Mornings are underrated. I consider them fundamental for the whole diurnal experience. What you do in the very first moments of your morning will fundamentally and inexorably shape your entire day. Most of the time you spend your mornings by routinely performing some habits, on auto pilot. Hence, your days will routinely unfold towards you, the same way, day after day, on auto pilot.
Consciously inserting your intentions in these very first moments will have a huge effect. Taking charge of those moments it’s like activating some subtle, unconscious triggers which will ultimately determine your whole daily experience, exactly the way you want. Mornings are fundamental. This is why I experimented a lot with my very first moments of the day.
Here are at least 33 tips to start your day, small changes which will transform your days by only spending 5 minutes every morning.
1. Write In Your Journal
I love the morning stillness and the unspoken promise of something ready to start. Mornings are fantastic for journaling. Whenever I do it, I feel like I already consumed several hours from that day and yet I’m only at the very beginning of it. Journaling acts like a mind emptier and out of nowhere I feel energized and ready to go. Not to mention that in the morning I have less inhibitors and my journaling is far more authentic.
2. Enjoy The Morning Silence
And do nothing. Just feel the silence and let it spread over your mind and body. I’m fascinated by all the little noises that are born from that morning silence: from my familiar house noises (wife and daughter waking up, steps, windows, doors) up to the neighborhood noises (car engines, low voices, small buzz). Everything starts in that silence and sometimes I think that if I focus enough on it I could actually predict, or even create all those little noises.
3. Be Grateful For Something 5 Minutes
Point your mind to something you’re really grateful for and stay there. Might be your family, your wealth, your health or just your present moment. Feel grateful for it. There’s nobody between you and that thing, there’s nobody watching or listening. You’re free to feel grateful and happy. And then start your day as usual. It’s only 5 minutes, yet the impact of such a day starter is overwhelming: whenever I’m doing it I feel like walking 2 centimeters above the road for the entire day.
4. Open Windows
Regardless of the current season. If it’s cold outside, even better. Open your bedroom windows, your living room windows, your kitchen windows. Let the fresh air inside, welcome the small buzz of the city waking up, silently watch the last forces of the night walking away. Let yourself be refreshed. The yesterday you is no longer there and the today you is slowly getting in shape. Those open windows will unconsciously allow you to receive change and novelty with much more ease during the day.
5. Throw Away A Useless Object
You’re going to spot it pretty easily if you put your mind to it. It often happens to me to stumble upon unneeded stuff in my house during the early morning. If it’s a chair staying in my way, maybe its place is not in my house. Maybe it’s a piece of paper or a wrecked device. I find joy and a subtle enthusiasm in throwing away things that are only cluttering my space, and doing it first thing in the morning makes it even more powerful.
6. Help Somebody
Write an answer to an old question, do part of a small chore, move an object out of somebody’s way. No need to be huge or visible. Just keep in mind the intention of being helpful immediately to somebody else. During the morning your mind is far more clear and you have access to more energy than usual. Hence, your helping activities will be much more effective if you decide to do them as the first thing after you wake up.
7. Meditate For 5 Minutes
Empty your mind and isolate from your environment. Focus on your breathe. If there are thoughts coming in your way, acknowledge their presence and then kindly ask them to go away. Meditating in the morning is easier, there are fewer perturbing factors. Even after a good sleep, your mind is still trying to find answers, to solve problems, to fight or resist. Do yourself a simple, yet solid service and pack your morning time with an extra meditation on top.
8. Think How To Help Somebody During The Day
This is different from number 6 in terms of the actual time of the helping act. Now you’re planing how to help somebody during the day, you’re visualizing the context and try to find a specific time in your schedule for this helping act. Again, doesn’t have to be huge, a piece of advice, facilitating something or a small gift. The mere act of planing how to help somebody will change the course of your entire day.
9. Exercise
Like in getting physical. I’m not doing this every single day, but I’m doing it often enough. A part from your brain there’s a body, too. A collection of joints, muscles and bones. And in order to be balanced you have to take care of those too. The good news is that your body has a feedback mechanism for the good things you do to it: it’s called “endorphins”. Every time you start your day with a decent workout, you’ll be blessed with a decent rush of endorphins. Usually, it lasts until evening.
10. Spend 5 Minutes In The Garden
Alternatively, spend some times near your flowers. Or your terrace. Just be outside in the first minutes of the day, trying to breathe the fresh air and feel the vibe of the green life. Clear you mind and open your senses. Let your awaken body to synchronize with this frequency and don’t start the day until you completely immersed in this flow for at least 5 minutes. I seldom run into a fight or even got closer to some aggressive scene when I start my day like this.
11. Forgive Somebody
Let go. Forgive and forget. Morning are very good for that because you have so little inference from the outside world, only your own mind and personal history. Does it really matter that much? Feeling that grudge and anger towards somebody who hurt you? Yes, that person hurt you, but it really matter that much? Forgiving somebody as the first thing in the morning makes me want to conquer the world the very next minutes. And it works really well with forgiving yourself too.
12. Think For 5 Minutes At Someone You Love
Again, that person may be your family, someone you loved at some point in your life or someone who just appeared. Keep that person in mind, imagine having a conversation or doing something together. Create an internal representation of a desired bond. Not only it will actually attract that person towards you (somehow) during the day, but what you think in those moments will add up to the relationship in a very mysterious way. It’s like what you think it’s already happening.
