No matter your job or position, one of the most important roles you haveโโโespecially if you are reading this article right nowโโโis a leader. As someone responsible for driving vision and guiding a team, operating at your best is essential. And, I have found throughout my career, creating the best miracle morning routine for me is paramount to my success and yours too.
We donโt often think about the importance of our daily routines. When we start our day, our choices when we plan our goals, when we set our scheduleโโโestablish our daily intentions and the self-love we give ourselves.
These choices compound. Ultimately, our success (how we perform and the outcomes we get) are a measure of our daily habits. Imagine what you could accomplish if you had a couple of hours each day set apart for investment in yourself. If Could you give a small bit of time to personal development, inner peace, and leadership preparation?
This article is based on the Passion Struckโข podcast Momentum Friday Episode I did on creating an impenetrable miracle morning.
Creating the Best Miracle Morning Through the Lens of a Romanย Emperor
As a multi-industry CEO, serial entrepreneur, and Fortune 50 C-Level executive, one of the greatest lessons Iโve ever learned came from the pages of an ancient philosopherโโโRoman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. As a stoic philosopher and king, Marcus Aurelius is known historically for his incredible leadership and wisdom.
Where did this titan gain his insight for leading a nation and building an empire? We get a glimpse within the pages of his Meditations:
โAt dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I have to go to workโโโas a human being. What do I have to complain of if Iโm going to do what I was born forโโโthe things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?โ
For Marcus Aurelius, one primary key to leadership was waking up ready to lead.
This Emperor would surely know a thing or two about the importance of a morning. As the king of historyโs largest empire up to that point, Marcusโs day would have been filled with conflicts to mediate, treaties to sign, crises to manage, and wars to fight. How did he find the energy and fortitude to lead an empire while still keeping his sanity? He understood the priority of a powerful miracle morning routine.
While you may not be a Roman Emperor, you are the king of your inner kingdomโโโas well as an ambassador for the world around you. Each day greets you with a plethora of emails to answer, problems to solve, and world events to navigate. However, few individuals allow themselves to prepare themselves for these events but instead are forced to react out of lack of time, preparation, or focus.
Imagine what you could accomplish if you had a couple of hours each day set apart for investment in yourself. Could you give a small bit of time to personal development, inner peace, and leadership preparation?
Letโs take a look at my 5 secrets to creating the best miracle morning routine.
1. Give Yourself The Gift Of Aย Miracle Morning
The first step is admittedly the most difficult. To have a morning routine at all, you must have a morning. While countless gurus and coaches argue for a daily 4 AM wakeup call, starting with too audacious a goal can be deadly for your goals and aspirations.
To give yourself the chance to experience all that a powerful morning routine can offer, make sure to set your alarm for a time early enough to provide you with the time to take the next steps in this list. An easy way to start is by looking at your schedule and setting your alarm to wake yourself up one to two hours earlier.
For example, I wake up every morning at 6 AM and immediately hop up and make my bed. Itโs something Iโve done my entire life, having been raised in a military household and later serving in the military myself. With my bed made, Iโve already accomplished something worthwhileโโโpreparing my day for success.
2. Drink A Glass Of Water
The moment you open your eyes, your first step should be to drink a full glass of water. While you may be tempted to guzzle down a cup of coffee to get yourself moving, water can do wonders for your mind and body when you drink a full glass first thing in the morning. I love to start my day with a full glass of water and a digestive enzyme added in that helps kickstart my bodyโs systems and prepare me for the morning ahead.
Among benefits such as boosting nutrient transportation in your blood and lubricating your organs, water can also jumpstart your metabolism and clear out the fog that often accompanies those moments right after you wake up. The night before, set out a glass of water either by your bed or in the bathroom. The splash of water and the action of drinking will not only help wake you up, but it will help you knock off a healthy to-do list item first thing!
3. Sweat It Out
There are many out there who swear by the early-morning run. However, Iโve discovered that simply getting out of bed, drinking a glass of water, and doing 20 push-ups do wonders for supercharging my system. Studies have shown that short bursts of cardio can help produce dopamine in our systemโโโperfect for helping boost our mood and clarifying the final two steps of our miracle morning routine.
My morning routine finds me lacing up my shoes by 6:30 AM for a 3-mile walk with my dog. Not only does this get my heart pumping, but I get my brain moving with a favorite podcast and practical mindfulness techniques. My mornings in the early quiet have become one of my most sacred moments of the day as I contemplate my daily goals.
4. Read Something Inspirational & Write Out Gratitude
These may be two steps in one, but they accomplish the same purpose. Every morning I carve out 10โ15 minutes for reading a short excerpt from a devotional, a book of wisdom, or a leadership tome to help give me a small bit of inspiration and confidence. I follow this up by writing down several intentions and objectives for the day.
These actions help produce positive reinforcement in my mind and bodyโโโhelping me build this routine into an actionable habit that I will stick with. Why? Because my body, mind, and spirit enjoy these moments of self-care and gratitude. Imagine starting your day with joy and intentionality.
5. Plan Your Day & Top Off With A Favorite Activity
The final step in an impenetrable miracle morning routine is to plan out the day. Using a clock or stopwatch, set the alarm for 5โ10 minutes, and write out your schedule and task list for the day. By writing these down or inputting them into your digital organizer, you will mentally walk through and plan your dayโโโbuilding out your expectations and goals. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail.
I will often sit down and scan through my email or latest notifications and make a list of objectives for the day based on my latest task lists or information from my Virtual Assistant. With these items on my daily agility board, I end my morning routine with one of my favorite activitiesโโโexercise. I will often hit the gym, a spin or cycle class, or practice yoga on each day, but Sunday when I prefer long hikes.
Finishing the process with a favorite activity or hobby is a great way to cement the process into a habit, as one that ends with something fun that you love.
Consistency Toward Creating the Best Miracle Morningย Routine
How can you start bringing all of these practices together into the best morning routine? The answer is not to do them all perfectlyโโโor even find the ideal routinesโโโbut rather take small steps each day to build consistent and customized habits. Create a practice that fits your unique life stage and circumstances.
The key is routine.
If you can create a habit or routine that gets you up and active in the morning, you are that much more likely to develop other rituals and practices each day that will help you reach your goals. Focusing on the routine allows you not to focus on perfection. If an element of your morning routine isnโt working or doesnโt fit, change it up!
Remember:
- Create a routine
- Awaken your body
- Awaken your mind
- Prioritize your intentions for the day
If you stick with these four main elements, creating the miracle morning routine will quickly become one of the most sacred parts of your day. In time, you will find that your days lengthen, become more vibrant, and are utilized to their full capacity to accomplish the world-changing work that you were created to accomplish.
In essence, starting your day with self-love will bring you more happiness and growth.
If you enjoyed this story, you can listen to the podcast here passion struck. To watch my complete Passion Struck podcast episode, click here.