Are Your Mornings Hurting or Helping You?

Every morning, the sun rises in the east and illuminates a new day. The world begins anew…and so do you!

Given that gentle reminder, what have you been doing with your mornings (your first opportunity every day to make a difference)?
Do you wake up, groggy, and look at your alarm clock with disgust? Do you dread the idea of going about another day filled with drudgery? Or do you bound out of bed with enthusiasm, excitement, and energy, ready to take on the world to pursue your dreams?

It may be tough for you to be a Sunny Susan each day, but you can, at a minimum, look at mornings as a chance to tick the most important item in your day off your to-do list.

Why is This an Important Perspective?

Most people walk around with an undefined timeline for goal achievement. They tell themselves that they’ll get it done “someday.” The problem is, “someday” doesn’t exist. It is a construct that your internal resistance creates to convince you that it’s OK to work on less important things.

Things less important than your dreams will ALWAYS get in the way if you let them.

Did you catch that?

“If you let them.” It ends up being your choice…to go after your dreams, or to let them die.

So, the best way to avoid dream-death is to grab hold of some time in the morning and use it on yourself. Mornings are the best times to form habits for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, unless you’re a chronic night owl, you’ll begin your day in the morning. So, you have an activity that you’re already performing each day – waking up in the morning.

Secondly, if you couple this activity with an important goal or task, it is much easier to create productive habits.

Here are some examples:

  • If you’re writing a book, wake up each morning and begin writing. If you want to have your own blog, start working on an article whenever you wake up.
  • If you want to improve your physical fitness, start your day with a set of bodyweight exercises.
  • If you’ve been meaning to get into meditation, start meditating when you wake up.
  • If you want to improve communication with your loved ones, start talking to them over your morning cup of tea or coffee.

Don’t Wait Until Later In the Day to Do These Things.

Why?

Because human beings have a finite amount of willpower. Throughout the day, you have to make decisions at work or in your personal life which drain this finite resource. By the time the evening rolls around, most people simply don’t have the resolve to eat a healthy meal or make the drive to the gym. This is why mornings are the best time to start creating new habits.

If you’re currently unhappy with the state of your life and find yourself wishing you were healthier or happier, make mornings your ally.

Wake up each day and work on a new, productive habit. Eventually, it will become second nature to you…and, you’ll change your life in the process and quite likely the lives of many others.

Is the Morning your friend or your foe?

Larry Broughton is an award-winning hotelier and entrepreneur, CEO, Best-Selling Author, keynote speaker, and former US Army Green Beret. As Founder and CEO of Orange County, California-based broughtonHOTELS, CBS News has called Larry “the nation’s foremost expert on leadership and entrepreneurship,” while the host of Travel Channel’s hit show, Hotel Impossible, says he is, “among the top hospitality experts in the country.” His upbeat, creative approach to business and life has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles across the country and he has been a recurring guest expert on news and TV programs on every major television and cable network, including MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, CBS, and Travel Channel. Larry’s awards include: Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year®; the National Veteran-Owned Business Association’s Vetrepreneur® of the Year; Coastline Foundation’s Visionary of the Year; and Passkeys Foundation’s National Business Leader of Integrity.