13. Read A Poem
Poetry, or any form of art, talks to your irrational mind. Usually, your morning is cluttered with rational thoughts and activities: get up and ready for the job, prepare the kids, get the morning tasks solved. Talking to your irrational mind will break this circuit, but it will do it creatively. For instance, my favorite morning poem is “If”, by Rudyard Kipling. Every time I read it, even if the day is packed with difficult tasks, somehow, I find the energy and right attitude to get over them. Totally irrational.
14. Make Coffee or Tea For Your Partner
I like this whole beverage ritual in the morning, I think it has something to do with deeply buried recollections of religious rituals we humans, as a species, performed during the history. There’s something sacramental about preparing the water, making fire, putting the right amount of tea or coffee. It’s like asking gods for benevolence. Only this time is not about gods, it’s about your partner. Paving your road through today with your partner blessing.
15. Write A Thank You Letter
You don’t have to send it, just write it. When I first experienced this I had a little bit of a shock. I realized I don’t know how to do it. And for whom. That was a sad shock. Not having somebody to say “thank you” in your life can bring in quite a sorrow. So, be sure to start at least one of your mornings with a “thank you” letter. Bring to the light people or events you are thankful for. If you say “thank you” to something first thing in the morning, you’re inviting those specific type of events into your life.
16. Take A Day Off From Your Job
And use the rest of the day for yourself. Even if you’re self employed, or especially if you’re self employed, take a day off. And start it clean, from the early morning. Those free days are somehow bigger when I decide to have them unexpectedly. If I start my morning with the clear decision to take the day off, something very strange will happen: my businesses will run smoother without me. My blog traffic will spike. It’s like too much work means getting in the way of your own success.
17. Do Some Crafting For 5 Minutes
Just fix something, replace a light bulb, use your screwdriver to harden some piece of furniture or modify some clothes. Just do something with your hands, without any preparation, in the morning silence. In a very surprising way, this morning crafting will unfold some new opportunities. You can find a solution to an old problem or you will solve something for somebody else. It’s like this morning crafting will actually make you craft the rest of your entire day.
18. Learn A New Word In A Foreign Language
Just one word. Every morning, for several weeks. I used to learn some hiragana and katakana only in the morning (and that proved really interesting during my first trip to Japan). It forces your brain to find parallel ways to solve problems and your body to stay focused on a small problem from the very beginning of the day. Again, in a very strange way, learning a new foreign word each morning makes me dream about foreign lands. Which is quite a way to start your day.
19. Imagine Your Morning in a New Country
How your morning will be in New Zealand? Or in Thailand? Or in Austria? If you’ve ever been there, try to remember the smells, the air, the noises. Waking up in a different country every morning might be a fantastic experience (I might do this one day, by the way). If you’ve never been there, just try to imagine your morning there. After spending 5 minutes in a distant country, getting back to your actual day will feel like coming home from a long trip. Which is, partially, true.
20. Go For A Short Walk
Like the first thing in the morning, before even having breakfast. Breathe the air, look at the neighborhood. Watch the morning light and hear the noises. Move around. When you got home, your day will be different. This short walk often acts like setting up the scene for something I want to happen. Walking around alone, before igniting the day, makes me feel like a director inspecting the stage. Everything looks cool, let’s make a great film today.
21. Write A Powerful Goal
Mornings are very good for writing goals. I especially like that time of the day for writing goals because I have very few interference from the outside world. Which makes me much more authentic. I value more the goals written in the morning because I am less influenced. I know for sure that during the morning I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, I’m just me and what I want. Some of my best health decisions are picked up during the morning.
22. Clean Your Desk
Again, this must be done before having breakfast, or before any other domestic task (and this also assumes you work from home, at some point). Put things in order, wipe the dust, prepare your working setup. And then start the day as usual. After having breakfast, interacting with your family or just finishing your morning routine, come back to your office. A shiny, fresh and neat vibration will welcome you. A short sign of appreciation from yourself.
23. Sing a Song
I do this all the time in the shower. And I highly recommend it. Despite what your neighbors may say (or even some of your early riser family members). Singing goes hand in hand with reading a poem. Doesn’t matter if you know how to sing. just go ahead and knock some “Let It Be” as loud as you can (“Let It Be” is my favorite shower song, by the way). If you hear me humming some tunes in my beard that’s a good sign I started with a loud song in the shower.
24. Read and Evaluate your Morning Phrase
Do you have a morning phrase? Craft one, it’s easy. Starting a day with a morning phrase it’s like a mental programming exercise for maximizing your potential. It may take even less than 5 minutes and it’s a powerful tool for energy channeling. The trick is to keep it for at least several weeks. But the advantage is that this exercise is very powerful. Planning on quitting smoking? Put it in a morning phrase and use it.
25. Delete Some Email
Or some old, unneeded files. That’s the mirror in the virtual world of number 5. Remove the clutter. Get rid of old messages, logs or files. Be in the flow. They say you have to let go the current you in order to become who you really want. I used to be a packer. Making folders and packing and storing everything in my computer. Now I start my mornings every now and then with a refreshing session of file deletion. Making room for what the day may bring in.
26. Watch The Sunrise
Easiest of all and yet so underrated. There’s so much power and simplicity in watching the sunrise, connecting to the light and actually feeling how the Sun will start another day. And you’re there witnessing this cosmic process. Every time I watch the sunrise, being it at my home or in a foreign country, I have a subtle feeling of responsibility. This huge cosmic mechanism is turning around me as my playground: what am I going to do in it today?
