We’ve all seen articles about how billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett follow a very strict and rigid morning routine… but why is this? What is it about a morning success routine that seems to prime people for higher achievement?
The truth is that morning routines are an integral part of every successful person’s life, and without one, it’s very hard to achieve high levels of success. Before I had a morning routine, I was depressed, unmotivated, and out of shape…
…but now? I’ve successfully built an online business that generates over $15,000/month, I’m a jacked fitness model, at 8% bodyfat, and most importantly… I am happier than ever.
What’s my secret? Read on and you’ll find out.
The #1 Secret to Success: Your Subconscious Mind
First things first. A big part of self-development is realizing the role your unconscious mind plays in your life, because believe me, it’s a lot more than you think.
According to some psychologists, your unconscious mind determines about 90% of your behavior. Some say more, some say less – but either way, everyone agrees that your subconscious mind determines your fate, more than you realize.
This is the beauty of a morning routine.
According to science, your subconscious mind is most malleable during the last
30 minutes before you go to bed, and the first 30 minutes after you wake up.
This is why a morning routine is so important.
Your brain isn’t binary – it doesn’t
have an “on/off” switch, for sleeping and waking. Throughout the day, you will
experience multiple “brain frequencies,” each of which plays an important role.
Your brain has multiple frequencies, such as:
- Alpha
- Beta
- Delta
- Theta
Each of these brain frequencies plays an
important role in brain functioning. The alpha frequencies are typically the
most sought-after, because they’re known for creating a calm, yet focused and motivated
state.
Beta frequencies arise when you are
experiencing anxiety, although they can be important if you’re facing a present
and immediate threat.
You experience delta frequencies when
you’re sound asleep. The real magic
however, happens when you’re in the “theta frequency,” which operates as a sort
of intermediary between waking and sleeping modes.
During this theta frequency, your
subconscious mind is most malleable and open to new suggestions. This is why a
morning routine can leave such an impact – it literally reprograms your
unconscious mind for success, when it’s the most open to being reprogrammed.
“The reason man may become the master of his own destiny is because he has the power to influence his own subconscious mind.” – Napoleon Hill
Why A Morning Routine Matters
This is why a morning routine is so
critical. Most people check their phones first thing in the morning, which
trains their brains to be “outcome dependent.” This is one of the worst things
you could ever do, let alone first thing in the morning.
When you check your phone first thing in
the morning, and go on social media, you’re training your brain to look for
external validation – likes, comments, and such.
This is 100% counterproductive to success, because success requires focus on a bigger picture, and it requires that you be internally motivated, rather than motivated by external (and fake) things such as social media attention.
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell
When you design a proper morning routine, it accomplishes three primary things:
- It Sets Internal Goals For You
- It Improves Focus & Clarity
- It Starts Your Day With Momentum
All three of these things are extremely important if you wish to become a successful individual in the world. Without goals, focus, and momentum, it will be difficult to accomplish much.
When you design a good morning routine,
and stick to it for a long period of time, it slowly re-programs your
unconscious mind to expect, and focus on success.
BEST MORNING SUCCESS ROUTINE
With this in mind, let’s talk about some
of the things that makes a great morning routine, and how it can benefit you in
your own life.
There’s a ton of different morning
routines out there, and to be honest, there’s no one morning routine that is
for everyone. That being said however, there’s a few key activities and habits
that you may want to consider putting into your morning routine.
1. Meditation
Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated the immediate and long-lasting benefits of meditation. Take for example, a recent study conducted by researchers at the Harvard Division of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Biotechnology.
In this study, researchers found that
meditation had a plethora of positive medical benefits, relating to mood, heart
health, and gene expression:
“Transcriptome analysis in peripheral blood
mononuclear cells identified 1771 genes regulated by the RR in responders.
Biological process- and pathway-based analysis of transcriptome data
demonstrated enrichment in the following gene categories: immune regulatory
pathways and metabolism (among downregulated genes); glucose metabolism,
cardiovascular system development, and circadian rhythm (among upregulated
genes).”
In the past decade, researchers have
continually found that meditation yields incredible benefits, and this is why I
believe it’s so important to integrate it into your morning routine.
