Gratitude & Getting up early
I have been reading about morning routines for about 3 years. Every personal development book I have ever read mentions this practice, and most of the wealthiest people in the world swear by their morning routines. When I first heard of this idea, the elaborate mornings of some people would never ever ever fit into my schedule. I procrastinated from ever starting one because I thought it wasn’t something that was available for me. But guess what? It doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time. Turns out, it can literally be whatever you want it to be.
Early Bird
Let’s start with the elephant in the room, shall we? This is the part of building a morning routine that makes everyone hesitant. First thought, man do I have to get up at 5am? For me, that answer was yep. For you it may not be the same. I truly believe to make this something successful that sticks, it has to be your own. For me, it starts at 5am, for you it may start at 9. And I will pretend that starting at 9 that doesn’t make a tiny bit jealous, by 9, I have already been at work for 90 minutes by then. When I wanted to start a morning routine, I knew part of it would be getting up even earlier than I was because of the hours I work in my day job. As you can imagine, this thought was not exciting to me, but I thought if you want to really give it a shot, you are going to have to make a change. I started slow, first 6:30 am then 6am and now I am at 5am. Let’s talk about the benefits of 5am! Most people are not up at that hour, you are not getting texts, calls, emails, err distractions. Full disclosure, Germain and I do not have children yet, so it’s beyond silent in our home at that hour as well. The hubby is sleeping, the puppy is sleeping. It’s just me, my gratitude and wifi. My advice is find a time that works for you, if it’s 5am or 2pm, gratitude works at all times of the day!
Keep calm and stay hydrated
I’m talking about H20, girl! Before I get any mean messages, take a breath y'all, I love coffee as much as the next girl. But hear me out on this one. I used to drag myself out of bed after hitting the snooze button multiple times like it was my part time job. Exhausted and with my eyes barely open I would make a cup of coffee. If that’s you, I feel you girl. Now, I don’t hit snooze, get up fairly easily and I will either drink hot lemon water or a really large ice water. I like both equally, depends on what I wake up craving. Drinking water first thing in the morning has a lot of health benefits. If you are not already aware of the health benefits, here are a few, a serving of vitamin C (from the lemon), flushing of toxins, helps with digestion and even helps fight a cold. All that is amazing, but none of those are why I like it. Personally, drinking water first thing, feels like hitting a reset button. I know it’s not really undoing any damage (thank you Sauvignon Blanc), but that’s what it feels like and I love it. If you are skeptical, try it out and let me know your thoughts.
Gratitude is always the right decision
It’s tough to be angry, frustrated or sad when you are thinking about what your grateful for. There is something about writing out multiple things you are grateful for every morning that changes the whole trajectory of your day. Sounds crazy, right? It’s too simple, I know, but give it a shot. I use two journals, one is the 5 Minute Journal and I cannot say enough good things about it It is laid out with simple questions as journal prompts to help you think about what you are grateful for and it seriously only takes 5 minutes and if you are as a busy as I am, you know how important those time pockets of time can be (I have linked it below if you want to purchase one!). The other one is the Start Today Journal by the Hollis Co, it is another simple layout design and takes minutes, but is so powerful, and let’s be real I love everything that Rachel Hollis does! See the book recommendation for her book!
You never know who you are inspiring
While I didn't invent the morning routine or claim that mine is the best there is, I have seen how coming up with my own plan has inspired friends and those who follow me on social media to try out their own. I read about morning routines for years before I even thought I could actually have one that was mine all mine. I have shared these details with a few people who have now created their own version and it’s working for them! More people are watching you than you think, when you start a positive habit, others will do it, even after watching you. If you have a morning routine you love or this has inspired you start one, leave me a comment below and tell me all about it!
Here’s what my current routine looks like:
Use keurig to make hot lemon water or just drink it iced - https://amzn.to/2QqxI4X
Complete my 5 Minute Journal— https://amzn.to/2rvoy8k
Read daily page from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman-- highly recommend— https://amzn.to/2rrZNK9
Total time: 7 minutes
*Sometimes an additional 2 minutes for IG worthy photo of above