Episode #88 - The power of a morning routine!

Episode Notes: 

Are you tired of being tired… struggling to just get yourself going in the morning?

Would you like a better way to start your day with more energy… and gain access to a well-known secret to next-level performance & success?

Do you want the same advantage that top business leaders, elite athletes, millionaires & billionaires have?

Today I’ll share with you my easy 6-Step Morning Routine that will not only transform your mornings, but change your life & have you loving your mornings instead of dreading them!

NOW, go out and master the morning & crush the day!

 Visit Rick’s website: www.rickselover.com  

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Transcript

 Episode #88 – The power of morning routine!

One of the things I have always been extremely grateful for is, in my position within our industry and being on the customer-facing side of distribution, I’ve had the great fortune of meeting with & speaking to, probably thousands of people over the last 30 years.

Getting to know their personalities, listening to their stories… their worries… their concerns… listening to their sins and confessions (I swear they must think I have a white collar or something?) … but most importantly, gaining some wisdom & perspective from every one of them.

It has given me some incredible insight into how the human brain works… or sometimes, doesn’t work!

Today I want to share with you a few commonalities & synergies in all of us that I have discovered along the way, that help guide the direction of our lives… and, a “superpower” that can make a massive difference, a life-altering shift, in the quality & enjoyment of your life… and the cool part is, it’s something that everyone of us has the ability to master!

Now I may note a few things that may seem overly obvious or state a few facts that, by themselves, may have you thinking “so what?”, but when I tie them together, they just might have you seeing a clearer picture of why some of us seem to just struggle through our days, never seeming to get ahead or accomplish any big goals, realize any dreams and just manage to live off a “low-energy” existence, while others around us master their days, seem to have full control over their destinies, knock-down big goals & have endless energy in their days.

So, hang in there with me on this one, OK?... I promise it will be worth it!

One thing that is one of those commonalities, or a constant in all of us, is that we have two schools of though going at all times. 

We have thoughts & feeling of how we view ourselves right now, present day, of how we are doing, how we fit into our little ecosystem… “am I where I should be in life, is my job safe, am I even in the right job for my skills, should I be doing something else?.. if so, then what?” ... and unfortunately, what everyone else thinks of us, right?

*FREE BONUS TIP* - STOP doing that right now!

 We also have thoughts & feelings, concerns & worries about our futures:

§  Will I be able to retire someday?

§  Will I need to go back to work again?

§  What about my health, my spouse, my kids?

§  Will I ever be able to start that business I wanted to?

§  Will I realize my goals or dreams?

§  What happens if I don’t?

The list goes on and on…

 Now while these thoughts are all perfectly natural, and most of us have them… they are predominantly negative, always looking for worst-case scenarios, but that’s how our brains are designed… to look for what could go wrong, what to be cautious of… it’s our caveman brains self-protection mechanism, that’s sole job is to keep us safe.

So, two thoughts… where we are now, how we’re doing & how will we be in the future.

 Another consistency I’ve realized is, we seem to fall into 1 of 2 categories:

We are intentional in our lives, we pro-actively make decisions & take action, or…

We are un-intentional in our lives, we are re-active to what happens around us, we do NOT make decisions ahead of events or situations.

We run the day, or the day runs us.

We are the main character, the HERO in our own movie, or…

We are a supporting character, or worse yet… an “extra of the set” in someone else’s movie. 

I know it may seem like a silly analogy, but it’s true, isn’t it?... and if you had the choice, would you really want to be in someone else’s movie & not yours?

I think deep-down, every single one of us wants to be the HERO of our own movie, but fear, insecurity or the willingness to try to be intentional prevents us most of the time… ahh, if only there were something to help us get started…?

Ok, here’s where that “superpower” I spoke of earlier comes into play.

 If you know anything about me, you know that my focus always starts with MINDSET.

MINDSET is the foundation that all self-improvement is built upon, and whenever I’m working with someone on making improvements, we must first strengthen the mindset before we can move forward.

Having the correct mindset is not only critical to success in your business or professional career, but your personal life as well.

This is something the top 95% of business leaders, entrepreneurs, elite athletes, health & fitness experts as well as millionaires & billionaires not only understand, but work on every single day.

 What is it that all these successful people have in common, what “superpower” do they all share that keeps them at the top of their game… motivated… energized… winning in life?

It’s the same principle I’ve been following for the past 2 & ½ years, that’s made a dramatic shift in my life… something I will never remove from my daily life.

 They all have a solid, defined, repeatable, dependable part of their day called a Morning Routine!  