27. Read Your Yesterday Journal
If you keep a journal, of course. Look at yesterday from the very first moment of your new day. What do you love about yesterday? What do you don’t like about it? Now you have the chance to change those things. Reading your journal first thing in the morning is a surprising experience. Seeing what you wrote without any noise and with a clear mind will reveal things that you didn’t noticed. Maybe because you didn’t like them?
28. Do A Short Yoga Session
You don’t have to be an expert yogi to start your day with a mild yoga session. I often find myself lighter and more flexible when starting the day with a short suite of Surya Namaskara, or Sun Salutation. It stretches your body and calm your mind. I once did this for more than 6 months, every single morning. It was perhaps the most calm and balanced period of my life. And besides calm and balance, what else do you need when you start your day?
29. Visualize 3 Moments From Yesterday
Keep your eyes closed and try to remember 3 moments from yesterday. It’s not reading about them in your journal, it’s trying to visualize them in your mind. First of all, the very selection of those 3 moments will tell you something about your current state. Are those moments embarrassing or happy? Second, keeping them live in your head will help you find a solution or a sequel to them. It will help you keep yesterday linked to today. Some people call this flow.
30. Visualize 3 Moments From Today
Can be practiced in tandem with the one above, or separately. Visualizing 3 moments from today means actually create those 3 moments. See yourself performing those actions, attending those meetings, saying those words or writing those sentences. It’s early in the morning and nobody is pressuring. You have the freedom to see yourself exactly as you want to be. In my experience, almost any of these “predicted” moments are actually happening during the day.
31. Take A Picture Of Yourself
I started this as a technical challenge a few years ago (trying to automate my Mac PhotoBooth) and proved to be enlightening. Not the actual process of taking a photo of myself each morning, but seeing those photos in a fast moving sequence months after. You can’t fool the camera in the morning. All your problems, joys, frustrations or thrills are so transparent in a photo taken in the first moment of the day. It’s like a message you send to your future self without even knowing the message.
32. Identify One Task To Be Canceled
There must be one. Out of your entire to do list for today there must be one task which can be canceled. Sometimes I wake up with the only thought of identifying my canceled task for the day. I usually chose this approach after a very intense and tiring yesterday. It give me a sense of freedom and flexibility. And most of the time the freed time will make room for something interesting, or at least surprising. It’s like opening your door to the unexpected.
33. Chose A Theme Of The Day
This works in tandem with your personal mission (if you don’t have a personal mission maybe it’s time to find one). Find one red stripe which will go through your entire day. Like making this day “the productivity day”. Or “the observation day”. Or “the money day”. This will be the dominant vibe of your entire day. By setting course in the very first moments of the morning you will maximize your chances to actually create your day on that exact theme.
Already picked one? Great, now go ahead and pick one way to end your day. 😉
1 hour every morning on business admin, sometimes even from the bed. Makes for a nice gradual way in to work-mode.
BTW great blog, reading some of these might start being part of the morning routine now 🙂
Dear Dragos Rous I am an Indian. I love your every post from my heart. my English is weak but i can easily understand your every posts. In our country a lot of Sadhu(A man that gave us inspiration information and true energy of life) but you are the best in all. I want to meet you but we are a poor farmer. You know that farmer’s life is so boring no anybody like him/her. I thing my dream is very lie dream. that is impossible.
Can i translate your some posts in Hindi language? Starting and end of the every post i gave your website link. In this way you can reach every indian peoples heart and life.
Thanks!
Great list and I like that taking a photo thing, I’m gonna try it 🙂
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, says an old Chinese proverb. Likewise a good day starts with a good morning.
Many thanks for advice Dragos.
I’m really thankful that I find this article
It is really a good one
Just wondering if you have ever written an article about moving on in life, if yes where can I find it .
Many thanks from the Middle east
You can try 50 Ways To Start Fresh.
4. Open Windows
Sorry bro, linux user here.
Just kidding. I’ve been doing some of the stuff here for the last 3 days and I can tell I see an improvement. This blog is a real success in terms of … changing lives of people you don’t know. It’s always awesome to help people that actually WANT that help, cause most of the people got here through search engines probably, by themselves. I feel insanely good when someone shows me gratitude after I help them. You must feel divine when they thank you in every blog post, knowing you’ve done something for them. Admit it!
Begin mornings by listening some energetic & inspiring music! It will make your day!
Great post.Thanks for sharing such a useful information with us.
Thank you Drago?, is a very usefull list to do!
I will share it on fb too, is very good!
I liked the list so how it made me change the routine of my day …. i went to the garden so how made me think positivelly
Thnx
very interesting
6 is a good goal always…but not sure about the ones that produce nothing of benefit?
eg
wakeing up in a new country???
anyways
thanks heaps 🙂
james
Best quotes of all time that I found. I was in STUMBLE and found you 🙂 Blessings
Great blog, one more way to start your day is to start writing your own E book. My course is coming soon, sign up for details on price and dates.
Thanks,
Carey Herbert
If you have to disclaim in #17, why put the first two sentences in there anyway? Why not just say, “fix something” or “modify something”? I don’t understand the need to dig yourself into the ground and then dig yourself out when you could just stay above ground the whole time. Apart from that, it’s a very very good blog.
Thank you,sincerely. Ä° am a college resident and find these somewhat utopic cause i have a hard time getting up early in the morning. Ä° don’t know how i can adjust my sleeping pattern but if i can, i’ll definitely try some. Thank you again
Foarte interesant si frumos spus. Bravo, ai un blog super! Continua sa ne inspiri.
Could I order a new chequebook, please? 16yo models nn yoy
Hey I really like your list and positive attitude. I thought I’d shed some light on why people find the gender distinction troubling. I study gender socialization academically, and the field contends (with the help of research) that gender disrinctions perpetuate gender dichotomies and stereotypes. I have never sewn clothing but I’ve done heaps of changing lightbulbs and woodwork and I’m just your avergae 21 year old. Everyone is an individual and making any gender label is outdated these days. Here’s an example to highlight my point: cleaning products and kid-related products such as cereals are marketed to women and not men. Now that’s unethical marketing as it perpetuates an inequality that really shouldn’t exist, there’s no fair relevant reason why women are burdened with looking afte children, there’s no biological evidence either when scrutinized analytically. Would it be appropriate to say “black people, you go sew a dress, while white people, you go screw a lightbulb” – even if it were statistically true? No, because it’s blind to assume that’s what they WANT to do rather than just something they hav to deal with because of society.
Great list! I particularly like the one about thinking how to help someone during the day. It’s sometimes so easy to get caught up in my own affairs that I often forget that someone out there requires help of some sort. One also feel a sense of purpose when one is able to assist someone else. This builds confidence.
My wife passed this on to me. Interesting ideas about starting your day! I like the yoga session myself to start it off. We all have to sit back and relax in this life. It’s much too short for worry and negativity.
Excellent blog! Was sent here from viperchill.com.
He said you knew how to get great traffic from Stumbleupon.
Smoke a bowl of marijuana?
What pretentious drivel. Do none of you have jobs?!!!!! I’d love to do all this in the morning but I have to be in the office by 8am.
Great list ! Thank you ! I use 2,4,5,7,9,12,14,18,22,25,26 and 28 a lot. Rest are good ones too. Need to be careful with item 25 cos sometimes we end up getting really busy with emails in the morning.
Thanks for the wonderful ideas. I’m going to try to use them daily.
Okay, this is great and all, but where is the prayer? I find that as an EXCELLENT way to start my day.
To do these things would be a dream come true. “Morning silence” and “morning stillness” are non-existent for me with a 3 year old and no help. A girl can only dream though…
well, it was okay until I got to the sexist bit. And then you went on to throw in some half-assed comment pretending that it didn’t matter at all. Too bad, it would have been simple to own up to the mistake and move on.
I absolutely LOVE “choose a theme for the day”. Love them all, but this one particularly resonates. I’m off to do some choosing.
gimme a break. be me instead. wake up at 5am sharp. nothing better. then run a marathon. a great day starter. then lead the firemen in exersice. they love it. meditate for 1.5 hours then eat some fruit. write a letter to Obama. Its a fantastic way to help run the country. Write a blog tell others the best way to live. This is great. it will build your ego.
sounds like you’re having some fun being bitchy and all 🙂
anyway, it’s not about my ego here. It’s the other way around. I rarely respond to bitter comments, like this one, but now I did it because I saw something interesting: “to help run the country”. I’m not into running countries. I’m into running myself. The rest can take care of itself pretty good when you’re taking good care of yourself. Think about it.
Hey Dragos! Just got introduced to your blog via Steven Aitchison’s. Thanks for the awesome list.
Personally, similar to your number 24, I like starting my day with affirmations. Things like “I meet all the right people in all the right places in all the right right times”& “Only good things happen to me”. Similar to your number 33, these affirmations help me set the theme for the day. Whatever stories we make up about our life, we will find evidence for throughout our day. Therefore, I prefer to write a story I want to live rather then let experience write it for me! Affirmations also create a new relationship between the conscious and subconscious minds.
Btw… I also like your response to Jinx. Understanding that we are the creative force in our lives is not always easy. It means we also have to accept the things we don’t like. Our reactions to the words of others are not feelings that THEY have created within us, they’re the feelings we are CHOOSING in that moment (whether that choice be conscious or subconscious). Think about it, if words caused feelings then wouldn’t we all have the same reactions to words??? But we don’t, now do we? Each emotion derived to any given statement is uniquely our own and therefore for us to control rather than to go victim to innocent statement meant to create positive change!
Anyway, keep up the Great work! Look forward to hearing more!
Good Post,Thank You for Your Great Words!
I really enjoy your lists. On this one I will do each of them once a months. Like this I go through the whole list every month.
Very good list and i lked it. I have stared doing such activities in ly life too. thanks so much
oops my website was wrong. It’s eribell.blogspot.com
thanks again!
hola desde espana,
thanks for this wonderful list. i just moved to spain for a few months to teach english and have 4 days off during the week which i completely sleep through. honestly, i don’t even HAVE a morning anymore! it’s awful! i don’t know how this habit started but i’m trying to break it. this list was a huge motivator! thanks!
Make out or just simple snuggle with your partner.
Best way to start the day ever.
Have Sex.
Nice Post. Really motivating. 🙂
“This huge cosmic mechanism is turning around me as my playground: what am I going to do in it today?”
Very well phrased. 🙂
Great post! I do some of these things normally but never really thought about it much. I think the realisation of what you naturally do is just as important as doing some of these things for the first time.
Thank you!
A
This is a pretty good list, I recently started getting up earlier and I’ve been enjoying a much more productive day overall. Many great points that I plan on trying out.
As for the sexism argument, I would like to say that for a self improvement specialist and aspiring lifestyle coach, you did not handle the argument very well at all. Many of your concerned and offended readers pointed out this legitimate issue to you, not aggressively but with the intention of bringing this issue to your attention, and you responded every time by becoming overly defensive and even blaming YOUR READERS for seeing the obvious sexism in your article.
I am shocked at how you handled this. I would expect from any self-improvement blogger to simply accept their mistake, apologize for any offensive material (whether intentional or not), and be on with it. Tip #1 in “A Better Life In 100 Ways”: Accept your mistakes. Accept that you made a mistake and move on.
And to claim that your concerned readers are simply ‘obsessed with sexism’ for seeing something that is obviously there is just ridiculous.
You may suggest that I am focusing too much on something that is ‘off topic’, but I think it is completely on topic as the way you handled the situation speaks volumes for how you actually apply your own advice in your own life.
I agree that the rituals you instill for the first hour of the day has a huge impact on how the rest of the day goes. I love starting my day first in silence and gratitude and then move on to exploring something creative. I like your list very much and will try some of these ideas on for size. 🙂
All of these are so helpful to reduce clutter not only in your living space, but also in your soul, spirit and physical being. Love anything that helps me to simplify my life, as it has been too complicated and frustrating. I enjoy sewing buttons on my brother’s shirt at work, we work in a family business, I enjoy my walks with my dogs at 5 in the morning, I try to repair stuff and usually end up with help from one of the male members in my home. Meditation can be done in so many forms, and alway be thankful and express that thanks outloud when you feel it. You time is so important in such a fast paced ridiculously over teched world. I am old fashioned and a little new fashioned as well. Take the tome to watch a plant grow.
Meh, this list could just as easily be “33 things to do late at night” or “33 things to do when you’re alone.” My mind is far from clear in the morning and is much clearer at night.
I love this post and the light it spreads out into the world. Thank you for being the expanded capacities within you.
I write about personal development at http://www.explorelifeblog.com
Joseph Bernard
Hi,
Good post, now I am fresh, I am going to start from tomorrow onwards,
Thanks for sharing this post
Niluka
I only discovered your blog tonight, when I was feeling very overwhelmed by everything. I did a google search and this is exactly what I was looking for -will definitely go in my Top Sites.
Thankyou for your amazing posts
One of my morning rituals is to lie in bed for ten minutes or so while I wake up, and just let the things I’m doing that day run through my mind, and how I’m going to approach them.
I read somewhere the best time to ask your subconscious mind an answer to a question that’s troubling you ( ie whether to quit your job or not or something) in the morning, as your mind is unaffected by other influences like tv, internet and people. 🙂
Ideas from your posts will probably be influencing my up coming “mind clear out” posts on my blog, http://www.untilthedayirunaway.blogspot.com, which is usually about creative pursuits.
Good information, Thank You !
.-= Adam´s last blog ..Jaki jest cel twojego życia ? =-.
Honestely i think you need to be more deep with points such as ,,be positive,,think of some one you love,,,thank God each day for some thing good in your life,,,decide that you this day will be a good day no matter what,,,decide to be a better person today !!!
A first for everything. This is only the 2nd blog post I have ever printed over the last 4 years or more. And using my own printer (which is reserved for special occasions). So good the ideas here are, thank you Dragos, as always!!!!
LOL! I guess I can’t count early in the morning (that might need to be one of my 33 things- practice counting)….Not the very first thing but definitely close :)!
What a great idea – from now on I am going to decide to consciously drop something from my GTD lists every day; identify the least appropriate thing I thought I should do and drop it.
This is such a great, meaningful list. My fave is the thank you letter, even without sending it.
What a list! I’ve used a couple of ways to start my day but never imagined there could be so many others to try.
.-= Joe Ndzulo´s last blog ..Extra Nice Pictures… =-.
Wow, awesome list. Just curious, what time do you wake up?
Great list… and I do love lists… I will definitely have to try some of these out like – watching the sunrise or taking five minutes to let myself absorb the sights and sounds of being outside early in the morning…. great great ideas here.
Thanks for sharing.
.-= Katherine SOLO dot MOM´s last blog ..Helping Haiti… It’s Not About Our Economy =-.
EXCELLENT!
love all the suggestions 🙂
already apply a good majority of them!
Thanks
.-= Tara Burner´s last blog ..Land of Opportunity =-.
i love all of these ideas lol i wanna try all of them 😛
I agree mornings are the best part of the day, they never get the credit they deserve. Nothing is better than starting your day watching the sunrise. It is very peaceful.
Great article. I try and do one or more of those each day, but sometimes just get on the computer, which I shouldn’t do. I like to stretch and do some push-ups or something as well. Get the blood flowing and open things up. I am definitely trying some of those other ideas out though. Cheers!
.-= Casey´s last blog ..Photo of the Week: Walking Through a Dream =-.
I like to walk the dog. Depending on the time of year, I can look at constellations or see the sun rise.
Great post. I loved it. I’m a modern professional woman, and I fix lots of things with a screwdriver, and I wasn’t the least bit offended. We have to, at some point, get over ourselves.
In the morning, I say my affirmations, which a coach just recommended that I laminate and hang in the shower. Brilliant!
I sip coffee with my husband and cuddle with my son before launching into my getting ready routine. I was also taught to make the bed in order to start each day with an accomplishment. This makes it more fun for me rather than just doing it because it looks nice.
Dragos Just read post 17 in detail and your response to the remarks made by the person who found it”offensive”
~sigh~ Jeez! would you find it offensive jinx if I said you must work for the government,OR if you micromanage your life to write comments of such incredible pettiness?
But hey that the beauty of democracy you have a right to express your opinion no matter how wrong it may be 🙂
Read Aldous Huxley Brave New World,Or George Orwell 1984 (we’ve far surpassed that)
It will truly give you an insight why “free thinkers” are to be abolished”
Thanks for the reminder about forgiving someone-this above all else rates as elevating our levels to becoming what we were born to be.
GOD
Very cool list. I’m going to add a morning phrase to my life. Thanks or sharing.
I did it a while ago and I really enjoyed it. Now it’s seem natural to see it on my iPhone every morning when the alarm goes on.
Good list, although in this age of responsible recycling perhaps #5 “Throw Away” could have been worded differently…if that chair doesn’t belong in your house take it to a thrift store where it will find a new owner.
Ops, absolutely. The main idea remains the same but we’re adding a new layer of responsibility. I like that 🙂
Well, with all due respect, I felt the need to respond to that.
1. We are different. Fortunately. Men and women are different. Fortunately, again. Pointing those differences is nothing but a fact, a reality check. Pointing those differences with the intent of diminishing one in front of the other, that’s not good. Emphasizing those differences as a support for judging some category against the other is not good. This is sexism. This is segregation, this is racism.
2. Where, exactly, in my post is there an intention to point out that women are weaker than men? Or men are less valuable than women? I pointed out two different types of crafting you CAN chose. There wasn’t any intent, nor any expression following, to create a negative differentiation between the 2 genres.
3. Being so sensitive to this aspect, starting to see “sexism” all over the place is usually a good sign that there is an inner tendency towards it that gets repressed. You see only what you want to see, regardless of the color: good or bad. If you see “sexism” all over the place, even where it doesn’t really exist, then again, with all due respect, honesty and compassion, your preoccupation with it is a little bit overboard. Maybe close to obsession.
Overall, I like this list very much, but it’s a simple truth that the sentences “If you’re a man, fix something, replace a light bulb or use your screwdriver to harden some piece of furniture. If you’re a woman, modify some clothes” are extremely sexist and old-fashioned, something I might expect to read in the 1950s but certainly not today in the 21st century. What you’re strongly implying in the above wording, even if you didn’t realize it, is that women can ONLY do “feminine” things like fixing clothes, and men can ONLY do “masculine” things like fixing furniture. This is not only completely unrealistic and out of touch with today’s society, but the kind of statement that can make a lot of people very angry.
I understand that you don’t intend this to be offensive, but believe me, it is. Unbelievably offensive. I keep hoping that we will get past this tendency to lump all people into absurd and pointless stereotypes, but then I read something like this and it really brings me down. If you don’t want to alienate your readers, I would advise editing number 17 to remove the gender distinction, immediately.
You can argue all you want, playing the “I didn’t MEAN to be sexist!” card and so on, but sometimes in life there are situations where you just need to gracefully admit that you were in the wrong. I think this is one of them.
Well, I think I had enough with that. This the last answer to this topic, if you want to comment more on this specific number 17 situation, prepare to face comment deletion (if you want to know why I’m going to delete your comment if you’re trolling more about this off topic issue, read on. Alternatively, you can read number 11 from this list. So, the last answer to this one:
1. I don’t know how your situation was in the fifties, all I know is that in the fifties in my country people died because they couldn’t speak up. Simple things like saying you’re not satisfied with the government were enough to put you in prison for life. I lived the first 18 years of my life in a communist country. Believe me, I learned to be very careful with what I’m writing or talking about.
2. Everybody (almost) agrees with the fact I didn’t MEAN it. If I didn’t mean it, it isn’t me. It’s you. You are seeing something which doesn’t really exist from my part. There is something in your values system so strong and sensitive that it gets activated by a benign sentence like that. I said it in a metaphorical way before (the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, blah, blah) I now say it out loud: you girls have a problem. I’m not being sexist, but you are obsessed with sexism. This is not good. No obsession is good. Get rid of it.
3. You suggested that I’m alienating my readers. First of all, you put such a weight onto something really small. Out of 33 paragraphs, you’re talking about the 1/3 of 1 paragraph. You make it sound like this is all I wrote about. I didn’t. I wrote about 33 ways to start your morning. If you see sexism here, you’re the one already alienated. And second, I do not write primarily to PLEASE my readers, hence I’m not going to modify something that could allegedly alienate them. If you read my about page you’ll find this paragraph:
But do expect to find controversial, unexpected, unusual or just plain strange interpretations here. I saw over the time that some of my thoughts or mental connections have the tendency to put people in the dazzling state. Dazzling is good, sometimes. It makes your brains working.
I’m writing primarily to help my readers grow. If they want that too, of course. Growing isn’t easy. You have to get rid of limiting beliefs and this is not easy. Once again, there isn’t anything diminishing for both men or women in this post, so I don’t see any problem. If you see one, it’s in your yard. Maybe it’s frustrating and irritating to deal with it, but changing my blog to suit your expectations won’t help you deal with it, on the contrary.
I know that you are most likely going to delete this comment and that’s fine but I’d really like you to at least read it.
I understand that it was not your intention to say something sexist and I don’t believe you were being sexist but that’s where the difficulty comes in relating to gender roles. Most of the time these perceived gender roles come from a subconscious place.
As someone who is aware of the implications of gender roles I am constantly trying to enlighten people that those societal roles are detrimental to sexual equality. As a woman, how am I suppose to feel when I only see laundry detergents, food or cooking products, cleaning supplies, etc. are only adtervised to women? Most people don’t see anything wrong with these ads but it really makes me feel that women’s roles aren’t very different from what they were 60 years ago. And the complacency most people feel towards things like this or your indifference to everyones comments above is aggravating to say the
least.
I might be going on some weird tangent but I honestly think you should have deleted that part from your original post. I was thoroughly enjoying the article until I read that one sentence, I almost couldn’t believe that I read that on something that was written within the last year. And your response to everyone’s concern was even more disappointing. Telling women that we are looking for sexism in any place we can is outrageous, the fact is that gender roles affect you just as much as they do women but generally speaking the effects for men are more positive than negative. I probably didn’t say as much as I’d like to but I hope the gist is there and you absorb it on some genuine level and think twice before you let your subconscious go unsupervised.
How can I delete such a fine piece of reasoning…
Really? That is your response? Wow..so..enlightened. NOT. Stop thinking every little comment is so goddamned ‘sexist’. You know what ends stereotypes? When we stop talking about them, when we stop thinking that every little thing can somehow be made into a sexist comment. I’m a little surprised that people can be this sensitive, especially on the internet! People can say whatever they like, whenever they like. If you don’t like it, well then stick to checking your email and nothing more. Oh by the way, I’m a woman, an incredibly successful and fulfilled woman, and I find nothing wrong with it. Grow up. Here’s an idea, gracefully admit that you need to lighten up and learn how to let things go, maybe work on a little meditation, I believe that was on the list. It may be good for you, you sound like you have some serious issues from the past that you need to work through.
What a great way to waste time every morning. Take a day off work and spend it on yourself? How about dont take off work, be productive, and then use that money to go to six flags on the weekend. Not to mention sexist. Women can fix lawnmowers or change lightbulbs too.
Hey, Eirc
Thanks for your contribution 😉 Yeap, being productive is ok, here’s my take on productivity as a trap. As for being “sexist” can you please read again and tell me exactly what you see as sexist here? They say that for a reason, you know: “beauty (and I must add, ugliness) is in the eye of the beholder”.
Other than that, wishing you a productive day!
I agree with Becky and Eric. It’s completely sexist to suggest different crafts for men and women; one’s sex does NOT determine interest or competence in one kind of craft over another.
Are you guys reading the same post? Can you please read the answer I gave to Ruth? It’s not about one’s sex, it’s about crafting something… Shaping your day. Building something…
Well, I know I didn’t wanted to imply nothing sexist, so that’s enough for me. If you want to agree with whoever comment you want, you’re free to do it.
I just have this hunch that you’re not here to find a better way to start your mornings 😉
It doesn’t seem like you meant anything offensive by it, but you’re giving in to a gender stereotype, so even if you don’t mean to and don’t realize it, you are in fact being sexist. You can’t deny that you made a distinction between genders where there didn’t need to be one. The idea you’re trying to promote — to be crafty — didn’t need gender involved to be inspiring.
Is it the worst case of sexism ever? No. It’s just something to keep an eye on.
Other than that, I LOVE this list. I’m going to start trying these straight away.
I like the list, but it really irks me that you just HAD to put the gender separation in number 17. So just because I’m a woman, I can’t tinker with a screwdriver, and just because I’m a man, I can’t sew a button on my shirt?
Hi Becky,
You are a woman, right? What is sexist about that?
So many great and wonderful ideas. I am frozen with indecision trying to pick one out or do them all. (Maybe a kinda of rotation.) One thing I like to do is to sit and look out my window. Every morning there might be birds, the weather is always changing, from the first birth of green in the spring to the full green on summer, the colorful leaves falling, and the white beauty of winter.
Glad you find some inspiration 🙂
Glad to see this addressed 🙂 I had the same reaction as Ruth– a little startled by the distinction. It’s probably in part because of where I’m from, and also because of my generation, that we don’t usually divide tasks between the sexes so clearly. 😛
But I really came to say that this is a surprisingly refreshing list! Many things on here I would never have thought to put in practice, including imagining being in a different country. A couple other favorites are straightening the desk first, and reviewing yesterday’s memories. Both of these sound like they would make the day more mindful. Thank you for the post!
Are women really incapable of replacing light bulbs or grasping screwdrivers? What a strange distinction to make in the middle of such a pleasant list…
By all means, NO! It was meant to describe something familiar! Statistically speaking, modifying clothes is more familiar for women than for men, but this doesn’t imply women couldn’t use a screwdrivers. I myself knew a few women who were far more DIY junkies than me 🙂 If it’s making more sense to you, try to replace this with something men/women neutral: try to fix a toy (we all have our child inside of us, don’t we? 🙂 )
thanks for the comment, I never imagined it could be interpreted like this 😀
thanks…
I totally agree with clean your desk and when i feel bad, i sometimes clean all my desk then start working again. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Personal Development´s last blog ..Motivation and Momentum =-.
