How to Have a FUN Morning

Beyonce wakes up at 6am every morning and practices gratitude.

Marie Forleo does a meditation, has some green juice and does a work out DVD first thing in the morning.

Oprah starts her day with series of spiritual exercises and a long meditation.

Tony Robbins…. well he jumps into a pool of freezing cold water. EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING.

Not my idea of a good time, but you do you, Tony.

In their book My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, Benjamin Stall and Michael Xander interviewed over 300 successful high performers and catalogued their morning routines. They discovered that the average high performer goes to bed by 11pm, wakes up at 6:24 am and DOES NOT PRESS THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

Basically, the point of all of this is to show you that the way you start your morning matters.

The idea of a morning routine might seem daunting to some of you. I remember, when I was in medicine and waking up at oh-dark-thirty, I couldn’t even imagine setting my alarm a shred of a second earlier than I had to. Most days I would snooze until the absolute last second and then run around like a crazy person to get myself out the door on time.

Mornings should be FUN

But I want to float the idea that a morning routine can actually just be FUN. A way to intentionally put a smile on your face before you go out and face the day.

I firmly believe that the whole point of any morning routine is to feel good. That’s it. So simple and so profound.

It’s not about accomplishing a list of tasks that seem impressive or showing everyone how spiritual or disciplined you are. The purpose of creating a morning routine is to do whatever makes YOU feel good so you can show up to the rest of your day as the best version of you.

I want to use this post to walk you through MY specific morning routine so you can take any inspiration that works for you. I do think it is important to craft YOUR own unique morning ritual that feels good for you. And that will likely look different from mine which is perfectly ok!

Remember, the point of the morning routine isn’t to make a complicated spread-sheet or checklist, to start your day of hustling, striving or achieving. The point is to spend some time centering yourself so you can move through the rest of your day with more joy and intention. 

Here is how I like to start my days:

Wake up to some good tunes

I wake up at 6:30 am to the sound of Taylor Swift singing “Welcome to New York.” I’ve been waking up to this song for years, because it makes me think of possibilities and chasing your dreams.

Welcome to New York….. IT’s been waiting for you.

I highly recommend setting your alarm to a song or something pleasant sounding. Waking up to an obnoxious beeping sound is such a crummy way to start your day.

Answer the three questions

TBH, I usually do this exercise while pressing the snooze button and if I finish early I get a few extra minutes of Z’s as a bonus.

I got this exercise from Neesha Moodley who is a celebrity mentor of my life coach training course Mentor Masterclass.

I have a notecard with the three questions written on it hanging right next to my bed. So as soon as I open my eyes I peek at the notecard, then close my eyes again and answer the following questions. (Note* I just answer them in my head- I don’t write the answers down or anything fancy like that

1) Why am I doing this (insert goal, purpose, career, etc)? Why for ME? Why for the world?

I answer this question as why am I becoming a life coach. And the point of this isn’t to give a generic/ canned answer every time. I usually come up with something slightly new everyday.

I use this question to help me feel into the vision I am holding for what I want my life to look like and feel like. It is more important to feel into the vision and let yourself sit in that feeling than to come up with some logical explanation of why.

Usually the why for me is something as simple as freedom. I envision myself completely free to travel the world, to take a day off in the middle of the week to go hiking, to be totally in control of my own schedule and my own life.

Why for the world usually is about healing. I envision the negative thought patterns and emotions I will be healing in women around the world as a result of my work. I think of the healing that has already taken place in my sessions and I breathe into and overall feeling of greater light and love in the world because of my work. 

Mmmmm that feels so good. Connecting to my sense of purpose is such a powerful way to start my day.

2) What do I actually HAVE to do today

When I answer this, I only list my actual responsibilities that other people are counting on me for. I will list how many classes I have to teach that day, any lesson plans I have to submit and any coaching calls I have booked. Any emails I have promised my clients, etc.

Those are the only things I consider as absolute HAVE to’s. This may sound like a stressful way to start the day, but it almost always ends up feeling like a relief. It feels like I am letting myself off the hook from all the other “would be nice” to-do’s swirling around in my mind.