Now hold on a second!... before you start spitting out reasons why you could never have time for something like a morning routine, or don’t have the energy, or you’re not a morning person… or have too many responsibilities… or too out of shape, or whatever excuse you want to throw out there… please, just hear this out.

 There are a few simple steps that don’t need to be overwhelming at all, these will not take up much time out of your morning (and I will tell you how to gain the extra time to spend on this), and will only feel uncomfortable for the first week or two, but quickly will start giving you benefits that will keep you looking forward to your mornings, instead of dreading them!

Step #1: reset your body’s clock 

Wake up little earlier than normal, 1 hour earlier would be great, but even 30 minutes earlier will give you enough time to accomplish a great morning routine!

You can do this without missing any sleep, by simply shifting your bedtime. Turn off the news & go to bed 30-60 minutes earlier (your body will appreciate it) and set your alarm clock the same amount earlier.

Do NOT use a “snooze” button… ever… you best time to get up is as soon as you open your eyes the first time, use Mel Robbins “5-Second Rule” & count down from 5 (5-4-3-2-1) and pop out of bed.

 I know a lot of you always seem to running late, rushing to work or dropping the kids off at school (I DO see you on the road every morning!), you probably should be getting up earlier to begin with, but may have never really had a compelling reason to before… NOW you will!

Trust me, I was just like you, rushing last minute every morning & then getting upset when traffic was slow… frustrated & late is no way to show up anywhere, right?

Leaving in the morning ahead of time, makes that drive a lot more enjoyable.

Some of you will struggle with this initially and say “it’s too hard” to make that change, but believe me, if your job started new hours, or you changed jobs that included different start times, you would have to adjust anyway, right?... right!

You CAN do this, and you WILL thank yourself after about the second week.

Step #2: Practice a little gratitude

This is such an easy part of the routine, it literally only takes a minute or two, and can be done before you even are out of bed, or while showering, shaving or putting on makeup, walking or running… so there’s no reason not to do it!

Most people can quickly think of a few things to be grateful for, but if you’re stuck & need a few ideas, how about:

ü Just waking up in the morning (150K people die every day & you’re not one of them!)

ü Having someone in your life that loves you (family-pet-gas station owner?)

ü You can be grateful to be employed, or have specific talents or skills

ü Good friends or co-workers

ü Having shelter, a vehicle, food in the fridge… you get the idea, there is much to be grateful for even in the humblest of lives.

Step #3: Hydrate your body & mind

The first thing you should do after getting out of bed, before you brush teeth or jump in the shower or whatever…. Is go to the kitchen and drink a full 8-12oz of cold water. 

During sleep, your body & your brain get dehydrated, and are not yet running at full capacity, this simple step rehydrates you quickly, wakes you up & gets all your cells functioning at full speed.

I love my coffee, but hydrating with cold water first, will wake your whole body up quicker than you can brew a cup of coffee (don’t worry, you still can have coffee afterwards).

If you want to take it to the next level, you can follow my process, and add a fresh-squeezed whole lemon to the water as well. The lemon helps as a great source of alkaline, that not only reduces the amount of acid in your system (acid increases stress levels), but works as a natural cleanse for better gut health!

Lastly on water, if you haven’t done so already, make it a habit to drink at least 6 or more, 8oz servings of water every day… it does a world of good for your whole body!

Step #4: Exercise

Adding some degree of exercise to your day may be new for most of you… and that’s OK, no judgement here… but is a critical step in the morning routine that should NOT be skipped!

This doesn’t have to be overly strenuous, exhausting or extreme at all, but just something that gets your body moving, gets your blood pumping through your system. The range of activities can be very broad, from as easy as practicing yoga or meditation, stretching or a brief walk outdoors… or a little more intensive like walking or running on a treadmill, elliptical trainer, weight-lifting or a trip to your local gym.

I joined my first gym 20 years ago, because I didn’t want to get “old & fat” like so many other older men I knew, and I’m so glad I did… I don’t go more than 2 or 3 times a week, but I’ve stayed consistent over the years, and feel as strong & flexible as I did when I was in my 30’s.

No matter what you decide you can do consistently, do it for a minimum of 15 minutes every workday possible (you can take the weekends off if you want), just try to shoot for 5 out of 7 days. Exercise has many additional mental benefits as well. You will start to notice, the more you exercise, the better your thinking & mental state will become!

Step #5: Fuel your body   

This step should already be part of your mornings, but may just look a little different right now, and may be working against what you’re trying to accomplish with your new morning routine. Most of us give very little thought to our first meal of the day, for some it’s just a cup of coffee, tea or juice and maybe a muffin… maybe a piece of toast, and then out the door we go.