When you set aside just 5-10 minutes to
meditate, you prime your brain to be present, focused, and most importantly,
non-reactive.
2. Gratitude Journaling
I’ve been using a gratitude journal for
years now as a part of my morning routine, and the results I’ve seen have been
absolutely incredible.
When you take just a few minutes out each day to focus on the things you’re grateful for, it can leave a long-lasting and profound impact on your life. Take, for example, a recent paper published by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.
By analyzing numerous studies and
conducting their own research, they found that gratitude has a host of
benefits, ranging from better interpersonal relations to better physical
health.
One great way to do this, is to purchase
one of the many gratitude journals available online. They come with
pre-prepared templates, so that you can follow the simple question prompts, and
focus on what matters most in your life.
For me, I’ve found that writing down
three things I’m grateful for each morning has a big impact. When you’re
focused on success, it can be easy to think about how far away you are from
your bigger goals.
This is why focusing on what you already have, and feeling grateful for it, can be so helpful. It brings your mind back to center, and allows you to fully internalize all of the incredible things you’ve accomplished thus far, and have been given by the world.
3. Setting Goals
Another great thing that many successful
individuals do each morning is to set goals. When you write down three things
you want to accomplish each day, you tell your subconscious mind that you want
to focus on these things.
Then, as you go through the day, your
subconscious mind will constantly be looking for ways to accomplish these
things. It minimizes the conscious effort you have to put in, because all the
while, your subconscious mind is looking for the solutions.
I prefer to write down three high impact
goals each morning. Some people prefer to type them out, or just think of them,
but I’ve found that writing down your goals is best.
You want to focus on high impact goals,
rather than low impact goals. For more information on this, I suggest you read
the book “Focal Point” by Brian Tracy. The idea is that most humans focus on
goals that don’t really matter – things like getting groceries, or playing
video games.
…but when you focus on the 1% of things
that truly matter, such as starting that business, upgrading your living
conditions, or reaching out to a key networking contact, you’ll find that you
can get twice as much done, in literally half the time.
4. Physical Activity
Many individuals also prefer to do some
sort of physical activity first thing in the morning. This helps get your blood
flowing, and starts the day off right.
You can do a number of different forms
of physical activity in your morning routine, such as:
- Bio-Energetic Warm-Ups
- Stretching
- Light Jogging
I find that jumping right into intensive
physical activity first thing in the morning isn’t right for me, but some people
love doing pushups or other calisthenics first thing in the morning.
I’ve been a professional fitness model,
and I’ve sold thousands of eBooks in the fitness niche, and I’ve found that
some light stretching and moving around works best for me. Take that for what
it’s worth, and always try things out for yourself, to see what works best for
you.
Designing The Perfect Morning Success Routine
With this in mind, let’s take a minute
to design the perfect morning routine for you. What works for others might not
necessarily work for you, but starting with a simple template is a great way to
start building the habit of having a morning routine.
Here is the morning routine I do each
day, that’s helped me grow my life in ways I thought absolutely impossible just
a few short years ago:
- Wake Up (Using Bio-Compatible Technology)
- Gratitude Journaling
- Writing Down Tasks, Goals, and Dreams
- Meditating
- Visualizing
Funny enough, I don’t have much physical
activity first thing in the morning. This is because I already spend a lot of
my time working out, stretching, and jogging. If you aren’t a professional
fitness expert, I suggest you add some light stretching or walking into here.
With that in mind however, let’s discuss
each one of these habits in detail.
Wake Up The Right Way
First off, I always strive to get 9
hours of sleep each night. Studies have shown that your brain operates in
“sleep cycles” of 90 minutes. In other words, your brain goes through different
phases, from light sleep, to dreaming, to REM sleep.
One full cycle lasts about 90 minutes,
and if you wake up in the middle of a cycle, you will feel groggy, as your
brain didn’t complete a full cycle. This is why sleeping in intervals of 90
minutes works best for us human beings, and it’s why I believe that 9 hours is
ideal.
Each morning, I wake up using a natural
sunlight simulating alarm clock. You can find many of these online for under
$30, and it’s a great investment.
