How you start each day sets the tone for what is to follow. The current podcast episode covers a few simple changes you can make each morning that will improve how you approach every day.
Each of us has a routine we follow as we rise to meet the day. Usually our focus involves things we need to do to simply get out the door with little regard for how those activities affect our mental or emotional lives. This episode walks you through a few simple things that will help how you manage mentally preparing in addition to providing a lot more focus as you move throughout the day that follows.
What I’m presenting to you is not major changes that involve reordering your life or how you wake up each morning, but small things that have big impact.
Start the night before
Get a small pad that is just for notes to yourself each morning and write down the night before a few of the things you want to accomplish as you prepare yourself for the coming day. It sounds simple but what was fresh the night before can get lost following sleep. Writing it down while still fresh in your mind makes certain that they will come to mind the next morning.
Do a five minute stretch
I’m not talking Yoga (which isn’t a bad idea by the way) but a few short stretches that get 
the blood flowing and serve to physically wake you up. This is not the same as a cup of coffee because it is much better to allow your body to wake itself up as opposed to the jolt of coffee. For you coffee lovers, I’m not saying you should not have coffee but more allowing your body to first help itself.
No technology for the first 10-15 minutes
Usually the last thing you do each night is come in contact with your phone, and it is probably the first thing you encounter each morning.Waking up to a full list of emails and notifications first thing in the morning floods your body with the hormone cortisol and puts you immediately in stress mode. Giving your body time to first wake up and then adjust prepares it for all that will follow.
Take some serious “Me” time
A few short minutes to meditate, pray, or just give thanks goes a long way in providing a positive mindset that study after study has shown improves outcomes later in the day.
By all means listen to the entire podcast to get the full range of information on the points provided because while they may sound simple (which was the idea) they do double and triple duty in preparing you for the day. Try these steps for one week and you will notice a difference in your approach to each day. I dare you…
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