Control Your Morning Mindset
I believe that your mindset for your day starts when you wake up. Retired US Navy Admiral Seal William H McRaven, shared one of the most powerful lessons he learned as a Navy SEAL that also changed my life. He said if you make your bed every morning, you will start your day with an accomplished task. He said this will give you a sense of pride and lead you to accomplishing more and more tasks.
This is one of the little things in my morning routine that has changed my mindset. It really starts with the moment you open your eyes though. How many alarms do you set to wake up? I used to set so many because I just knew I wasn’t going to wake up on the first one. I decided to change this. I realized that when I wake up and keep going back to sleep, I feel even more tired when I finally wake up. I made a choice to be in control instead of the alarms controlling me. I made a choice to only set one alarm. One. This also forces me to set and wake up at a decent time especially if I have to get up early for practice, class, or whatever it is. This is just one tiny habit that I changed that changed my attitude about mornings.
There is nothing worse than putting your body in a rushed and stressed state first thing when we wake up to get ready as fast as possible. I promise if you give yourself a decent amount of time to wake up and get ready for the day, you will be less stressed.
When I first wake up, especially if it’s early, I don’t wake up angry. Yes, it’s early. Oh well, you can’t control that. You can control your attitude about it. If you’re waking up for school, or a game really early, how are you going to start your morning?
Wake up and be grateful. Practice gratitude and think of things you are grateful for. Wake up feeling grateful to wake up if you can’t think of anything. Feel grateful to take on another day. Trust me, waking up in a good mood sets up your mindset for the rest of the day. Just think about it. If you wake up in a bad mood angry because you’re up early or don’t want to wake up and go, or you wake up late and have to rush and panic, every other encounter you have with other people will feel that negative energy.
Unless you change your mindset when you wake up, everything that follows will match that mindset: unfocused, unproductive and filled with anxiety. Control your mornings, don’t let the morning control you.
This also goes back to making a routine. You see how having a routine before a game or at bat leads to having a routine in other aspects of your life? I love it. I understand that there are lazy days where you just want to sleep in and do nothing. Those are the best days sometimes. On those other days, having a routine in the morning will make you feel way more productive and set your day in the right mindset.
Action plan:
Become a morning person. Just do it. These are little habits that will change your life. To wake up with a better mindset, you have to become a morning person. You have to make little changes. Start with one little change, then watch what else will change. Take note of how you feel in the mornings and recognize that. Make some changes and start your day with a better mindset.
Practice gratitude. The mornings are a perfect time to write or think of 3 things you are grateful for. When I practice gratitude, it makes me happy and sets my mood up for the rest of the day. Having an attitude of gratitude will also just make me realize the good things in my life at the moment.
Create a morning routine with small tasks that will set your mood right. Little things like making your bed, not checking your phone right away, and practicing being grateful will lead to feeling better in the mornings. These little habits have led me to stick with them, and if I had a bad day, I will always ask how I started my morning. It really does set the rest of your day up.
