WE'VE ALL BEEN TOLD MORNING ROUTINES ARE THE KEY TO SUCCESS. IT HELPS YOU GET YOUR DAY IN ORDER. BUT TAKING A FEW MOMENTS FOR YOURSELF SHOULDN'T BE FORCED, IT SHOULD BE RITUAL. SOME OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE DAY ARE IN THE MORNING WHEN I HAVE 5 MINUTES TO MYSELF. WAKING UP GENTLY AND EASING INTO THE MORNING. IT'S PROVEN TO HELP YOU BUILD SELF-EFFICACY, MINDFULNESS, AND ALLOWS YOUR BRAIN TO TRANSITION FROM NIGHT TO DAY.

IT'S TIME TO DIVE INTO YOUR "MORNING MINUTES": THE SPECIAL PART OF THE DAY THAT HOLDS YOUR MORNING RITUAL.

HOW TO START:

-BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY, CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO FOR 3 TO 5 MINUTES.

-NO ELECTRONICS UNTL AFTER YOUR MINUTES ARE DONE. NO PHONE. NO COMPUTER. NO TV. IT'S SO EASY TO GET SUCKED INTO THE PRESSURES OF THE DAY: EMAILS, MESSAGES, SEEING WHAT WE MISSED ON THE NEWS. ALLOW YOUR BODY TO TRANSITION GRADUALLY FROM NIGHT TO DAY.

-GRATITUDE LIST: EASY, THINK OF 3 THINGS YOUR GRATEFUL FOR. THAT HELPS CULTIVATE HAPPINESS.

-SET YOUR INTENTION FOR THE DAY. HAVING A GAME PLAN IS KEY, BUT HAVING FLEXIBILITY IS LIFE.

-MAKE YOUR BED. YOUR BRAIN IS ONLY AS TIDY AS YOUR BED.

WHY WOULD I DO THIS:

-THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE THETA-BRAINWAVE STATE THAT EXISTS BETWEEN SLUMBER + WAKING. EASING OUT OF IT GRADUALLY LETS YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CREATIVITY, LUCIDITY AND INSIGHT THAT IT HAS TO OFFER.

-YOU DON'T WAKE UP IN A PANIC. EVER WAKE UP TO 45 MESSAGES IN A GROUP TEXT AND WONDERED WHAT YOU MISSED? YA, ME TOO.

-ESTABLISHES AN EARLY STATE OF MINDFULNESS, SO ITS EASY TO GET BACK TO THAT STATE THROUGHOUT THE DAY

- YOUR MORNING MINUTES ARE FOR YOU! OUR DAYS GET CRAZY, BUT TAKING MINUTES OF YOUR MORNING FOR YOU IS EMPOWERING AND OH SO DESERVING.

-HUMANS STRIVE OFF OF ROUTINE

NEED SOME IDEAS FOR MORNING MINUTES?

-MEDITATE (I USED TO HATE IT, NOW I LOVE IT), PRAY, CONNECT WITH SOMETHING GREATER THAN YOURSELF

-YOGA, STRETCH, LIGHT MOVEMENT

-BE OUTSIDE. SIT IN THE SUNSHINE. HEAR THE BIRDS CHIRP.

-GO FOR A LITTLE WALK, LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME

-CONNECT WITH MUSIC AND JUST LISTEN

-PLAY MUSIC IF IT BRINGS YOU JOY

-JOURNAL IF YOU PREFER TO CONNECT WITH YOUR WORDS

-JUST SIT AND BE

IT'S NOT SO IMPORTANT WHAT YOUR MORNING MINUTES CONSIST OF, BUT RATHER THAT YOU HAVE THEM. STARTING OFF THE DAY WITH 3-5 MINUTES (OR HOWEVER LONG YOU HAVE) OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY, IS THE KEY HERE.

AS THE OLD SAYING GOES, YOU CAN'T DRINK FROM AN EMPTY CUP. IT'S IMPORTANT WE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES, SO WE CAN TAKE CARE OF OTHERS.

I'M SO EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR MORNING MINUTES. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU SPEND YOUR MORNINGS!

XX,

T