“I don’t have the time” … How many times have you said that in the last week?
I use to say the same thing especially if it came to morning activities. It’s an excuse and an easy way of getting out of doing something so we say those words often…

Before I had a morning ritual I started my day like most people, the alarm goes off, wake up, check notifications on the phone, shower, eat and go to work and see peoples faces who are also in a negative moment and waiting for something to come along and make the day better…

I found this to be so unfulfilling and I really wasn’t looking forward to getting out of bed and enjoying what the day had to offer. I felt I needed to be more positive in the mornings & I didn’t want to deal with whatever negativity comes my way in the especially at the start of a brand new day. So I started reading different books on how to wake up more positive and have a better morning.

After reading a few books about how to feel better and more positive in the mornings, I realised a morning ritual is essential to starting my day off in a more relaxed and happier way.

What is a morning ritual exactly…

A morning ritual you choose lets you manage your emotions, or do something as healthy as look at something that makes you happy, think about the things you’re grateful for, or enjoy something that brings you joy. It lets you do something good and feel good about it, rather than being subject to whatever comes your way.

I no longer wake up and immediately check my phone or anything until I’ve completed my morning routine. I now begin each day from a place of productivity and happiness by including these simple rituals before I do anything.

Here are a few things I like to do when I wake up each morning:

1. Hydrate – I’ll squeeze half a lemon into a glass of water drink it all at once to rehydrate.
2. Meditate – I’ll find a quiet place like on the end of my bed by a window or sometimes outside and meditate for 10mins, I did use guided meditation when I started to get into the swing of things but now I do it with just set a timer.
3. Affirm – I’ll say a positive affirmation 10 times, this can be something like, “I am so happy and grateful now that I am attracting experiences and good people into my life”. OR “I am so happy and grateful now that I am attracting wealth and opportunity into my life”. (This felt weird at the start, but I got used to it and seems to be working well 😉
4. Visualise – I will close my eyes and visualise how my day will go and then I’ll visualise how my future will look, for example; things like where I want to be, who I want to be with, things we’d do together, travelling, or being in a house by the beach breathing in the fresh air from the sea, Or achieving an amazing goal that I’ve been working towards for so long (I wrote another blog on visualisation check it out here).
5. Gratitude – I write 3 things down I am grateful for and they can be anything from the food I eat, my shoes I wear, the bed I sleep in, to good friends and family I have in my life.
6. Journal – I write a quick paragraph about something, anything that comes to mind, maybe a dream from last night or how I feel about the day or what I’m going to cook that night.
7. Read – I will read a book for 5 mins, this allows my mind to start taking in good information and kickstarts my brain.
8. Stretch OR Yoga – I like to do some deep stretching or yoga to get my body warmed up & ready for the day ahead.

I know, it looks like a lot but all of this can be done in less than 30mins, so I’ll wake up a little earlier and make sure I do these before I start my day.
I’ve learned to love my mornings now if I do happen to miss a day I actually feel guilty, I crave these morning routines now because I’ve created a habit.

You should give it a go!
You’ll feel happier, your mind will be clearer and you’ll be ready to take on the day ahead in a better headspace. And it only takes 15 – 30 mins or so. You don’t need to do all of what I do, you can make your own morning ritual, it’s not as hard as it looks 🙂

Give it a go and if you need a hand in building your own morning routine let me know I’d be happy to give you some guidance.

Here’s to living the lifestyle we deserve.

Jamie