After a setback, it is normal for us to rethink what to do next. It is okay to feel lost for awhile, and it may indeed be hard to pick up the pieces. Starting over again requires a bit of motivation, and you can jumpstart it daily with a good ritual.
Reaching success starts with the little habits you employ everyday–and the most crucial of that is what you do during the first few hours of your day. A good morning ritual will leave you with the right motivation and energy to go through what you need to do for the rest of the day.
For many successful entrepreneurs, there is a pattern of morning rituals that can be observed among them that helps them stay productive throughout the day, this includes:
1. Waking up early
This is a pattern that is commonly observed among successful entrepreneurs–they are mostly morning persons! Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for one wakes up at 8 AM daily, and that is even a bit late compared to CEOs such as Tory Burch who wakes up at 5:45 AM, and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey who wakes up at 5:30 AM everyday.
Waking up early indeed has its perks, this is the best time of the day wherein you can start laying out your agenda for the day and take some time to meditate and enjoy short exercises in the fresh morning air.
2. An hour of exercise
Or yoga and some meditation time. This is also a common ritual among successful entrepreneurs, and even from national leaders such as the former US President Barack Obama who enjoys a cardio and weight routine each morning.
Jack Dorsey and founder of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, starts their day with yoga and meditation. CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, works out and walks his dog in the morning each day. Disney CEO, Robert Iger, also enjoys early morning exercises along with listening to music.
Spending at least 30 minutes up to an hour of exercise in the morning helps you maintain good health, and will also serve as a warm-up to face your tasks energetically during the day.
3. Having a good breakfast and bonding with family (or pets)
For most successful people who also have a family to care for, spending some time with them in the morning is one way to start a good day. For those who don’t have a family yet, some of them spend time with a pet.
Amazon Founder Jezz Bezos for one hates and avoids early meetings at all costs, and would rather eat breakfast with his family. Richard Branson, founder of The Virgin Group also loves to spend quality time with his family in the morning. Former President Obama even helps his daughters pack for school each morning. Other successful people like TV personality Simon Cowell loves waking up to a good set of breakfast–specifically oatmeal with tea and 3 smoothies.
Spending quality time with loved ones and having a good breakfast every morning will release you happy hormones that can help you face your tasks with optimism for the rest of the day. It also strengthens your relationships at home which contributes to your overall well-being–and happy people tend to be more motivated and productive in general.
4. Reading the news, or books and journals
Industry leaders really need to be updated about current events and trends to keep up with cut-throat competition, that’s why reading is a very important ritual for most of them.
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, Cisco Chief Officer Padmasree Warrior, and Prime Minister of UK, Dave Cameron, all read the news during the morning.
Others also read books in general to keep themselves informed and educated. The CEO of AoL, Tim Armstrong does a bit of reading after working out in the morning.
Reading stimulates your brain and could help you gain more ideas as you go through the day. Aside from helping you stay productive, you become more efficient as you learn a lot through readings.
5. Reading, answering and sending emails
Many entrepreneurs check their email first thing in the morning because mainly, this helps them determine what should be done and focused on for the rest of the day. This is basically a semi to-do list for them within the day.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, Jeff Weiner, Tim Armstong, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian all check, answer or send emails during the morning.
For those who are currently experiencing a setback like losing a job or getting rejected by a publisher or a potential employer, don’t be discouraged. You can always send another email or compose a compelling reply during the first few hours of your day.
You may find that some of these rituals are easy to adapt as a routine, but if other rituals work for you such as having a good cup of coffee or tea each morning, or writing perhaps your to-do list or a creative poem at the start of your day actually keeps you motivated and productive throughout the day, then by all means, follow your own pattern.
The rituals listed above is not an exclusive list, as long as a habit would work out for you every morning, then that’s fine. The most important thing here is to make sure that a simple morning activity can help you fire up your day.
If you think you are still too discouraged to continue a new pursuit, then take your time. You may need some time to meditate or think and write about your new plans. Just allow yourself to let your ideas flow freely and think of better steps to start again.
The thing about morning rituals is that it should not feel forced, because if it is, then it would become more of a dull chore. To keep you productive, you must actually love what you do–and enjoy doing it each day. If blogging or asking yourself questions (like Steve Jobs) during the first hour of your day keeps you ticking, then feel free to adapt it as a morning ritual.
Gemma Reeves is a seasoned writer who enjoys creating helpful articles and interesting stories. She has worked with several clients across different industries such as advertising, online marketing, technology, healthcare, family matters, and more. She is also an aspiring entrepreneur who is engaged in assisting other aspiring entrepreneurs in finding the best office space for their business.
Check out her company here: FindMyWorkspace