A sunrise routine is essential to situating yourself in the best position to have a successful day. If you look at any elite level athlete, you will find that they have a consistent routine that they follow. Tiger Woods approaches the ball exactly the same before every swing. Kobe Bryant goes through his routine before every free throw. The same is true for those that are experiencing an elite level of success in their personal or business life. They design a routine that puts them in a position to accomplish more of their goals in less time than the average person. They understand that the quality of the first 1-3 hours of their day, will greatly determine the way in which the rest of their day plays out. By designing a personalized routine to begin your day, you can attract more success, achieve more of your goals, and create the life that you’ve been putting off or merely dreaming of. Here are five simple steps to designing a sunrise routine that will help you get the most out of each day.
- Maximize Your Sleep
I love the quote, “What you do today, determines where you will be tomorrow.” This is why my sunrise routine begins well before the sun makes its way over the horizon. Getting to bed early allows me to rise early and I feel much more rested and energized than when I go to sleep at a later time. So by giving my body the best quality sleep at the right time of night, I enhance the level of energy and focus I can put into my sunrise routine activities and subsequently into the entire next day.
- Meditate / Visualize / Set Your Intention
The first thing that I like to start my day with is 10-15 minutes of meditation. Immediately after rising for the day, my mind is the most clear and able to create a positive and productive plan for the day. I like to visualize what I would like my day to look like as well as getting clear on my intentions for the day. An example of setting an intention for the day would be something like, “Today I will meet all challenges with acceptance and a positive outlook.” Consider writing your day’s intention on a note-card or typing it into your phone, and looking at it throughout the day to keep it fresh in your mind.
- Make a List
Before I begin my day, I like to write out 3-5 goals I want to accomplish during that day. Sometimes they are big goals and sometimes they are smaller goals. I find that writing down my daily goals helps to keep me on track for the day and instills a sense of discipline and accomplishment within me. If you struggle with procrastination or low self-esteem, ending each day with a list of completed goals can help to build self-confidence and retrain the mind with more productive thoughts and habits.
- Move Your Body
The state of your mind and body are so intertwined that you must give each one equal attention if you want to achieve the highest levels of health. Motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, requires his audiences to stand up, move around and engage in activities that stimulate their bodies to help their minds reach a state that will be more receptive and open to his messages. Tony states, “When you use more of the gifts your creator has given you, then you experience more of those gifts.” So by doing some sort of daily physical activity with my body, I experience a synergistic effect that allows my mind to function at a much higher level as well. Whether it’s yoga, running, calisthenics, rebounding or weight lifting, moving your body will promote greater circulation of blood and lymph and allow for greater overall energy levels throughout the day.
- Fuel with Fruit
I have found no better way to complete my sunrise routine and begin the rest of my day, than with a fruit meal. Fruit is the perfect fuel for the human body and provides everything we need to start the day off right. Fast digestion and assimilation of fruit allows us to experience high levels of energy, clear thoughts and antioxidants to power through the challenges and opportunities of the day ahead. The hydrating properties of fresh, ripe fruit will support the brain and nervous system, as well as flush out toxins from the body that may otherwise slow us down. Eat a rainbow of fruits, berries and melons if you’re serious about taking your life to the next level.
These are the foundational principals of what my personal sunrise routine is built from. Everyone is different so make your own personal adjustments to this, as it is important to listen to your intuition and follow where that leads you. As you continue to grow and learn more about yourself, your routines should evolve with you. Don’t be afraid to change things up to find what works. Continuous change is a Universal Law that cannot be avoided and the more we resist change, the more we become stiff, stagnant and filled with unease. The important thing is to consistently strive to be the best we can be. This will lead you to beautiful and unexpected places in your life.
Always follow your raw intuition,
Matt