This part of the exercise is how I low ball myself. Look…. If you are tired and just trying to get through today. This is all you actually have to do. The rest of the day you can spend napping, reading, doing whatever you want if you just get through these things.

3) At the end of this day, lying in this bed…. What would make me really proud of myself?

I come up with one win for the day. One extra/ bonus thing that if I do it, it’s a fist pump in the air. Usually for me this takes the form of exercise. I would be really proud if I got myself to do a yoga class or go on a 30 minute walk.

Other times it’s about doing something brave… either pitching my paid services to a current client, reaching out to someone new, etc. This also works best, if at the end of the day you check in- and allow yourself to feel that sense of pride and accomplishment for reaching this thing. 

Meditation

Next up, I turn on my headspace app and press play. Recently, I have been pretty lazy and only doing a 5 minute “wake-up” meditation, but even just checking in with myself and my body for those 5 minutes is hugely helpful in centering me for the morning.

I literally don’t even sit up to do my meditation. I realized I am much more likely to meditate in the morning, if I just let myself do it while lying down (P.S. check this post out if you want to read more about my lazy girl approach to meditating) . I press play on my app and do my best to pay attention to the guided meditation.

Gratitude

Next on the agenda I get out my journal and tap into the energy of appreciation. The way I practice gratitude I got from Rachel Hollis. I write down 10 things that happened to me the day before that I am truly grateful for. Some days this is hard. Some times all I can muster up is superficial things like “I had a delicious coffee”.

But what I HAVE noticed is that the more consistently I do it, the easier and easier it gets to pick things out during each day that light me up. I find myself in the moment, appreciating it and thinking “Ooh I’m going to write that down tomorrow”.  

I think this is because consistently practicing gratitude helps to overome the negativity bias that is built into the human psyche. That pesky little practice we all have of focusing on the negatives of a situation and turning all of them into life or death, what if’s. It’s not our fault we do that. We evolved that way to avoid predators and surive in the wilderness. But since we don’t live that nomadic, hunter gatherer lifestyle anymore, it’s time we all update our mental software. Regularly practicing gratitude helps us do just that. 

Vision and Goals

With my journal still out and pen in hand, I move onto my next morning ritual, which is also from my girl Rachel Hollis. I write down my 10 dreams for the next 10 years of my life. And I write them down as if they have already happened. (* Note- you can find the exercise for creating these 10 dreams in her latest book Girl Stop Apologizing or in her Start Today Journal)

I have a 6 figure online life coaching business

I paid off all my loans and live in financial abundance.

I empower women daily to step into their best selves

I built a supportive and engaged online community

I wrote a NYT bestseller on personal growth

I am sober curious

I have my yoga teacher certification and a regular practice

I’ve traveled through Asia, Africa, Oceania, N & S America and Europe

I’m an exceptional daughter, sister and friend

I have an exceptional relationship with my husband (*who doesn’t exist yet, but I’m calling him in)

The practice of writing down my goals and dreams feels super powerful and like I am making my visions a reality.

You’ll notice at this point, I still haven’t even moved from my bed. I usually have alot of resistance to physically dragging myself out of bed in the morning. So the way I combat that is….

Dance party

I’ve created a “high vibes” playlist, which is full of songs that make me feel super happy and excited like “Good as Hell” by Lizzo, “This is Me” from the Greatest Showman, “Africa” by Toto, “Shake it off” by my girl T. Swift.

I press shuffle play on that playlist and use the energy I feel from whatever song that comes up to propel myself out of bed and into a mini dance party. After shaking it off for a few minutes I usually have the rest of the energy and motivation I need to actually get dressed and ready for the school day.

---

So the bottom line of all of this is: Morning routines are super important but they can and should be FUN! It’s all about you choosing some activites that make you feel energized, happy and ready to take on the day.

I want to challenge you to come up with your own morning routine. Experiment with it. See what makes you feel good in the morning. Maybe that is going for a run or doing some yoga. Maybe it is reading some Harry Potter or watching some hilarious or inspirational youtube videos.

Get creative with it and play around with what feels good.

What do you currently do in the morning to start your day with a smile? Comment below and share! I’d love to hear any fun am rituals you have created.