And simple strategies to develop a powerful morning routine.
Majority of millennials in the Family Business believe that cultivating an effective morning routine can make life more disciplined and happier yet are unable to develop that since years. Partially it is because they are not fully aware of the marvellous outcomes of this simple practice. And so are unwilling to tap their willpower to ditch the destructive habit of being a night owl.
Do you really believe that initiating your day well, impart long term positive effects on your life?
I have been working in the Family Business for more than a decade and started mentoring millennials working in their Family Businesses over the past 3 years. I have this firm believe that the dawn hours are quite worthwhile to design a well-sorted work plan, strategize a business, or defining our organizational targets.
Staying up late is not cool, seriously!
Firstly we have to save ourselves from the undue influence of this meaningless belief that going to bed at 3 am is cool. Be aware that there is nothing cool about being exhausted, irritable and unintentional about our goals of the upcoming day. In short, we cannot develop an effective a.m. routine unless we add our practising rituals in our credo.
In the famous book ‘What most successful people do before breakfast’, Laura Vanderkam interviewed the legends from different walks of life, where she observed ONE common aspect that they all unquestionably value their morning routine.
Secondly, this is the most powerful and peaceful time of the day where we can connect with our higher selves. It provides with clarity of thoughts and a spout of productivity, and set the tone of the day, helping with an increased focus on important goals and projects.
Thirdly, it keeps us focused and motivated throughout the day. Yes, it’s true that our first act in the sunup impacts the rest of our day. And if we wake up in a haze, rush around to get ready and don’t plan our day meaningfully, then we are most likely to carry that stressful impression for the rest of your day. This can negatively affect our mood, motivation for work and relationship with others in addition to various other factors.
How to develop an effective morning routine?
Keep in mind that morning routine takes time and consistency to develop. The first few days the old patterns are broken and it is not easy. It is simple, but not easy. However, consistency is key here and with the right amount of willpower and self-control, anyone can make it happen. It becomes more motivating when you actually get a taste of how powerful an effective morning routine can be especially when you start noticing the healthy outcome in terms of you improved mood, performance and health.
Mentoring millennials in The Family Business, I am often asked how I start my day. To me, my morning is a sacred time. I start with getting right out of bed and going for a 5 km run in the outdoors. It is such an amazing feeling to run around the city at 5 am when most of the people are asleep. It automatically gets us ahead of our competition by 2-3 hrs – daily. This is followed by meditation, and then reading a book or learning something. I am usually in the middle of a learning program online or an audiobook. This is followed by a few minutes of gratitude, journaling, taking a healthy snack or smoothie.
An effective morning routine starts with the night before.
If we are thoughtful about our early rising hours and the sequence of activities we will do, it becomes easier for us to kickstart the day as we wake up. For example, in the book “The 5 am club the author shares science-backed analysis on the fact that the first thing in the morning should be to break some sweat – go for a run or exercise. That has the brain get active and with that kind of action and attention – we can produce phenomenal results strategizing the most complex situations with a fraction of the effort and time.
In conclusion, if someone is committed to transforming their life then you have to take care of the smaller things that make a big impact in the long run, and an energetic morning routine is one of the most important ones of them. Use your early hours wisely with the intention of making your day great and it will reshape your outlook of life to a great extent. Like Robin Sharma rightly quoted in the book “The 5 am Club” – “Own your morning, elevate your life”.
Most millennials working in their Family Business experience overwhelm and lack of clarity so we designed a framework called "The Family Business Maestro" model that leads to a greater sense of control and focus, clarity and ease, reduced stress & anxiety and elevated performance at work and other aspects of life.
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