Routines & Habits

You are the culmination of the things you do on a daily basis.? Our success or failure in life is normally not from one or two big events; success or failure is determined by the habits and routines you do on a daily basis.? Think of it in terms of health.? You do not gain or lose 100 pounds over a weekend, it is the consistent lifestyle steps that are taken daily that equal your overall health.

What habits or routines do you have now?? Are there any that have you on a path to less success than what you want?? Are you a habitual over-spender?? Do you eat or drink the wrong foods daily?? Do you communicate well with your spouse or significant other?? Do you arrive at work early and complete the job at hand daily?? As you think about these things, simply be honest with yourself.? You know the truth and you are living with the results of the decisions that you have made, be them good or bad.

For now, let’s focus on your morning habits and routines.? How you start your day is a determining factor of your performance in all areas of your life. It can determine your attitude, your level of inner peace, your outlook or perception of others, and affect your energy levels.? I will say, the majority of people I have spoken to do not understand the power of small chunks of time.? Many people take a 10 - 20 minute block of time for granted or think they cannot possibly get anything done in that amount of time.? However, this is not at all the case.? If you took 20 minutes each morning to read a book that would help you grow personally or professionally, you would read roughly 30 books a year.? Think about that!? What could you learn, how much could you improve, how much better would your vocabulary be?? All of this with just a 20 minute block of time every morning.? How about fitness?? How much better condition would you be in if you committed just 20 minutes per day to a workout?? 20 minutes a day, giving your full attention to your spouse or significant other - how much more enriched would your relationship be?

Look strongly at your morning routine; Do you have the ability to get up 20 minutes earlier to make these changes?? Many people get up at the last moment, hurry through the shower, grab a cup of coffee to go, don’t eat properly- or at all- and rush out the door, desperately hoping they don’t hit traffic so they can make it to work in time.? Starting your day that way, with that kind of stress and anxiety, is no way to live.? And the great and terrible news is that it is completely your choice.? You get to decide how the day starts.??

Back to the morning routine, evaluate what you are doing now and what changes you need to make.? Commit to a new routine that will empower you to begin and sustain a better day.? The examples above are based on a 20 minute chunk.? That may be enough to help and it may not.? You may need to look at getting up an hour earlier, so you can invest 20 minutes in reading, 20 minutes in a workout, and an extra 20 minutes to make breakfast and pack a nutritious lunch.? Some of you may have some great habits already, and the extra 20 minutes will elevate you into elite status.? Some of you may truly only be able to carve out the 20 minute chunk and rotate it with reading, fitness and time with your spouse or significant other.??

The goal here is to get all of us collectively, to better understand that the little decisions we make in the morning- and throughout the day- the habits and routines we allow, put us in a position to succeed or to not succeed.? That is the question - Answer it well.

You have a new opportunity every day.

Jason Heard, a 30 year leadership-experienced mentor and coach is the Founder of We Heard You- a company geared toward people who believe in the power of personal, professional and team growth leading to higher levels of accomplishment and success within businesses. Jason and his partner, Dani DiCapua have paired up to cover all needs required- Because a real Leader knows group success starts from within a single individual. Click the image below for more.