The wake-up ritual. For some, it’s a good-morning cup of coffee. For others, knocking the alarm clock halfway across the room in a glazed half-conscious state qualifies as greeting the day.
With a commitment to consciousness, I started a new ritual at the new year; scanning seven news feeds during the seven minutes it takes for my good-morning coffee to brew. Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company. Inc. and Experience Life. Entrepreneur and Success. I’ve seen a number of smart reads lately on meditation and the brain, and how our morning rituals shape both our day, and our long-term success trajectory.
Science, shared opinion, and I agree: Establishing a positive, meditative, mindful morning ritual is good for us, good for business, and good for those we serve.
Dreading morning? Beating up on the clock? Knock it off. Make the snooze button your buddy. Here’s how:
Make a daily meditation date. First thing. Every morning. Five minutes.
I found a setting on my phone called “Smart Alarm”. Smart Alarm is my new friend. Five minutes prior to the time formerly known as “hurry up and leap out of bed and do all the things”, my phone casts a soft glow and plays a gentle unpredictable tune, spurring creativity and easing my brain into the day.
Invest those five minutes in meditation. Assess your situation. Set your state. Focus your intention.
Here’s how it goes for me:
Assess Your Situation – “Hey! I woke up! Cool. Grateful. I’m grateful.”
I find the more grateful I am, the more for which I have to be grateful.
Set Your State – “What are my top three values today?”
I play the #ValuesSession game regularly, posting my “today values” on Twitter and sharing them with clients in speaking engagements. The conversation keeps us engaged and builds community.
Focus Your Intention – “Am I willing to be useful? Who can I serve today, and how?”
The service model is one of my favorite ways of being. Turning skills outward to serve others creates success all around.
Make your day. Buddy up to your snooze button. It’s a Be There win.
With a heartfelt nod to my FISH! Philosophy friends, home of Play! Make Their Day! Be There! and Choose Your Attitude!
This is great Deena. I am not a morning person and trying to start each day while semi conscious, has always been a struggle. Using that time of trying to become vertical, in a more positive way, will give me the right mindset. Thank you!
Lynne! Your positivity is always a day brightener, at any time of the day!