Take Back Your Morning With a Morning Method

No other tool has been more impactful for my personal development journey than my Morning Method. It has been my source of energy, my source of courage, and my source of gratitude for every single day, and it is a non negotiable to me.

It should be a non negotiable for you as well.

What is the Morning Method? Simply put, it is a series of routines and habits that you do first thing in the morning before you do ANYTHING else, to help set the intention, the attitude, and the energy for the day.

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking… “I don’t have time to do anything else in the morning. I have to get up and get going!”

Make time.

I know it sounds harsh, but if you can’t own the first thirty minutes to an hour of your morning, you don’t own the rest of your day. This is why you have to grab onto that first part of your day with everything you’ve got. Because if you can’t, somebody or something else will.

There are many people and programs out there that advocate specific and detailed routines for the morning. While those programs may be beneficial to some, I tend to shy away from the “one size fits all” approach to mindset. People have different patterns that lead to their empowerment. The goal is to find yours. The reason I promote the Morning Method is because it’s highly versatile and adaptable. Don’t like meditation? Try a breathing exercise instead. Don’t like running? Try yoga! Don’t like yoga? How about a walk in nature? There are endless possibilities of routines and habits you can get into that lift you up. The point is to just. Freaking. Do. It.

The reason a morning method is so important is because how you start your day influences your outlook, your performance, and your view of yourself. If you don’t prime yourself to have a great attitude and outlook at the beginning of the day, you are setting yourself up to allow outside forces to immediately affect your attitude and outlook. Of course, outside forces and things outside of our control will always be an issue, but if we put the armor of empowerment on first thing in the morning, we are better able to thrive through the challenges.

While the morning method is highly adaptable, it must incorporate three elements: Presence, Energy, and Empowerment. Something I like to call “the morning PEE.”

That’s right, after you have your morning pee, you need to have your morning PEE.

I know, I know. Gross. But you won’t forget it now!

Presence

Being present is something that we all struggle with throughout the course of the day. If we’re not focused on the present, chances are we have our minds in the future (where anxiety lives) or the past (where anger or sadness lives), or we’re frantically “shoulding” all over ourselves. Before we know it, it’s 9:30 pm, we’re tired as hell, and we’re going to bed anxious.

Presence is a practice. We need to intentionally focus on the present moment in order to experience presence. What is the benefit of being present? Just as anxiety, anger, and sadness live in the future and past, gratitude lives in the present. Anytime we can bring ourselves to the immediate present, we are bringing ourselves to a place of gratitude. We can do this through focusing on simple things that are happening in the present. The sounds occurring around us, our heartbeat, our breath, and so on. Ways in which you can bring yourself into a present state is through meditation, breathing exercises, light aerobic exercise, yoga, or a cold shower.

Energy

Think about what happens when you wake up to the alarm, then you rush out the door without breakfast, and arrive at work barely on time. Do you feel energized? Likely no. What happens when you’re lacking energy throughout the day? Performance suffers. Mental health suffers. Physical health suffers. Then, not surprisingly, we start complaining that we don’t have enough time.

What if investing time in creating energy actually created more time for you? Investing time, first thing in the morning, in things like exercise, strength training, running, cycling, healthy breakfast, plenty of water will improve your energy, and therefore improve your attitude and outlook. Thus, your performance WILL improve. It may not even need to be 30 minutes or an hour of training. You can simply start with 5 to 10 minutes of movement. We can’t depend on outside forces to give us energy. We have to create our own energy, and it has to happen first thing in the morning.

Empowerment

The final piece of your morning PEE is empowerment. One of the keys to taking ownership of your day is to make sure that you are owning who you are – a human being who is capable of lighting the world on fire. This is where empowerment comes in. What is the story you are telling yourself first thing in the morning? Is it a story of gratitude, confidence, passion? If not, it needs to be. The best way to empower yourself is to remind yourself a) where you want to go – your long term goal, and b) the amazing places you’ve been – your points of reference. When you can close your eyes and picture with pride and gratitude some of the amazing things you’ve achieved, those points of reference remind you what you’re truly capable of. And then, you can turn those achievements into affirmations – powerful, true statements about yourself that you can speak into the universe and use your whole voice and body to imprint in your soul. When you do this consistently, it becomes a truth so powerful that no outside force can break it. Other exercises you can practice for empowerment are journaling or reading empowering books.

If you are able to take your morning PEE, you take control of your day. My suggestion is to start with thirty minutes. Pick 3-6 activities in the morning that will give you presence, energy, and empowerment, and do them consistently for one month. I guarantee you’ll start to feel more alive, a better attitude, and a better outlook.