Successful People Swear by These 5 Morning Mantras
Fight the Monday morning blues with these simple, easy-to-remember
mantras.
Got a case of the Mondays... every Monday?
Whether you're stuck in a dead-end job or can't seem to move the needle on your
new venture, it can be tough to start off your week feeling chipper and
empowered when things simply aren't going your way.
Everyone has been there at some point. That's
why many top entrepreneurs adopt morning routines that set themselves up for
success. Yet some of their routines can take hours. If you've only got a few
minutes to spare each morning -- or even less -- than here are a few
powerful mantras that can have a huge impact on making the rest of your day
meaningful and productive.
1. Today I am thankful for...
Oprah has a gratitude journal. For years,
she's written down five things she's grateful for. She claims it's the single
most important thing she's ever done. Oprah stresses physically writing these
five things down because it consciously forces you to observe what you have to
be thankful for.
"If you
concentrate on what you have, you'll end up having more -- even if it's just
$2," she says in Oprah's
LifeClass. And the things can be very simple. One of
Oprah's examples? Eating cold melon on a bench in the sun. That's an actual
entry from her own gratitude
journal on October 12, 1996.
2. I have what it it takes to get through
today.
If you're
living as good of a life as Oprah, then finding things to be grateful for
sounds easy. But what if you received terrible news yesterday or simply woke up
on the wrong side of the bed? If negativity creeps in the second you open your eyes, immediately start
building yourself up. Remind yourself you've made it here. And you've got what
it takes to keep going.
"Thinking
things like 'I can't do this,' or 'This isn't fair,' will cause you to feel defeated,"
says Amy Morin, author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do.
"If you've made it this far in life, you clearly have some skills, tools,
and resources already in place." Morin recommends several more
build-yourself-up mantras. Remind yourself that the best you can do is the best
you can do. And to put things in perspective, ask yourself if whatever's
troubling you will matter five years from now.
3. Today I will accomplish...
Ever surprised to discover it's suddenly
5 p.m. and you haven't gotten a lick of work done?
Instead of reacting to the barrage of emails
or fighting fires throughout your day, there's a better way to get a handle on
your day. It starts before those emails even start rolling in.
Take a proactive approach first thing in the
morning by making a short to-do list of what you absolutely must accomplish
today. Keeping it short is key. Cramming too many tasks on your to-do list is
setting yourself up to fail. A concise list also forces you to cut out what's
not important. It creates division between what's important and what's urgent.
And it gives you clear direction on which tasks you will expend energy on
today.
If it's impossible
to narrow down your to-do list to just a few items, then break it out into mini
lists. For example, Shark Tank investor Barbara Corcoran prioritizes things
that will make her money and move business forward, FastCompany reports.
While there are plenty of apps or online
tools that can help, she prefers the old-fashioned way. "And while I've
tried different online to-do lists, I cannot work off of a to-do list that
isn't written or typed," Corcoran told FastCompany. "The delete
button will never give you the kicks that crossing off tasks will give
you."
4. What's my big, ambitious goal for the day?
Your to-do list may contain the tasks you
need to plow through today. But don't forget about the big picture. Both Steve
Jobs and Benjamin Franklin famously challenged themselves each morning to seize
the day with a big-picture question.
In his famous
2005 Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs said he looked at himself in the mirror each morning and asked,
"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about
to do today?"
Benjamin
Franklin's daily routine started at 5 a.m.
Throughout his 3-hour morning routine of rising, washing and contriving the
day's business, he reflected on The Question: "What good shall I do
today?"
5. My intention for today is...
Yoga instructors often ask you to set an
intention at the top of the class. The goal is to pick a word that will help
you focus your attention. If your mind wanders, you're supposed to come back to
that word. For example, if you've been feeling frustrated with your
inflexibility to get into a particular pose, your intention might be
"patience." If you're stepping onto your mat after a stressful and
busy day and are having trouble slowing down your mind, your word might be
"calm."
It's the same approach for setting an
intention at the start of your day. Think through what's planned for today. Is
there a word or intention that you want to channel throughout your your
jam-packed day of meetings? As you go about your day, try to keep this word in
mind.
BY BETSY
MIKEL
http://www.inc.com/betsy-mikel/successful-people-swear-by-these-5-morning-mantras.html?cid=em01020week25a
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