You set the time you want to wake up
(say 8am), and it slowly starts simulating the sunrise for 30 minutes before
this, to signal your body it’s time to wake up.
From here, I use a lightbox, which has long been known to help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This simulates the sun, and you can get plenty of them for relatively cheap online as well.
This signals to your body that it’s time
to wake up, and get the day started.
Gratitude Journaling
From here, I go into my office, and begin my journaling process. For my journal, I write down three things that I’m grateful for, and really focus on feeling grateful about them.
It doesn’t matter what you write down,
but what matters is that you feel grateful for them. It could be something as
simple as: “I’m grateful to be alive,” or it could be something more specific,
such as a recent serendipitous turn of events.
Focusing on these three things that
you’re grateful for puts you in a resourceful state of mind, so rather than
feeling upset about your life, you’re calm and happy.
Writing Down Tasks, Goals, and
Dreams
From here, I write down three tasks I
want to accomplish each day. Like I said, I always focus on the highest ROI
activities – ones which a small effort will bring about a big result.
Steve Jobs once said the following:
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing
you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no
to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m
actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done.
Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”
Success is saying “yes” to the few things that are great, and “no” to the other million things that might sound nice, but that will ultimately distract you in your bigger goals.
From here, I write down my goals. These are bigger picture goals, that are typically either for the month or for the year. Writing them down each day ensures that I’m focused on them.
When writing down my goals, I write down the specific goal, when I want to accomplish it by, and how many days I have left. This is part of the SMART goal framework, which I suggest you look into.
Lastly, I write down my dreams. These
are things that I don’t necessarily have a plan for, but that I want to have
some day. It can range from expensive, fancy cars, to having a certain
relationship with someone, to who I want to be in ten years.
This gets your unconscious mind focused on the things you want, so it will slowly start to bring these things about in your life.
Meditating
Each day, I spend at least a few minutes
meditating, first thing in the morning. Like we said before, meditation has a
whole plethora of incredible benefits, so I always make time for it.
To start, simply sit upright, straight,
and focus on your breathing. Thoughts will pass into your brain, but the goal
is to simply ignore them. Don’t get “attached” to them, by over analyzing them,
or thinking about them.
Just accept the thoughts for what they are,
and let them pass by your brain, as if you’re watching clouds pass by in the
sky.
This trains your “focus” muscle, to stay
present, and focused on what is right in front of you, rather than getting lost
in endless thoughts and “what if” scenarios.
Visualizing
Visualizing your ideal life is something
that I recommend everyone does. As we have established, your unconscious mind
is always working for you, 24/7, whether you like it or not.
So, when you take some time to use visualization for success or creating your ideal life, and really, truly feel the emotions you will feel once you get there, it trains your unconscious mind to focus on this.
When you visualize, the key is to really
FEEL the emotions you want to feel. Don’t just think about earning a certain
amount of money, or having a certain type of relationship. Really focus on how
it will make you FEEL, because feelings are the language of the unconscious
mind.
For example, if you want to look absolutely jacked, visualize your before and after transformation. Imagine how great you’ll feel, when you’re taking your shirt off at the beach, and peoples’ heads are turning. It sounds strange, but it really works.
If you take the time to do this, you will find yourself naturally achieving your dreams and goals, without too much conscious effort. This is the power of your unconscious mind – it’s always driving you towards something, but you have to decide what it’s driving you towards.
Morning Routines For Success: The Bottom Line
In conclusion, having the right morning
routine can either make or break you – so it’s very important that you master
this habit.
Most people check their phones first
thing in the morning, and engage in frivolous, unproductive activities, which
end up sabotaging their success.
If you do decide to try a morning routine
out, try it for at least 21 days. Science has shown us that this is the minimum
amount of time it takes to build a habit.
You might not see results immediately –
in fact, I can almost guarantee you won’t. You will notice more focus and
happiness immediately, but it will take some time for the “tangible” results,
such as making more money and having a better relationship, to show up.
Do not lose faith. I am 100% convinced that having a good morning routine, and sticking to it daily, will drastically improve your life… but don’t take my word for it. Try this morning success routine out for a month, and you can thank me later.
