The Power of Morning Routines

One thing that many highly successful people have in common is that they start the day off with a morning routine. Why is that? I believe it is because when you create the habit of investing in yourself, it has a ripple effect on all areas of your life. 

It’s amazing how “lucky” I start to get when I’m consistent with my morning routine. When I haven’t been consistent, I’ve noticed I feel different and it affects my overall day. Makes sense though because consistency and time are key to being successful in anything.  

Motivation Behind My Morning Routine

In 2017, things were not going well in business, and I knew I needed to improve myself…so I show up differently (meaning better). That’s when I got the idea to put a morning routine in place and it changed my life. Each thing I do during my routine hits 1 of 4 different areas of personal development that I focus on…movement, mindset, relationships and progress.

Think about it…when you spend even a few minutes a day doing something small, it can add up to something really big. Every day my brain is getting sharper, my cardio and strength are improving, I’m more grateful, etc. 

Now, my goal is to bring awareness to others about the power of morning routines and personal development. But, I also know that there are a lot of challenges with putting a morning routine in place and staying consistent with it. That’s why I created the Morning Upgrade Cards. They help anyone create a specific and efficient morning routine that will bring them results.

The Morning Upgrade Cards Routine

When I first started, I followed the specific routine that Miracle Morning teaches. It was a great starting point for me and I’ve since adjusted the routine to match up with my goals and interests. 

Over the years, I’ve put together different routines that varied in length and habits. I finally settled into a 20-minute routine that really works and makes it easy to stick with. From there, I created The Morning Upgrade cards to make this morning routine habit even easier because it creates an experience out of it.

Personally, I like putting pen to paper first thing in the morning. That’s why I really like using these cards for my routine. There are 4 main pillars I focus on in this routine: movement, mindset, relationships and progress.

Here is a look at the prompts on The Morning Upgrade cards:

• Get a glass of water and take a deep breath.
• What is your #1 priority for the day?
• What are you grateful for?
• What is your biggest win from yesterday?
• Who will you reach out to today?
• What is on your mind?
• Meditation
• Move

What’s Involved in My Morning Routine Cards?

While I follow a lot of the principles I learned in the Miracle Morning, I’ve put together a specific routine that works best for me. I encourage you to adopt and use the cards I created, because it is short, but powerful. 

Note: some of the links below, and throughout my website, are affiliate links where I earn a commission on any sales I refer. That said, I only link to products/services that I use and recommend…and I link to the product/service even if they don’t have an affiliate program (meaning, it’s not just about the money 🙂). -Ryan

Get a Glass of Water and Take a Deep Breath

I always start the day by grabbing a glass of water to help me get hydrated. It helps me feel awake and refreshed. Then I take a deep breath and start going over the prompts on the card.

What Is Your #1 Priority For The Day?

This is to help me get going with productivity for the day. I write down the biggest thing I want to accomplish that day. Sometimes I write down 2-3 things if I have a lot going on. The idea here is to work on the thing that will help you feel accomplished or move the needle forward in life or business.

What Are You Grateful For?

This is part of my routine where I focus on things that will help to strengthen my mind. Gratitude practice is important because it rewires your brain to look for the positive things around you.

I just close my eyes and the first thing that pops into my head is what I write down. The more you practice gratitude, the easier it will become. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Small things like fall weather, coffee, morning sunshine…anything that you feel grateful for.

What Is Your Biggest Win From Yesterday?

This is the part of my routine where I focus on the progress I’ve made. I take a minute to think about my biggest win from the day before. If my mind is blank, then I will look at my calendar from the previous day to remind myself what I did.

Recognizing your wins will rewire your brain to look for the accomplishments you’ve achieved. It helps you keep pushing forward on your goals.

Who Will I Reach Out To Today?

This section of the morning routine focuses on other people. I believe that a big part of personal development is to go outside of yourself and build relationships.

I might write down a friend, family member, contact, business associate, client, or anyone I haven’t reached out to in a while. Later that day, I will text them or email them a note of thanks or a word of encouragement…or just say hello to see how they are doing.

What Is On Your Mind?

In this part of the routine, I do a quick brain dump. It helps me clear my mind and get anything off my chest that may take up brain space that day. Whatever is on my mind, I get it out. And sometimes I do affirmations if there’s nothing pressing I’m thinking about.

Meditation For 5 Minutes

After I fill out the card completely, I spend time in meditation. This is another part of my routine where I focus on my mind. Meditation helps you to start your day off with a calm mind and be ready to face the challenges that come at you.

To help me with my morning meditation routine, I use InsightTimer. There are a lot of great 5-6 minute routines on the app that I use. If you start using this app, join my Circle so we can share personal development ideas!

Exercise For 5 Minutes

This is the part of my routine where I focus on my body. In general, it’s not the only thing I do in a day for exercise, but if it is all I have time for, at least I got it in first thing.

I get my blood flowing for 5 straight minutes. It doesn’t sound like much, but if you use a combination of cardio exercises, you’ll really get your heart rate up – and my WHOOP Strap keeps track of how I’m doing so I know if my fitness is improving.

I have my go-to bodyweight exercises, but I like to mix them up so I don’t do the same thing every time. Sometimes I like to do burpees combined with shadowboxing using egg weights. Other times I do kettlebell swings and jumping jacks. What’s important here is to do something that gets you out of breath and your heart pumping.

I Hope You’ll Join Me!

My goal with this site is to help encourage others to invest in their own personal growth and develop a consistent morning routine. If you do, I promise it will change your life!

Please check out my story page to learn more about my morning routine journey and where my passion all began.