6 Reasons why winning the morning helps you win in life

Despite being off course for a significant percentage of its flight time, a plane will arrive at its intended destination, and on time.

Broadly speaking, the reason this happens is because pilots have a flight plan and they implement it. In doing so, they utilise their skill, experience and navigational aids to make subtle, but 'constant course corrections' as they progress along the flight plan; and what I intend to do here is highlight the simple but effective strategy employed by pilots in how they make these nuanced course corrections.

I'll explain.

If these course corrections are addressed as and when they’re nessecary, they're fairly simple and easy for pilots to detect and correct. Yet conversely, if they’re left unaddressed for a period of time, the plane can drift off course resulting in heightened risk and potentially dangerous consequences.

Now let's use this 'constant course correction' as a metaphor for how we live, how we progress through our lives…?

Seemingly, even inconsequential aspects of our lives can create ripple effects of consequence. If these ripples are left unnoticed or uncorrected, then just a plane that's off course, they can seriously diminish our quality and experience of life.

In my work, whether it with clients or speaking engagements, I repeatedly highlight the advantages of strategic living as opposed to the more commonly practiced alternative - leaving life to chance.

Leaving life to chance may work for some men, but not for those that aspire to live lives that are deeply fulfilling and professionally successfully whilst enjoying quality connections and positive wellbeing.

I've found a key difference between those that live strategically and those that don’t is how they start their day.

To illustrate this, albeit from a mostly unlikely source, Ikea. The Skandi furniture store found in customer lifestyle survey that 77% of those surveyed felt it important to play with their children in the morning but only 21% actually did. Similarly, 83% said they should hug or kiss their partner in the mornings but only 53% did.

Those that live strategically recognise the opportunity of course correction and meaningful connect that the morning offers, in doing so, they leverage their mornings. They start their day with calmness, connection, deliberate intent and clarity of purpose.

Whether you’re a morning person or not, the core purpose of creating a structured approach in the mornings is difficult to ignore:?

The core purpose of a morning routine is to create a state that will enable you to achieve your objectives for the day ahead.

That’s it, and who wouldn't want to achieve their objectives!

Contra to popular belief, you don’t need to mimic an 'influencer' or be part of ‘The 5 am Club’. You don’t need to cold shower, practice gratitude or workout. You don't need to podcast, fast, juice, journal or mediate - although perhaps all of these would be beneficial.

Instead, all you need to do is identify and do what works for you and whatever is it, as long as it enables you to access the mental and physical state you need to achieve your objectives, practice it consistently.

So, if you’re looking to firefight less, to course correct more and become increasingly strategic in how you approach life, here are some fundamental (and immediate) benefits available to you when you create a morning routine:

• You can increase your productivity by spending a few minutes planning out your day and noting your key objectives.
• You can boost your energy levels and feel good factor by getting outside or doing some form of exercise or activity.
• You can generate a feeling of control by easing into your day with time and space instead of starting it rushing and reactively.
• You can lower or manage your stress by doing something that you find purposeful and meaningful.
• You can develop healthy habits around self-development, exercise and/or nutrition that will positively impact other areas of your life.
• You can improve the quality and depth of your relationships by spending unrushed, uninterrupted time with loved ones.*

* This is a personal favourite of mine. Married with a young family, the capacity I create by structuring my mornings means I can connect with my wife and I can spend time with my two children.

Jim Rohn, one of the personal development greats said,

'success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is a few simple errors in judgement repeated every day'.

We all have the ability to ‘course correct’ and the mornings are the most efficient time to do so.

I believe, if you win the morning, you win the day and I would encourage you to look past all the nonsense and lifestyle hacks you've heard about morning routines and begin practising 'a few simple morning disciplines' because when you do, you'll greatly increase your chances or arriving at your destination, and on time.

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Thank you.