We have all been there before. You wake up, exhausted, even after getting the "recommended" 6-8 hours of sleep the night before. Your day starts sluggish, so you turn to the morning pick-me-up coffee or an energy drink to get your body jump started and ready for the day. Maybe you hit the snooze button a few times and at the very last moment, you jump up and get ready for the day with not a minute to spare. Both scenarios are not an ideal way to start the day, both physically and mentally. Your START to the day is critical in determining the REST of your day. In this short blog, we will discuss simple ways to change your morning ritual in Fort Worth and how it will change your days, weeks, years, and LIFE.
Better Sleep in Fort Worth
Let's first start in REVERSE, covering your sleep. There is no one size fits all answer to how much sleep YOU need in your life. When Harvard Medical School studied hormone levels with people who sleep over 8 hours and those who slept less than 6, the levels were all over the place. Some people were hard-wired for more sleep, others for less. A good way to determine how much sleep you need is during a vacation when you don't have an alarm clock to look at. Let your body guide you to determine your individual sleep needs.
Since we covered the sleep component, let's discuss how your morning routine will create momentum for the rest of your day. I just recently read an article from one of the most decorated Navy Seals in U.S. History, Jocko Willink. He stated that he felt a MENTAL ADVANTAGE over his ENEMY when he woke up earlier and started his day with his morning workout or ritual. Jocko woke up at 5AM because he wanted to be AHEAD of his enemy. After hearing this, I started thinking, who are my enemies? What am I battling? Who or What are you competing with? In business, many are constantly trying to stay ahead of the game and competitive with other businesses in the same industry. Maybe you are constantly fighting with yourself, trying to break a bad habit or constantly irritable. Maybe the stress of your daily life is taking a toll on your physical health, and you don't feel like you are performing at 100%.
The most common similarity between successful people is that they have an established morning routine. This routine is NOT brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or getting your morning coffee to start the day. These successful morning routines include some form of exercise, meditation, prayer, affirmations, and expressing thanks or gratitude. These "morning routines" will be difficult at first, but it has been shown that it takes the human body approximately 21 days to establish a new habit. This means you have to fight those little voices in your head telling you "don't work out this morning" or "hit the snooze button one more time"! START SIMPLE. Write down goals or positive affirmations that will start your day off with MOMENTUM. If you are an active person, get your workout done EARLY!
By the age of 35, 90% of your habits, attitudes, and behaviors are memorized. What this translates to is... Your Body Hates Change. This is why it is so difficult to break a habit or create a new one. After three weeks of establishing this new morning routine, your mindset changes. Your attitude changes. Your LIFE changes. I challenge YOU to go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, establish a new morning routine.
