For most of my childhood waking up in the morning to get ready for school was the worst part of the day. I remember dragging my feet out of bed begrudgingly for the 7am rise. “Which kid gets up at a ridiculous hour of 7am?” I would argue with my mother. Waking up at 7am felt like the crack of dawn for me and I absolutely hated it! I would reluctantly and haphazardly get ready for school, all the while wishing I was still asleep.

The displeasure for early mornings followed me into adulthood and by this point, I defined myself as the quintessential night owl. We tend to label ourselves and then believe that is who we are, though more on this a little later. My morning routine consisted of hitting the snooze button as many times as I could, rushing to get ready for work and running out the door. Often feeling like I had no time for breakfast and grabbing a coffee on the way to work. Let me tell you, I may have claimed that I had more time each morning for a little “sleep in.” The fact was that the small amount of time I had for staying in bed (which I was so protective of) was causing more damage than good. I felt tired and attempting to focus at work became a real challenge.

I, like all of us wanted to achieve a certain level of success in health and career but what I was doing was setting myself to fail each morning. Something needed to shift! My attitude towards early mornings had to change and I desperately needed to create a deliberate routine that focused on my well-being and progress. It wasn’t an easy task to change my habit. After all, I had convinced myself that I hated mornings and everything I did reflect that. However, a manageable strategy, preparation, and persistence were the key to revamping my routine in the mornings. This has served me well for many years and I would like to share this with you.

Morning Routine – A pathway to success

What we do in the morning sets the tone for the rest of our day. When we start each morning with a deliberate routine that enhances our personal growth and success we inevitably move towards our goals. We are rarely grounded or focused when we frenziedly go about our morning business. In this state of mind, we seldom take notice of how we are feeling or what we are thinking. We stop ourselves from creating purposeful actions and systematically move towards our goals. We are on autopilot!

Our level of success rarely exceeds our level of personal growth. Think about this for a moment- Your personal growth must match the level of success you wish to achieve. If level 1 was the lowest and level 10 was the highest, you cannot, for example, be sitting at a level 5 in personal development if you want to achieve level 10 in success. If you want to achieve maximum levels of success (let’s face it none of us want or deserve mediocre success in our life) you must invest time in your personal development to match. Creating a morning routine is an essential part of your personal development plan.

The big 4 of Morning Rituals

My morning routine is unique to me and I teach my clients that they are in control of how they structure their morning ritual. Having said this, I am a huge supporter of the big 4 of morning rituals:

1 – Move your body

We are aware of the importance of exercise for our health and wellbeing. However, the benefits of morning exercise are many.

• It builds solid self-discipline
• It improves your energy level so that you can tackle a busy day
• It improves your level of focus and you are more alert throughout the day. This has an impact on your performance at work
• You will be more consistent with a morning workout because you have fewer distractions than if you exercised later in the day.

This does not necessary mean you have to have a big session at the gym if that isn’t your cup of tea. It means doing what feels right for you. My morning exercise routine consists of pulling out the yoga mat and doing a yoga session before the start of each day.

2 – Flex your mental muscle

Just as we exercise our bodies we need to exercise our minds for mental strength and resilience. Creating a mindfulness ritual each morning will help you feel grounded, in tune with yourself and this will have a flow-on effect throughout your day. I practice a 20 minutes’ mindful ritual each morning. 20 minutes’ work well for me, however, you can choose a timeframe that works well for you. Sit in silence for the timeframe that you have chosen for yourself and focus on your breath. Notice what arises in your mind and your body as you focus on the rise and fall of each breath. At the end of this take a few minutes to silently express your gratitude for all that is well in your life. Research indicates that gratitude can significantly increase the quality of your life by shifting your perspective.

3 – Move towards your vision

Get clear about your personal vision. Is it to be the best version of yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually? Is it to be a more present parent and a spouse? Is it to inspire your employees through strong leadership? Whatever it might be, focus on working towards your vision each morning. When you create your morning ritual strategy take some time on this section. What can you do each day that will serve your personal vision?

4 – Plan your day

Planning your day starts the night before. Understand what you have on the following day and prioritise what needs to be done first. Revisit this in the morning with fresh eyes, make any adjustments if need be before starting your day.

I am aware that as you read this you are possibly thinking creating a morning ritual for yourself is easier said than done. Especially if you have young kids to take care of, a full-time job and other demands of life thrown in between. To this I ask – Wouldn’t you want to create a strategy that whilst might be difficult to carry out in the beginning but yield benefits that help you manage the life that you lead?

If you fail to plan you plan to fail

1.Change your attitude

We are not a morning person neither a night owl, it is just a label that we place on ourselves or a label that is given to us by others. We may prefer one over the other but it should not define us. One of the biggest thing for me was to change my mindset and my attitude towards this. Once I realised that it’s just a choice I could shift my preference towards being more productive in the morning.

2.Get organised

We all lead busy lives juggling kids, partners, bosses, colleagues, extended families, and friends. Creating a morning ritual will require you to get organised. Design a schedule for what you want your morning routine to consist of. Prepare lunches and organise clothes the night before so you are not rushed in the morning. Plan the time it will take for you to carry out your morning ritual and rise at a reasonable hour. Communicate what you are doing to the rest of the members of your family so that they are aware that this is your time. Ask for help in getting organised if need be.

A morning ritual is a great way to get motivated for the day ahead and it helps you to get into the right frame of mind for success each day. By focusing on physical and mental health each morning you will have more energy and emotional resilience. Both vital in managing challenge that may arise during the day in a less reactive and more productive way.