Last week everything I knew about mornings changed. If you know me, you’d know that I was the girl, who rolled her eyes at even the slightest mention of morning routines and preferred beauty sleep over a smoothie bowl. But a new revelation made me take a 360-degree turn. And believe it or not, but it came from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love. Don’t worry, I won’t chew your ear off about meditation or the benefits of being a yogi, but I will introduce you to a new type of morning and it will change your life.
Because mornings aren’t just about being productive. For me, they’re about so much more. Of course, I’m not denying that mornings are the best time of day to get things done. But the truth of the matter is, you’ll only be productive and smash your goals if you’re ready too. But how do you know if you’re ready or not you ask?
It’s simple. All you have to do is follow these three tips religiously and you’ll notice easy changes in your life as simple as clicking on a light switch. You’ll realize that the potential to be better and achieve faster has been there all along. For me, it was like I had been awakened and this week I’ve felt nothing but refreshed and more productive than I’ve felt all year.
1
Start the morning right
The one thing I never did was take the time for myself in the morning to reflect. In fact, it was something I had never even considered before. But since I’ve started doing it I can see how it is essential. You know the how the saying goes – “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed”? What it translates to mean is that you definitely do not start your day right.
Did you know that you could even start your day right? It has nothing to do with how many hours sleep you had last night, or how stressful work has been this week. It’s how you wake up and treat yourself in the morning. I was researching for an article the other day and I saw that Meghan Markle comments that starting the day right is essential for maintaining structure through her day.
So, make sure you start your day right and this is totally dependent on you! Wake up that little bit earlier (yes it will make the difference) and start the day with what makes you smile. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it could be as simple as listening to music while making your breakfast. Sometimes, the happiest moments are the simplest and there’s no shame in that! If running 10k in the morning isn’t for you, then it won’t work to make sure your day goes smooth.
2
Embrace your thoughts
At the moment, I am truly inspired to take the time to focus on myself, to find myself and be comfortable with myself.
Anyone who knows me knows that I like to achieve, I like to be a go-getter, I get a buzz off being the girl walking through the London streets on her way to work. But recently, I’ve not been quite feeling like that girl.
What I realized is that the one thing I had stopped doing in this time, was taking the opportunity to focus on myself and grow. Growth happens through the baby steps you take. For example, one of my baby steps is stepping away from all technology and writing in my Make It Happen notebook every morning. Like Elizabeth Gilbert, I start a conversation with myself and let the thoughts spill out – and usually, they’re irrational. But the replies are always loving and calming. From doing this every morning, I can honestly tell you that I’ve never felt calmer, more level-headed or organized.
3
Review your day
When reviewing my plans, I can sometimes get a little stressed out. And all of a sudden a tonne of negative thoughts enter my head telling me that I can’t do something. We have a lot of negative thoughts on a daily basis. It’s these thoughts that lower our self-confidence, tell us we’re not good enough and that we’re not worthy. And we’ve all had a moment where we’ve not fought back. What I do now is prepare one quote of the day in advance and fill in my life-saving Getting Things Done planner with quotes that will uplift me every day. I even gathered quotes from friends and family to keep me inspired and keep my self-confidence up.
If there’s one thing I’ve discovered recently, it’s that fighting back doesn’t have to be so difficult. I’ve been practicing meditation for a few weeks now and it’s all about brushing away any thought that comes to mind. And I’ve started to apply this throughout the day whenever a negative thought comes around. Emma Breschi uses “forget yourself, and focus on what you really matters”, which really helps her ground herself to what’s important. What would yours be?
This period of time, for me, is also a really good calming method. It allows me to feel in control and know exactly what’s happening with my day. It gives me the chance to prepare, work through some notes and visualize, which makes me feel so much better going into work.
GOOD THINGS
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Featured photo: Asceno