MORNING RITUAL: How to set yourself up for an epic day!

Every day, we are given one more shot at life. One more chance to make today our masterpiece.

Yet, millions of people are just cruising down the streets of life everyday, on ‘auto-pilot’ mode; physically present, visible to the eyes of others, but truthfully having their body, mind and spirit disconnected… Robots. Zombies. Rat Race. Call it whatever kind of freak you want.

Now, if you have landed here, on this page, it’s because you already know you were born to live with purpose.

And if there is one thing that all highly successful people have in common, it’s a strong morning ritual.

Like any solid structure, the best day ever starts with setting yourself up for a greatness, from the very beginning.

What makes one go from being ‘Pretty Good’ to ‘Fucking Great’?

Here are a few basics steps that I’d like to call ‘Morning Ritual 101’. Those 4, along with maybe taking a shower, should be non-negotiable. Then, I’d invite you to customize it to your own taste and schedule. Your ritual should also evolve with time, as you explore new avenues of personal growth.

1- STAY AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE

Our phone has become an extension of ourself. It is, for most of us, the first and the last thing we look at in a day… I’m pretty sure this is one of the most unhealthy habits of our time.

One: because we lose an enormous amount of time absorbed in its emptiness — time that could undoubtedly be cultivated more wisely.

And second, because the stimulation that social medias, notifications and emails provide create a true stress on our nervous system and pollute our thoughts. And that’s all before we even have our morning poo.

If you want to develop better habits and maximise your mind clarity in the AM, resist the desire to start scrolling when you awake. That alone, will be a total game-changer.

When your alarm rings, turn it off, flip the phone, and move on with the other steps.

Even better: Buy an alarm clock ! Leave your phone outside of your bedroom. Don’t let your smartphone outsmart you.

Try 30 days of not scrolling before breakfast… you’ll see. The outer world can wait, I swear ;).

2- STRETCH & SHAKE IT OFF

When we wake up oh-gawd our body can feel stiff, old (seriously!), and powerless. For me, stretching first thing first has become an absolute necessity; I just don’t function if I don’t.

My #1 go-to stretch is the bed-to-floor fold:

Sit on the edge of the bed (or on the toilet bowl) upright, hip-to-leg at 90 degrees. Inhale fully. Tuck your chin in, and as your exhale, start to roll your spine down, gliding your hands along your legs, until you have your upper body on your thighs and your arms hanging onto the ground. Stay for 5-10 breaths, or for enough time to feel all the tension release. Come back up slowly, on an inhale, head comes last. Once upright again, add a few neck rotations, and stand up.

Once you’re on your feet, to best way to shake the night away is to put on your favorite track and move your body in a completely intuitive way, eyes closed if you wanna, for a few minutes. Also known as… DANCING!

Not only does it feel really good physically, but dancing is also directly associated to joy and it promises to put you in a good mood! Freakin’ try it, nobody’s watching, mate!

3- DRINK A BIG GLASS OF WATER

Imagine not drinking water or any liquid for the next 8 hours…. Well, that is what obviously happens when you are sleeping. You’re body is therefore slightly dehydrated when you awake, and coffee is probably the worst thing you could use to kick-start your engine! 1

Drinking a big class of water will fire up your metabolism the right way, help you flush toxins and enhance your brain function. BOOM!

It’s too easy to integrate not to do it!

4- VISUALISE THE BEST DAY EVER!

“Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.”– Robin S. Sharma; The monk who sold his Ferrari.

I can never emphasize enough the power of intention and goal setting. We do have the power to manifest pretty much ANYTHING we want in life, to a point that is almost mind-blowing.

BUT is doesn’t just happen without practice.

The only way to get what you want, is to first define what it is, and then constantly realign our sails in this direction, moving forward in a fully awake state of living.

What does that mean? It means being aware and conscious of the way we engage with others and being able to envision the bigger picture, our bigger self, in order to move with ease and confidence, without getting caught up in the small daily hustles.

To do so, I invite you to take a few minutes, every morning, to visualise the VERY BEST WAY your day could unfold. From the moment you will open your eyes post-meditation, to the moment your head will touch the pillow at the end of today. Walk yourself thought every steps of the day ahead of you.

-What’s on the program today?

-What should you not forget to do?

-What are you the most excited about?

-What vibe do you want to carry around?

– How do you want to interact with the people you’ll come across; with your partner, your colleagues, your boss, the people at the gym.. !

-What conversations need to be held?

-What feels the most important in the accomplishment of the bigger goals?

-What feeling would you have in your heart when your head touches the pillow at the end of the day.

Close this visualisation by bringing your attention onto three things your are grateful about today, small or big, and maybe some extra love for a person that came to your mind specifically this morning. You can leave yourself a mental note that you could send a little message or call this person today, letting them know they were on your mind.

I also highly suggest adding a little bit of journaling after this visualisation! Your mind is clear and you’re still fully in-tune with yourself now, it’s the best moment to put down onto paper everything and anything that is going through your head.