Great athletes put the odds in their favor by having a routine that helps them start each day right. Most top athletes go through a preparation routine before every game, which starts long before they get on the field. The best ones usually start the moment they awake.
I have found that the way you start something sets the tone, pace and rhythm for how you will sustain and finish something. This is true for your day as well.
How you START the day will very much dictate how the rest of your day will go. It will set the tone, pace and momentum of your performance for the day.
How you START the day will very much dictate how the rest of your day will go.
So if you are going to rebuild your life and lifestyle around one of health, vitality and high-performance, then you need to start at the beginning with how you start your day.
Many of us are aware that top athletes follow the pattern of a preparation routine with a fierce devotion because it activates all sorts of subconscious and autonomic systems that puts them “IN THE ZONE.”
“In the zone” describes a condition of readiness and awareness that helps prepare that person for success.
As a business owner and leader, you set the pace for the rest of your organization. Your company, even if it has just a few employees, is a reflection of you. Sharpen your company by first sharpening yourself at the dawn of each day.
Here are my top three tips on you can get your body, mind and spirit into “the zone” first thing in the morning.
1. BODY
Coming out of bed, your body needs three things for certain–water, protein and movement. Your systems were all working through the night and need to complete their cycles. Starting with 16 ounces of water gets you started on the eight glasses you already know you need to get anyway and begins the benefits that moving fluids through your body starts.
You need protein in your first food of the day, even if you are going for a run or a workout. A protein shake will do. The rest of the food pyramid is open, but even if you are a very light breakfast eater, protein is important.
Movement gets the blood moving, clears the mind and releases energy. Workouts with weights or cardio are great–but sometimes ten minutes of stretching is all you have time or space for. Regardless, don’t let the first 30 minutes of the day get started without moving.
2. MIND
Your mind needs focus or you will waste time and energy in your morning and in your day. The most effective business owners and CEOs that I know actually focus on very few things. Those that receive their focus, receive all of their focus.
I recently heard of a billionaire who shared that one of his keys to success is accomplishing only one thing per day. A very big thing, of course, but from the moment he wakes up until he finishes his day, he throws every available effort at that one thing. Most of us measure our days in volume, not in scale. How many things can we check off on our to do list, rather than how important one particular thing might be. Pick the one BIG thing to accomplish and let your morning open up with that as the focus for your first thoughts.
3. SPIRIT
Part of putting yourself in the zone is achieving alignment of your core energy and your positive emotions. A proven way to do this is through a simple reflection of gratitude. Being grateful, aware of all you have, is a centering action. It starts your day with energy and calm. When you greet your employees, clients, and suppliers throughout the day knowing that you included them in your reflections, they will feel that in your interaction and it will make for a better exchange regardless of the circumstances.
So remember, if you want to be a top performers in your field, put the odds in your favor by putting yourself in the zone first. Then you allow others to follow your lead.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
