve got to get the body moving. I’m not going to tell you exactly what to do here because it’s going to be something different for everyone. It might even be something different everyday for you. Routine doesn’t necessarily mean doing the exact same thing consistently, but doing something consistently. You can go for a walk or a run, go for a swim, lift weights, hop on that Peloton that’s been gathering dust and coats in the corner. It doesn’t matter what you do, just get the body moving for 20-40 minutes. (If you’re saying to yourself, 20-40 more minutes, see paragraph 5.)
Finally, nutrition. For those of you clock-watchers, don’t worry, this doesn’t have to add any time. I’m not talking about sitting down and having a full breakfast, although if you want to make that a part of your morning routine, have at it! I’m talking about something simple that will quickly deliver nutrients to your body. For me it’s purified water with some supplements and minerals that I add, and I drink it first thing, as soon as I wake up. For you it might be a shake or smoothie or protein drink. Have it before, after, or even during your workout. Do a little research and find products that work best for you.
Internal training, movement, nutrition. 40-60 minutes, every day, the moment you wake up. A morning routine. I’ve never met a high-achiever that didn’t have one. So why not you? Join us for a Power Series weekend and we can get you dialed into a morning routine that will fuel your journey toward vision. If you’re a member, you already have access to the Personal Mastery Toolkit online. Within that toolkit are a series of Recommended Training Protocols for people at all junctures of their training—from brand new Members, to those who have been to Reset, to those who are doing Alllll the things. These Recommended Training Protocols will help you build your morning routine.
Click HERE to learn more about the Power Series and sign up today. Or click HERE to learn more about membership. And top o’ the mornin’ to ya!
