Welcome to day 4 of your #CreatingJoyChallenge!
One way to actively create Joy in your life is to START your day out in a way that sets you up for success. When you start your day out right, you naturally find more peace in your life. Instead of starting your day out rushing around and panicking to get things done or completely distracted and scattered, you start your day calm and centered and focused on what you want to create..
In order to do this effectively, it is important to not only have a plan for what you want to do each morning, i.e. a ritual or routine, but to also wake up early enough to be empowered to accomplish those things. So today we have a 2 part challenge – the first is to establish your morning routine, the second is to decide how much earlier you are going to wake up. 🙂
The morning hours….
The early morning hours have powerful energy in them. There are so many studies showing how the early morning hours are the most productive and very best time to focus and receive inspiration. In fact, there is even a huge trend among really successful young people waking up at 4 in the morning because it is the very best time to get their work done. There are no distractions for them through social media and other things because most of their network is still sleeping.
Obviously, I am not recommending that a 4 in the morning routine is best thing for EVERYONE but waking up earlier so you can have enough time for yourself to do the things that will set you up for the day can be so powerful! You will see your days totally transform as you start them with INTENTION instead of just getting ready as fast as you can to get out the door on time.
For example:
My son typically wakes up at 7 or 7:30 in the morning. If I stay up late at night, I really feel like I need to sleep in. Waking up to my son crying in his crib and starting my day 100% focused on taking care of his needs can sometimes lead to more stress when, by the middle of the day, I realize I haven’t done anything for myself and I feel drained completely. Instead, by just waking up 30-60 minutes earlier at 6:30. I am able to peacefully wake up, take a few minutes to meditate, do a short workout to get moving, and listen or read something really uplifting. This sets my day up to feel SO much different. Then when my son wakes up and needs my attention, I already took care of my needs, feel good and ready to serve and give to him lovingly and patiently.
Early to bed, early to rise. Now make sure that you are aware of what time you will need to get to bed so that you can still get a good amount of sleep. 7-8 hours is typically perfect for most adults. Some adults can do well on even less than that but MOST need 7-8 hours of sleep every single night.
1 – How will you start your day?
Most successful people recommend giving yourself 1 full hour to complete your morning ritual. They call it the “POWER HOUR”.
Here are some examples of things you can do in the morning to start your day with power and set yourself up for a great day!
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Read personal development
- Workout
- Yoga
- Listen to something uplifting like your personalized Ideal Life Vision
- Affirmations
- Vision board
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Take care of yourself (get ready for the day while you listen to something uplifting)
- Drink a full glass of water
- Journaling
Don’t be afraid to wake up even earlier and give yourself more time (like 2+ hours of Power hour). My very favorite morning ritual was when when I woke up at 4:45am to make it to a 5am yoga class every morning. Then I would get ready for the day while listening to scriptures, my Ideal Life Vision and uplifting talks.
Have fun with this! There is no ONE perfect morning ritual for everyone, but having a morning ritual tailored to YOU is one of the best things you can do for your life!
2 – What time will you start your morning routine every day?
Decide on a time and STICK TO IT! 🙂
Here are some tips for successfully getting up and following through with your morning routine.
- Set an Alarm with music that you LOVE Â (my alarm says ‘Rise & Shine’ with some fun sunny emojis – it always makes me happy when I see it first thing)
- Turn your phone on Airplane mode the night before so that when you wake up your phone is free of any notifications. Its hard to stay focused when you see a bunch of emails, FB & Insta notifications and texts lighting up your phone screen screaming “Look at me!”. Leave your phone on airplane mode through your whole morning ritual.
- Lay your workout clothes beside your bed the night before. I’m sure you have heard of this tip before but it really works! I’ve even heard of people sleeping in their workout clothes and setting their shoes right beside the bed. Find what works for you!
- Go to bed early the night before. This one seems so obvious but its WAY important. Seriously half the battle of keeping a good morning ritual is just practicing the self control to go to bed on time. When you go to bed on time your mind is set and committed to a successful morning. Most of the things we all do at night are mindless unimportant things anyway.
- Set goals for your workouts. Have a gym membership, workout plan, workout app or personal trainer to help you stay consistent with your workouts.
What things do you like to do during your morning ritual/routine? Leave a comment below with your favorite ways to start out your day to create an amazing one. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear!
Good Morning Seantay!
My favorite morning rituals actually start the night before! I take about 10- 15 minutes each night before bed to make a detailed list of all the things I have to do the next day and I get everything organized.
For instance, my list may be:
Prayer and Meditation
Morning Walk
Shower
Bank
Laundry/Vacuum
Make Drs Appts
I take my list and put it with my Prayer Journal and calendar, along with any phone numbers I may need. I get my bank deposit ready to go. I collect the laundry and bring it to my laundry room. And I set out my workout clothes and shoes. My morning is all set before I go to bed! I DO go to bed at 10:30 most nights, lights out at 11. And I did begin a few months ago getting up at 6 am for my morning time of meditation and prayer. Has made a HUGE difference in my life, my time, and how my day goes! Your tips are spot on! Only on day 4, but am already seeing differences in my days!
I am LOVING this 14 day journey to Joy. Thank you for creating it, and sharing it with the world!!!