What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Maybe you snooze your alarm and sleep a little longer, or you get up the first time and get ready to start your day. Those first moments in the morning are key and set the tone for how the rest of your day will go.
Some people may start their day by going to the restroom, splashing their face with water, throwing on some workout clothes and heading to the gym. Others maybe wake up, shower, make breakfast, and sign on for work. Most, if not all, of us have some type of morning routine even if that morning routine is just waking up and getting ready for work-it’s predictable behavior that we do every single day.
But before you start your day, whether that’s clocking in at your job, taking your kid to school, or even going to school yourself if you are a student, what’s the attitude you have?
Whatever emotion you feel at the very start of your day dictates how the rest of your day will go. So if you wake up feeling rushed or feeling behind, that’s likely going to be the theme for your day-maybe you end up hitting all the traffic lights or you can’t get a second to breathe at work. Or say you wake up dreading going to school because you absolutely hate your class or the workload you have, then find yourself showing up to class one day just for it to have been canceled.
Whatever emotion you wake up with is how you are going to experience your day. I’m not saying the very first thought you have first thing in the morning necessarily has to be positive-it takes a second to fully wake up and be conscious of what you are doing. What I am saying is that those first moments are the most impactful and that if you want to have an amazing, happy, fulfilling day-which I believe most people do-that you have to be mindful of the energy and attitude you have because ultimately that’s what sets the tone for your day.
So if you want to take more control of the experiences you have throughout the day, start by setting a daily intention before any other obligation or priority you have for the day. It could be as simple as stating your intention out loud, writing it on the notes section of your phone, or even jotting it down on a sticky note.
It could be as easy as telling yourself, “today is going to be a GREAT day.” Or, “I am in control of how I react, and today, I’m going to move with grace.” You could literally do this in seconds and make a huge impact on how the rest of your morning, afternoon, and evening will go. For something that takes little to no time, it’s definitely worth adding it to your morning routine.
And the best part of this is that you’re not just impacting your day in a positive way, but the people around you as well. When you show up feeling good and feeling happy, that rubs off on the people around you. So not only does setting a daily intention improve your life and the quality of your day, but it creates a ripple effect into the universe and the people you come across. Talk about the power of setting an intention!
If you need a place to brainstorm positive quotes that you’d like to tell yourself first thing when you wake up, make sure to checkout and download the free Daily Intentions template I have. I’ve started a few intentions for you, but also feel free to create your own on the bottom of the page here: Daily Intentions. You can also find this on the Resources page.
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash