In the movies, characters often wake with a start, excited to get out of bed and begin what are sure to be awesome days. In real life, however, mornings are often decidedly less rosy.
All too often, you wake to a startling alarm or begrudgingly open your eyelids as annoying beams of sunshine manage to find their way through those microscopic holes in your blinds. You sit up and silently lament your aches and pains while thinking of everything that fills your overflowing plate.
If this typifies your morning, you may want to modify this ritual. Everyone has heard the importance of a first impression. Your morning is, essentially, your first impression of the day. Don’t unnecessarily fill yourself with dread. Instead, apply some extra effort to making your morning positive and you’ll likely find that the rest of your day follows suit.
1. Add Inspiration To Your Space
No one is inspired by institutional white walls, rough bed sheets and lackluster window dressings. Making your space inspiring will naturally improve your mood and increase your motivation to do something amazing.
In revamping your space, think about the things you find truly inspirational. If you’re a book lover, create or purchase art featuring your favorite quotes, fill a bookshelf with the troves that left you most satisfied and keep a copy of your latest read on your bedside table.
When your eyes open and gaze upon this space each sunrise, you will naturally feel more excited about what the day has in store for you.
2. Do Your Cleaning At Night
Just as a bland space isn’t inspirational, a cluttered space is equally displeasing. Don’t allow your day-end exhaustion to tempt you to collapse into bed with unwashed dishes cluttering your kitchen and refuse scattered around your space.
Make it a point to tidy before bed so you can wake up to a residence that is as fresh and vibrant as you are after your good night’s sleep. Making and keeping this simple promise to yourself also allows you to dedicate your valuable morning time to things that won’t leave you frustrated and smelling like last night’s moo goo guy pan.
3. Craft A Morning Playlist
Music can have a profound impact on your mood. Instead of going through your morning with nothing but the hollow silence of your empty room entering your ears, jazz it up with some tunes.
Choose a medley of songs that you find inspirational and motivational and create a playlist on your phone or MP3 player. When you wake up, plug this device into a dock and fill your space with these sweet sounds so you can absorb them as you get ready for the day.
4. Review Your Goals
A ship would never set out to sea without a port in mind. Likewise, you shouldn’t start your day without some clear end goal. If you don’t already set goals for yourself, begin now. These goals don’t have to be lofty – you don’t have to climb Everest or cure a disease (although it would be super if you did!).
Especially if you are new to goal setting, setting simple and easily attainable goals is a good idea. This goal can center on anything – personal or professional. Try, however, to only set goals for things that are within your control.
Don’t, for instance, set a goal that you get a boyfriend by the end of the month, as you don’t have total control of this. Instead, set a goal to save some cash to fund a mini-break weekend or something similarly rewarding.
Record your goals in a prominent place, perhaps on your refrigerator or your bathroom mirror, and reference them in the morning, reflecting on the progress, if any, you’ve made toward goal attainment.
5. Do Something Challenging
Particularly if you’re not a morning person, doing anything more than brush your teeth and throw on some clothing before heading out the door may seem less than desirable; however, if you can force yourself to adjust your sleepy-time schedule just a tiny bit, you can reap major benefits by allocating some time to completing a morning challenge.
If you love the mental taxation of a puzzle, for instance, keep one on a spare table and place a few pieces while you sip some coffee. Starting your day with an activity of this type gives you something to feel good about as you move through the day, probably making your day as a whole a bit brighter.
