Your alarm goes off in the morning and you grumble to yourself. Ugg it’s morning already…
As an entrepreneur, we lose sleep most nights over-thinking, over-analyzing our next steps and staying up late to complete the tasks on our multiple to-do lists.
You probably went to bed later than anticipated, only to wake up earlier than you’d like. Then the day starts with the grumpy grumbles.
A rested entrepreneur, is the HAPPIER entrepreneur.
Set a bedtime, give yourself 30 minutes leeway before and after this time. But make a commitment to giving your body time to recharge and rejuvenate. Your work in the morning will thank you. And when your alarm goes off, you will be more likely to be well-rested and happy to get out of bed and begin the wonderful day ahead of you. (And if you are anything like me, without a good night’s sleep I am a not fun to be around all day and my work suffers!)
Start your day on a POSITIVE THINKING note.
The first thing I suggest saying to yourself upon waking is: “Today is going to be a GREAT DAY.” Say it like you mean it. Say it out loud and visualize all the BIG things that you will do today. This is setting the tone or vibration for all of your thinking for the rest of the day. You have just begun to understand the power of INTENTION. Setting intentions for the day, can be the most powerful thing we do as entrepreneurs.
Set a clear, focused INTENTION for what you want to work on and COMPLETE today.
It is not a difficult as it may sound. An intention is just what you want to happen today, what you intend to do. Its the mood of your day. Its your tasks list DONE. Think about how you will feel with that proposal completed or will all of your correspondences up to date. See yourself at the finish line, in bed at the end of the day thinking “Job well done. Today was a successful, productive, GREAT day!” I recommend writing down an intention or two, and having them out and visible on your desk all day. Whenever you are a little scattered or overwhelmed return to this list of intentions. It is your touchstone, your reality check. Am I on track? What do I want to complete today? Oh yes, my CLEAR intentions will guide me to my next activity. Intentions are there to GUIDE and REMIND you. It’s okay if the first few days you struggle a little to stay on task with your intentions. You are training your brain to think and ACT from a different direction. You will get used to it though and the POWER OF INTENTION will help you complete more of what you WANT completed than you ever thought possible.
Write your way to a HAPPY day!
Morning pages. Have you heard of them? They are one of the main pillars from an amazing book called The Artist’s Way. Every morning, you hand write for three pages. Anything and everything that pops into your brain. Free associate, write about what you are upset about, what you are excited about, write out all the things you need to do. VENT frustrations, emotions, anger, happiness, sadness. Get this all out of your body and down onto paper. THREE FULL PAGES. No more or less is need. Everyday is the challenge.
Writing Assignment: Try it for 7 days straight! I promise you will see and feel results. It can help you clarify intentions, get out all of the clutter in your head from the day to day. You will get FOCUSED. You will see reoccurring patterns. Things you like to write about.
DO not get attached to this writing. Julia Cameron, the author of Artist’s Way, encourages you to just throw away these pages after you write them. They are the mental noise. There may be a few juicy tidbits but mostly its an exercise in CLEARING THE MIND. Freeing yourself of all of the chatter that we can wake up with and carry into a brand new fresh day. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Take a shower, get dressed, feel presentable.
I hear this from entrepreneurs time and time again. “I feel stir crazy stuck in my house working. I am sick of being inside. How am I supposed to be in my apartment all day long in my pajamas (or yoga pants!) and stay motivated.” The answers is you will not. Take a shower. Wash away yesterday. Put on clothes like you were going into the office on casual Friday. Leave the house at least once a day, even if it’s just to walk around the block. We work from home, this is the reality. We are afforded this luxury. I love a day where I can where my yoga pants ALL DAY LONG. But alas, that cannot be every day. I also get called into unexpected meeting, lunches or networking events and it’s easier if I already am dressed nicely, in my contacts, with a little bit of make-up on. Seriously, take off the pajamas and put on some jeans and a presentable shirt, entrepreneur.
Kick start your day with NOURISHMENT
This is the health coach and medical background talking. Do not wait to eat until 1 or 2 pm. I know you do it! (I do it too.) Please entrepreneur, try to eat first thing. Kick off you metabolism and give your brain some nourishment for all the BIG thinking you are about to do. If you have a morning meeting or call, make sure you wake up early enough before to drink some water, have tea, make a green smoothie! You can pre-make green smoothies the night before, then they will be easily waiting for you in the fridge. Fruit – apples or bananas- and nut nutter (almond, peanut or cashew!) can start you off with some healthy fat and sugar to jump start your brain. Food is FUEL. And like my mother always said, “Breakfast is BRAIN food!”
The key is to create a MORNING ROUTINE that is unique as you are. Be excited to start your day and all the delicious little things you do to begin it! You can customized or alter any of the suggestions above. Make your MORNING your own. Set clear intentions and start with a clear mind. BIG actions and dreaming lay ahead for you. Create the space for your GREATNESS to shine and take you and your business to the next level.
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