Maximize your Mornings and Set Yourself up for Success

This post is brought to sheBOOM by Josie Robinson, author of The Gratitude Jar.

——————————————————————————-

A few weeks ago NYT bestselling author Tim Ferris was on the Tonight Show talking about his newest book, Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers.

Tim’s interviewed thousands of the most successful people in the world on his podcast, and is a massive success himself.

His new book is a “best of” compilation of all the things people used to become captains of their industry.

Anyway, during the interview Jimmy Fallon asked Tim,

“What’s the #1 thing people did to become so successful?” 

Tim said, and I’m paraphrasing here, but this is the gist:

“The #1 thing they all did, hands down, was they had some kind of daily mindfulness practice.”

Tim said it kept coming up over and over in his interviews – having a daily mindfulness practice was a key habit of the most successful and influential people in the world.

Tim said it varied from person to person, some listened to music, some meditated, some journaled, but they all did something each day –  and they usually did it in the morning.

Personally, I’ve noticed my own life flows much better if I do something inspired each morning, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

There’s a few inspirational practices I keep coming back to that I’ve had outstanding results with, and I’ve listed my “Top 3” below.

Some of these practices you can do in five minutes or less, others take a little more time.

Anyway, here are a few of my all-time favorite morning meditation rituals that will instantly add a dose of joy and tranquility to your day, and to your life.

1. Practice Gratitude

Time commitment: Less than 5 minutes

I’m a huge fan of gratitude practices (I actually wrote a book about how the simple practice of gratitude changed my life.) They’re so simple, yet so powerful.

I usually like to do my gratitude practice before bed because it helps me sleep better, but I’ve found writing in my gratitude journal in the morning gives me a nice boost of joy and energy for the day ahead.

I’ve also heard from several of my readers they like to practice gratitude while drinking their morning coffee or on their commute to work, which I think is wonderful, too.

I’ve got a couple of options for you when it comes to gratitude practices – just choose one that sounds most fun to do and fits best with your lifestyle.

Instructions:

• Write down 5 things you’re grateful for inside a gratitude journal.
• Write your gratitude on a slip of paper, and put it into a gratitude jar.
• Do a five-minute gratitude meditation (there’s a lovely guided gratitude meditation in my book.)

2. Do Sun Salutations

Daily morning yoga is one of the best ways to invigorate your mind, body, and spirit.

One of my favorite yoga practices to do in the morning is the simple, classic, Sun Salutation.

I love practicing Sun Salutations in the summertime outside in my backyard, facing the east while the sun is rising.

I always say a prayer of gratitude to the sun while I’m doing my poses because I think it enhances this practice.

Personally, I think this is what the Sun Salutation practice is about…giving gratitude to the amazing, life-giving sun and honoring it for sharing its light with us every single day.

Instructions:

• Do 5 Sun Salutations in the morning (5 in numerology is the number of the sun.)
• Give gratitude to the sun for its amazingness while you’re doing your Sun Salutations.

Here’s a great video on how to do Sun Salutations if you’re unfamiliar with how to do them: link.

3. Write Morning Pages

Time commitment: 15-30 minutes

This simple practice is from an incredible book called The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

(PS: I personally think every creative person should read The Artist’s Way. It’s so inspirational!)

Instructions:

• Write three pages, longhand, about whatever you want to every morning.

Yes, it’s that simple.

Just get a blank notebook, and every morning write three pages about anything.

I’ve found doing morning pages helps me clear out the clutter of my mind and gives me a greater perspective of where I want to go in the future.

What are your favorite morning mindfulness rituals? Let us know in the comments below! We’d love to share them with the rest of the SheBOOM tribe!