How you START is how you END

There’s a topic of paramount importance that I often discuss with my clients. It is the importance of having a solid start to the morning. What does that mean? It means creating the time and space for you to feel grounded and centered within so that when you begin your interactions with the World starting with family and then work, you can be fully present to it all. Being grounded within enables you to start from a place of personal power vs. powerlessness.

Too many of us start our mornings as an afterthought, we drag ourselves out of bed, instantly begin thinking or worse, we check our phones, emails, messages etc which then begin to instantly shape our thoughts and feelings for the day. Literally in that moment, we give away our power to our phone and the horde of messages seeking our attention.

Too many of us start our mornings as an afterthought

Do you see and feel how powerless this can become? Instead of centering within, calming our minds and then moving forward from a place of groundedness, we literally invite in more stimuli into our brains and body that further takes us off track. The same dynamic occurs when we start the day by checking work email (i.e. where others would like us to focus) vs. looking at the list of priorities we have for that day (i.e. defining success for ourselves).

What could a different start to the morning look like? Here’s an example of how I start my mornings:

#1 When I first become conscious in the morning, I start with a positive AFFIRMATION. “I pray through my own free will which flows from thy divine will to be well. To be healthy, prosperous and spiritual. To be well, to be well, to be well.” You can find many great examples here.

#2 To CLEANSE, I drink some warm water to help eliminate any built up toxins in the body.

#3 Then get OUTDOORS when possible and do 15 minutes of exercise. The silence of the morning, the dim sunlight, the cold air all refresh and fully awaken the mind and body. Exposure to morning light has been shown to have many positive effects.

#4 I MEDITATE starting with simple pranayama - breathing exercises which help calm the mind and then go into more advanced spiritual kriya yoga practice which gradually helps eliminate the root causes for restlessness. I always leave my meditations feeling grounded, centered and guided by spirit for my day's work ahead. Often my most creative ideas come to me during this time. Those that find it difficult to meditate, can use a journaling practice instead to process thoughts.

#5 START - Now it’s time to start the day by meeting family, getting the kids ready for school, checking my calendar and any important communication.

For me, my morning routine requires an investment of about 1 and half hours every day. It requires that I sleep by 10pm each night and take care of my body so I can wake up around 5am and have sufficient time before the kids wake up. That’s a huge investment for most people and I did not always have it either. I started with 15 minutes and gradually built up to my current routine based on what felt right for me. After all, is there any investment in yourself that isn’t worthwhile? 10 years ago, I had none of this routine. Was I living up to my potential? I was scraping by. And slowly I realized how important it is to ground yourself before deciding to dive into the World. I realized how it improved the quality of my life, my interaction with family and colleagues, enabled creativity and ultimately re-architected my life for the better.

Improved the quality of my life, my interaction with family and colleagues, enabled creativity and ultimately re-architected my life for the better

Do I live up to this routine everyday? No. I’m not perfect. But I do my best every morning to come close to this as much as practically possible. Every time I do, I’m immensely grateful for having done so. And no matter what comes my way during the day, I have the inner strength and peace to guide me forward.

It’s often because we have an unconscious morning routine that we find ourselves rushing through the day. When we don’t create an anchor for ourselves in the morning, the day seems to come crashing down upon us.

Start prioritizing your mornings! Deprioritize all else that isn’t in alignment with how you would like to live including what keeps you up at night. It takes constant re-prioritization towards what matters most for changes to come about. Eventually you will find that you have greater capacity to be with all that life brings your way from a place of strength, love and wisdom.

Imagine a morning where your inner serenity and peace is secured

Imagine a morning where your inner serenity and peace is secured. Start with prioritizing 15 - 30 minutes by yourself in the morning. Instead of diving into thoughts or reaching for the phone, take command of your day and start with a positive affirmation. Do some light stretches or go for an outdoor walk before you engage with anyone or anything else. No phone, no messages, no other person but yourself. Be with yourself. Meditate or journal your thoughts.. Be with your spirit. Regain your personal power! Remember, how you START is how you END.

So, how will YOU choose to START your day?

I'd love to hear what you're going to shift.

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