Rise and Shine by http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilianohorcada/

The first twenty five minutes of our morning set the tone for our day. We can be like most people and move through those moments in a half awake , half aware state…rolling out of bed in protest…clumping our way to the bathroom where we perform our morning rituals on rote, unthinking unchanging for years. Then before we are full conscious we are out the door and join the mad rush of morning…dashing off to work, fighting traffic, snarling at delays, then arriving aggravated and out of sorts…and then wonder why the day is slipping by you somehow just out of your grasp.

We are creatures of habit. What we do repetitively creates a neural pathway in our brain. The more we repeat that cycle of actions, the thicker the pathway becomes the easier it become to slip into those actions without thought. We put part of our personality on autopilot and then we wonder why things never change.

The first thing to understand, before I give you the five tips, is your body will fight you. It will tell you you need to say in bed just five minutes more. It will tell you that it doesn’t matter if you don’t create your day…it’s all the same anyway. It will tell you that nothing really matters but another 15 minutes of sleep.

Once you let your body know you are the boss, you will be able to truly awaken to the glory of the morning.

Are you ready?

1.Before you get out of bed clap your hands together and say, “I am having a great day.”  Now at least you are starting from a positive outlook that the universe is just going to have to align with.

2.Make your bed. Now that doesn’t seem like fun or inspirational or even designed to really wake up that sleeping consciousness.  You will be surprised, however, how good a freshly made bed will make you feel. If you don’t believe me, then read The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
by Gretchen Rubin.

3.Now before you hop into the shower take a few minutes to relax and review your day. What is the greatest ideal is of yourself you can be today? It’s a great question to ask yourself because we are talking about elevating yourself above your everyday plain of existence and to strive for something a little more conscious. Instead of working on autopilot you are forcing yourself to bring into this time your conscious awareness. You are asking yourself to bypass those unconscious circuits you use to navigate the day and strive for more than those circuits are capable of producing. Make a couple of notes, set a couple of goals, and carry them with you though out the day and refer to them often. For doing this reflective exercise you get to reward yourself with a nice hot shower.

4.For your shower buy good quality French milled soap with an irresistible fragrance that makes your senses come alive. Yes I know that one bar of French milled soap will cost you more than ten bars of the grocery store brands, but we are talking about you… about getting you off to a good start. Grocery store soap will not do it. And guys…don’t whimp out…there are some really awesome men’s scents that will put more than a shine in your eyes. You’ll need to change this up by trying new scents and new brands often.  I went to a garden center recently and they had the most awesome collection of soaps from Italy that would bring you back from the dead! The idea is to find new things, new experience to avoid creating just another habit. Aahh! There, now you are beginning to think the morning isn’t so bad after all.

5.Eat breakfast! Really it is the most important meal of the day. Don’t whine at me that you don’t have time, or you never eat breakfast…find the time to have the most important meal of the day. Not only have that, but at least in the summer tried to have that meal out on the balcony or the deck, or a bright little spot with a window. Avoid routine by not having the same thing every day.  Don’t make it complicated. A muffin with fresh fruit, yogurt and fruit, oatmeal porridge, (See my article in my sister publication:http://nicholasgrimshawe.com/?p=52) a slice of really good of bread toasted and spread with something delicious.

6.Flowers. Kamagra You need to have a fresh bouquet of flowers either in the bathroom, your bedroom, or the kitchen…somewhere where you will see them before you leave the house. Your work is to make sure you stop and admire them before you leave the house.  Beauty awakens the senses.

There you have it. You are ready to take the day in stride with all your senses activated, you brain alert and aware, and your body feeling pampered and respected. You will start your day fully conscious intent of doing those two little goals you set yourself so that you can be a better you.

Just one last thing!

At night when you crawl back into your bed take a moment to review your day. How did you do? Did you complete those two tasks you set yourself? Where you a better you, than you where the day before? If you fell from grace you just hit reset and tackle it all again tomorrow.

Nick Grimshawe

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Tags: aware, breakfast, Consciousness, flowers, self improvement, sleep, Spirituality