I’ve mentioned in the past something I’ve read and truly believe in and that is “Losing is a habit and so is success”. So true. Everyone has habits and they range from biting their fingernails to balancing their checkbook. So, they are broad. With so many people struggling in life I think being on a success campaign deserves some merit. That’s why I decided to quickly write about successful habits.
Over the past year I’ve read all sorts of books, watched videos and listened to people speak. A common theme is creating habits which works well for me being a military minded person. See, in the military, our days are very regimented. We work from a training schedule. Over time, the routine activities in that schedule becomes habit. Physical Training for example. After many people leave the military they tend to carry on the morning routine of doing PT. It’s a habit. Not long ago I sat and thought about all this and decided to come up with my own daily habits. Over time, like Darren Hardy mentions in his book “The Compound Effect”, these subtle changes create profound change. It can go the other way as well.
I strive to start every day the same way. I used to say, “Treat every day like a good turd. Start off strong and taper off as you go”. That way of thinking has changed a bit because I don’t want to taper off. I want to stay strong all-day long. So, I created a schedule to win each day! I have this on a whiteboard on the back of my office door. When my door is closed my family knows that school is in session. Here’s what it looks like.
- 0600-0615 Wake up, make tea, take morning supplements
- 0615-0630 Stretch and reflect
- 0630-0655 Pray and TM (Transcendental Meditation)
- 0655-0705 Write down 3 things I’m grateful for and positive “I am” affirmations
- 0705-0715 Daily schedule review
- 0715-0745 Read
- 0800 Crush the day!
There you go, 2 hours in the morning to prep for a successful day. Now, most people will say, “Must be nice to have all that time to do that stuff but it’s not realistic”. True, I don’t have a 9-5 job I go to. I work from home which was a choice I made years ago. You can to. I just wanted it more than you do. Life is based on choices that we make or don’t make. Take action! That being said, you can mimic this, but you must make it a priority. You just might have to wake up earlier, which means you may have to go to bed earlier, which means you may have to stop going out to the bar with friends or whatever it is you do that is a time and success stealer. Bottom line, your success is dictated by your own actions. Your happiness is dictated by your own choices. I choose to thrive and live a happy life. Alright, off my soap box. There are days that I slip from this morning routine, but that’s OK. I know it and pay for it. Sometimes life just happens. I usually try to make up for it somewhere else in the day. My wife KNOWS when I’ve slipped cause she holds me accountable.
One other thing I’ll do is listen to Goal Cast vids while I’m in the shower. That’s probably my #1 way to start off the day. Man, I can’t tell you what it does to your soul and your drive to start the day out listening to people like Mel Robbins, Joel Osteen, Denzel Washington, Les Brown, Jim Rohn, etc. Fill your mind with positive and uplifting information. You may or may not have noticed that I didn’t list anything about “Check social media”. Garbage in/garbage out. Too many people plug into the Matrix too early in the morning and their day just happens. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the prayer and TM bit. When I can I’ll walk our trail around our property just talking to God like He’s right there with me. He is. So, I’ll thank Him, tell Him my issues and what’s on my mind then ask Him for help. The TM really centers me and prepares the way for stresses that will come my way. I’m a work in progress and progress is good! I once read that you should spend the first hour of your day exercising your body and mind. That’s why I like to stretch/walk and read. Think about where you want your day to go and make it happen.
That’s all I’ve got for today!! I hope you got something from this and I hope that someone finds this helpful. If you like what you’ve read, please “Like”, subscribe and share!!! God bless!!
Hoodlm's Thoughts, Reviews and How-To's 