The morning is a particularly critical time, whether you’re a morning person or not. How you start the day can affect your mood and productivity throughout the day. Your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day and positions you to succeed before interruptions begin.
Check out the morning rituals of the following successful people:
- Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, starts each day out with one hour on the treadmill while watching educational teaching.
- Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, wakes up at 4:30 a.m., walks his dogs, and works out.
- Richard Branson, founder of Virgin enterprise, leaves his curtains open, so when the sun comes up at 5:45 a.m., he rises with it. His routine consists of playing tennis with someone younger and more fit than him or swimming around his island before eating a healthy breakfast.
- Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, wakes up at 5:30 a.m., meditates, and jogs for six miles.
- Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, credits his morning ritual of working out six days a week to helping him reduce stress and keep up his stamina.
- Lady Gaga begins each morning with yoga as well as five minutes of self-directed love.
- Stephen King begins each day with a glass of water or tea, takes his vitamins, listens to music, and sits in the same seat to help him clear his mind and be more focused.
It doesn’t matter what profession a person pursues, a morning routine is key to success. While the average person rolls over, the high performer rolls out and gets a jump start on the day. Could you imagine if you woke up on purpose with purpose every morning?
Why Morning?
Why is the morning the greatest time to establish a success routine? In the morning hours, you have the most control over your day. You can be most productive first thing in the morning because people and priorities haven’t invaded your attention. Willpower is at its highest in the morning. The longer the day goes on, the more fatigued we become.
Your morning affects your outlook on the rest of the day. Start the day feeling productive and accomplished. Invest in YOU before you invest in everything and everyone else
5 Things Successful People In The Morning
#1. They pray/meditate.
No matter what religion they are affiliated with, successful people make prayer/meditation a top priority in their day. People from all religions, backgrounds, and careers have discovered this “success habit” as a form of helping them relax, unwind, and improve their personal lives.
Doctors even prescribe meditation to lower stress levels and help with pain management. “Science has shown that it may even improve memory and brain function,” said Benjamin Neal. “It’s being taught in schools, to help kids focus and learn in the classroom. It’s used by actors, artists, and innovators as a way to boost creativity and get in the zone.”
Actors Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Bell, Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman, and Cameron Diaz (to name a few) find meditation helpful. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, singers Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney and Katy Perry, Comedians Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, and Steve Harvey, authors Tim Ferris, Tony Robbins, and many more use meditation as a part of their daily ritual to prepare them for the day.
#2. They read. (A lot!)
Your life will be determined over the next 5 years by the people you hang around and the books you read.” ~ Jim Rohn
Leaders are readers. The old adage that you must “learn more to earn more” is still true today. Wealthy, successful people approach a $30 book as though it has the potential to make them millions of dollars.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet were asked if they could have any superpower what would it be? Keep in mind that these two men are in the top five of the wealthiest people in the world. They realize that this superpower could get them anything they wanted in life. They both responded that they would want to be able to “read super fast”. The proof is in the pudding!
Opportunities will open as your mind opens. Ideas will flourish as you turn the pages of a book. And it begins by building your personal library.
#3. They listen to audio teaching.
“The person who stops studying merely because he has finished school is forever hopelessly doomed to mediocrity, no matter what their calling.” ~ Napoleon Hill
This is the easiest of all the habits to adapt in your life. It only requires two words and very little physical effort: Push play!
Successful people read each morning, but they also take advantage of every available means to increase their knowledge by listening to audio teaching. Whether that includes during their jog or their commute to the office, they grow as they go.
Our busy world where time is the most valuable commodity we have, many do not have an hour each day to simply read a book (or three hours like Mark Cuban). But we do have time to listen. With this habit, you don’t need to stop everything you’re doing to commit to it, you can simply incorporate it with your current activities.
When you add this habit to your drive time ritual, you can literally learn everything from marketing and business to finance and leadership, nutrition advice and spiritual guidance, as well as learning a foreign language all behind the steering wheel. You can go to college in your car while running errands, shopping, picking up the kids, waiting in traffic, and driving to work each way.
#4. They write (and review) their dreams and goals.
“It is only a dream until you write it down, then it is a goal.” ~ Emmitt Smith
Everyone seems to agree on the importance that goals should be written down; however, only 3 out of every 100 adults write their goals on paper. The act of penning your aspirations on paper is a powerful motivator. It forces you to get specific about your ambitions. Tony Robbins says, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
If you have a goal of weighing a certain amount, it will affect your exercise and nutrition habits. If you have a goal of owning a business, it will affect your reading and networking habits. If you have a goal of being debt-free, it will affect your spending and budgeting habits.
The world’s most successful people agree that what you get by achieving your goals isn’t nearly as important as who you become in the process.
#5. They exercise.
In addition to losing weight and improving your overall physical appearance, this ritual alone can build your self-esteem, reduce stress, improve sleep, boost your memory and concentration, and consequently make you happier.
As a rule, when you start exercising habitually, you start changing other patterns in your life. Traditionally, people begin eating healthier foods, drinking more water, smoking and/or drinking less, and even spending less money on eating fast food. Not only is exercise considered a keystone habit, but researchers have even said that something about it that makes other good habits easier.
Inc.com reported that 70% of successful business individuals discover a way to exercise each day. They know they need energy to get ahead, and the best way to have that is to eat healthier, exercise and get proper rest.
This is not necessarily about being bikini ready (unless that’s your goal) or competing on stage for Mr. Universe. It’s about getting in shape, inside and out, to be fit for your life assignment. It’s about creating routines in your life that bring about the best you imaginable.