I know from previous experience, none of those will power or sustain you until lunch… if fact most won’t make it to 10am without getting shaky or hangry, and start looking for some kind of snack to get them through for another couple hours, sound familiar?

Start your day with some protein (animal or plant-based works), go lighter on the carbs (toast/bagels/muffins/donuts/cereals), and fruit is always good.

Coffee & teas are good in moderation, but try to avoid juices, as they are just loaded with sugars, and will spike quickly & just leave you hungrier when they wear off.

You’ve heard it before… garbage in, garbage out.

The better the fuel, the better the performance!

 Once again, I can’t stress enough… water, water, water!

*Please keep in mind, I’m NOT a nutritionist, health care professional or doctor, my suggestions are based purely on my experience- please use your own best judgement, or consult with your doctor before making any major changes in diet or exercise. 

Ok… last one… Step #6: Fuel your mind

This one is not only the most impactful part of a great morning routine, but it’s also the very core of living a better life… allowing you to experience more personal & professional success, and helping you be more intentional with the direction your life can go.

If you do nothing else I’ve shared with you today, or if your limiting beliefs have decided for you, that this morning routine is not for you (although it really is!), do this one step… and do it with dedication every single day, it will end up being the best gift you’ve ever given yourself. It will reshape, redefine, and redirect your mindset in such a positive way, that your life… how you look at it, and how you live it, will change forever.

If you do nothing else to change your current situation in life… please do this!

So, what do I mean by “fuel your mind”?

Your mind is being fed input every single second of the day, for most of us, automatically… without our direction or any positive intention.

It is being fueled, or fed by the input we are exposed to … whatever’s coming out of the TV, the radio, someone talking to us or someone within earshot, what we read, the smells around us, what we see and what we feel, the atmosphere around us… much like a garbage dumpster with the top open, it will fill with whatever someone decides to walk by & dump in there, right?

If you’re not actively deciding who can dump whatever into your dumpster, it will fill up with pure garbage.

It’s also being fed with all the negative thoughts we focus on, the worries & fears we have, the crappy things we tell ourselves, the limiting beliefs we have about ourselves and our abilities.

This is nothing but purely PASSIVE feeding, no real control, direction or intention of what’s getting dumped into that dumpster…. And we do it every damn day, don’t we?

So, what can we do to change this?... or is it even possible to control?

There’s a great quote from Jim Rohn (Tony Robbins mentor):

“Stand guard at the door of your mind” 

Just like it sounds, that means it’s up to you to monitor what gets to your mind… you close the top on that dumpster & start deciding what’s getting in there!

Here’s a few easy things to start eliminating or drastically reducing right away or what we would call BAD FUEL:

·       The morning & evening news – if it bleeds, it leads- all negative -dings mindset

·       Social Media- more negative comments/content – waste of time -pointless

·       Sad/ depressing music/ violence-based rap – doesn’t inspire or motivate

·       Negative self-talk – would you say to your loved ones what you tell yourself?

·       Spending time with toxic people

Things to replace with, GOOD FUEL:

ü Gratitude – a little goes a long way

ü Positive affirmations – an easy way to program your mind for what you want

ü Podcasts -learn new skills/ self-improvement/ better spent travel time

ü Upbeat music – motivation/ dopamine/ mood enhancement- 120-130 bpm

ü Beautiful landscape images (real-outdoors or on YouTube TV)- sights/sounds of nature have high impact on creative thinking/ mood/ sense of well-being

ü Reading a few pages of a good book (self-help/ growth/ new skills/ starting a business) … and if you don’t like reading, try Audible or Blinkist, great to listen to while driving to & from work.  – learning & growing should be a life-long process, most successful leaders & entrepreneurs read over 50 books a year, yet most of us may only read 1-2 books a year, tops!

OK, once again… six steps to your new superpower, morning routine:

1.    Reset your body clock – go to bed earlier, get up a little earlier 

2.    Practice a little gratitude – only takes a minute or so

3.    Hydrate your body & mind- water, water, water

4.    Exercise at least 15 min – 5 out of 7 days, a little or a lot

5.    Fuel your body – quality in, quality out

6.    Fuel your mind – stand guard at the door of your mind
 
 

I know if I can get my naturally- lazy ass on this program & stick to it, you can too!

It’s now been over 24 months that I have practiced my morning routine, I feel amazing each day, have had this conditioning keep covid exposure down to a minor fever for 2 days only, and would highly promote this life-altering change to anyone & everyone!