I’m addressing another popular question today and that’s, “What do your mornings look like?” Let me start by saying that I think having rituals (whether they’re in the morning, mid-day or evening) are vitally important to a person’s success. These rituals are crucial to my and Lori’s self-care, and let’s be real, our sanity! Personally, mornings work the best for me.

“There is no easier time to take control of your day than in the first 30 minutes of the day.”

Think about it… the first 30 minutes of your day are the easiest to control. For me, it’s the first two hours, but that’s the time that Lori and I have carved out of our day as “protected time.” We put ourselves first so we can be the best versions of ourselves for others the rest of the day.

Here’s what the first part of the day looks like for me:

1. Wake up and immediately say my mantra: “I am happier, healthier, wealthier and more fit than I was yesterday.”
2. 60-90 second prayer of what I’m grateful for. This list varies and is very child-like, but it really does set the tone of my thoughts for the day (hello, gratitude and possibility!).
3. Pages before Swipes + COFFEE! OK, the coffee is optional, of course, but it’s mandatory in our house! ;-) This is my and Lori’s rule of reading a minimum of 10 pages before we hit our emails or social media. You never know what you will read or see that can send your day into a tailspin before it even gets started. This has been a game-changer!
4. Meditation. We used to do 20-30 minutes…or nothing, but recently realized that even 5-10 minutes is plenty to help visualize our day. Something is always better than nothing.

“What matters is the consistency, not the amount of time.”

5. Moving my body. This is a staple of my success and every single day, there is at least one block of time where I’m going to get sweaty.

After we’re done working out, we get home, rinse off, and that marks the end of our “protected time.” We start our day. Final words…

“Dictate your day and your thoughts.”

Again, I realize that not everyone has the flexibility in their lives to commit to this same schedule, but aside from the workout, this is roughly a half hour of time that can help you start your day right. Don’t leave your day to chance. Wake up earlier, break it into multiple smaller chunks of time throughout the day – just do what you can to control your day.