As a night owl and non-morning person, I’ve always felt a bit like a slacker because I don’t bounce out of bed and run 5 miles before meditating, breakfast, writing thank you notes, gratitude journaling, and doing a load of laundry. I’ve been known to have a conversation before I am fully awake and not recall it later.
Morning rituals have become a must for setting myself up for success. My commitment to them started when I was certifying for Neuro-Linguistic Programming™. “NLP™ is defined as the study of the structure of subjective experience and what can be calculated from that and is predicated upon the belief that all behaviour has structure.” (Dr. Richard Bandler)
What does that mean??? Basically everything we do and experience has a structure or rhythm. The brain is constantly at work telling your mind what patterns are rewarding to you. My inability to feel fully awake in the morning has a structure and a rhythm. By changing my belief and attitude that I can enjoy the morning, I have the power to change my behavior. Or by changing my behavior, I have the ability to change my attitude and belief.
Think about it this way. Why are some people addicts? We know that the chemical intake from the drug is creating a positive message to the brain. The brain is sending the message to the conscious mind that the high is great. Part of recovery is reminding the mind that the high isn’t worth it.
This is the same pattern with your morning ritual. Connect the conscious mind to the power of your brain. Use a rhythm to reinforce good thinking, right behaviors, life purpose and a positive attitude.
Essentially, you are taking time to be mindful. And it can be the most powerful part of your day.
Here is morning rhythm that can work for a non-morning person:
- Start with coffee. Caffeine is a natural stimulant that when used in balance has been proven to be helpful in waking up.
- Talk to someone. It gets your mind stimulated. Share a devotional and talk about what it means with your roommate or family.
- Always have a few minutes of quiet. Quiet is a hard thing to practice, but without a few minutes of quiet, you may regularly find yourself running late all day or forgetting important things.
- Review your calendar. Especially if you are visual learner. By looking at the entire day and week, you can help your brain get a handle on time management.
- Think about what you are looking forward to in your day and week and be mindfully thankful for the people you will see and talk to each day.
Then put your feet on the ground and start the day.
I work with a Executive Coaching clients to develop their morning rituals. One client started his rituals this year.
He is a dynamic man, has a great family, runs a thriving business and didn’t feel like the whole of his life was connecting internally for him. (A common issue for busy executives with families is the internal connection of being successful at work and staying integrated into the daily emotional lives of their family). We brainstormed ideas that fit him uniquely. He is the complete opposite of me. Bounces out of bed, LOVES to work out, NEVER gets distracted on social media or Jimmy Fallon YouTube videos, etc.
Without sharing his personal story, this is a version of the list of things he chose as his morning ritual:
- Goes to a quiet place at home that is out of the way
- Sets a ten minute timer so he isn’t distracted by time
- Reviews a mental list of each person he is thankful for in his life
- Outlines a plan for what would make his day successful
- Has an awareness of the character and behavior he is developing in each of his children
- Develops one idea to encourage, bless, remember, ease the load of, etc. his wife
- Breathes deeply, ending with a huge smile (smiles stimulate great chemicals)
- As he leaves the house, he intentionally says a verbal encouragement to each of his family members
His day has been custom designed to fit his needs and empower his life. In 10 minutes of peacefulness.
What are your rituals? Give your life a gift.. Start some!!
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