There’s seems to be something magical about cleaning the desk, I think it’s related to cleaning your thoughts or at least acts a a sort of replacement for that…
Great post. Number 4 is so simple and yet so powerful as the morning air, especially at this time of year, is so fresh and empowering.
.-= Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..10 Reasons Why You Should Start Playing Badminton =-.
Thanks for the nice words. I think I have this habit from my early childhood. There ar some powerful memories about my mornings when I was a kid and everything has something to do with the morning fresh air…
I’m trying to inculcate the habit of meditating every morning before starting my day. I believe it will be a great way to build up inner peace and start the day feeling refresh physically and emotionally.
Cheers,
Vincent
.-= Vincent´s last blog ..Why Bankers Only Lend Money To The Rich? =-.
That sounds like a plan 🙂
Great tips Dragos! Many of these are things that I make every effort to do, but for whatever reason they are usually pushed off. This serves as a good reminder!
.-= Sean´s last blog ..How to Stay Motivated Without a Boss =-.
That’s exactly why I wrote this, I needed a reminder too 🙂
I made a huge breakfast after I ran. Took a longer shower and put on a dress instead of jeans. Cleared my mind of the usual clutter and plan on calling friends to meet up with later on. No work for me today.
.-= Bunnygotblog´s last blog ..12 On Blogging: Katie Clemons, “Making This Home†=-.
Very nice way to start the day: now work for me today 🙂
I didn’t see that in the list:D
.-= Bunnygotblog´s last blog ..12 On Blogging: Katie Clemons, “Making This Home†=-.
Very good post-
I can think of dozens of others to add-but the point is whatever works for you in moving yourself foward in accomplishing your goals is the key-and stay with it.
Best-
Wayne
Remember: â€The only Unfulfilled Goals in Your Life are the Ones you Never Attemptâ€
I like that: “the only unfulfilled goal is the one you never attempt”… 🙂
You are so wrong – mornings are over-rated (-: I don’t find any particularl time of the day makes or breaks it, though. You can have a horrible morning, and a fantastic afternoon, easily.
Yeap, mornings are equal to afternoons, it was just a catchy sentence. Or so I think it was :-))
I bet you’re one of those men like my Dad. He bounces out of bed at 6am to 7am every day, full of the joy of living, and then goes round the house, banging doors and whistling (-:
Definitely whistling and a little slower on the doors though 🙂
I didn’t go to bed last night, had a big project to finish. It is 7.41 am now, not the best way to start the morning but I am happy that you sent me this list Dragos, I am sure a lot of the things from here will refresh me, clear my head and help me make this day a great one! I think I’ll meditate and write in a journal now:)
.-= Lana – DreamFollowers Blog´s last blog ..Relationships Advice – Other People Are Just Mirror Images Of You =-.
Ups, working all night, that’s calling for a big, refreshing morning 🙂 Have a great week and thanks for stopping by 🙂
Imagining mornings in other countries is never a thought, but imagining where I’d want to time travel in history is a favorite question to ask others. I’ve always wanted to visit 17th century France, for instance.
.-= Ari Herzog´s last blog ..Is the Future Here? =-.
Fabulous 🙂 Now that you mentioned it, I think my favorite place to wake up is the XVI-th century Japan. I think I was a samurai in a past life 🙂
You know, you kinda look like a samurai, shaved head and all…
.-= Gec´s last blog ..Thunderstruck =-.
lol, you should hear me talking Japanese 🙂
Great list. I, of course, especially like the journaling. Journaling in the quiet of the morning is one of my favorite things. Over time you can also go back further than yesterday. For instance, read your journal entry from a year ago or five years ago.
Thanks for the list.
Judy, The Journaling Jenius
Of course, seeing what you wrote 1 or 2 years ago is one of my favorite things. Although I’m shocked more than often 😉
You forgot: take a shower to properly wake up.
.-= Gec´s last blog ..The Great Hole =-.
Lol, thanks for the reminder, but those are things to do BEFORE or DURING a shower. As you may see on number 23 😉
Stumble downstairs, make coffee. Have ciggie in the garden while the coffee is brewing. Accidentally spray the roses with weedkiller. Listen to the crows. Drink coffee. Ugg. I think it is probably time to change my routine!!
Lol, that accidentally spraying is not good 🙂 Glad if you can find here some inspiration to avoid that thing 😉
Hi Dragos,
What a great list! There are several here that I practice – my current favorite being to take some time in the morning as a quiet or meditative time. Lots of new thoughts for me, too, though – to really add to my morning start – and make the day just really start our right!
.-= Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day =-.
Hey Lance,
Long time no see you, but glad you are here again. Also glad that I made your “feeling good” toolbox a little bit fatter, I know you do have a lot of know-how in this area. 🙂
Hey man!
Great list of things to start your morning. the one that appeals to me most is the Watch the Sunrise one. There is little more beautiful than that 🙂
How about adding 34:
Stay in bed and be lazy all morning. I did that saturday, no worries, absolutely nothing that HAD to be done that day, and just listened to music and laid in bed half awake. Great way to spend a morning 😉
.-= Diggy – Upgradereality.com´s last blog ..Take Advantage of Wasted Time =-.
Wow, that’s almost like number 16: Take a Day Off from your Job. I admit I love too those mornings which abruptly ends late in the evening 🙂
Oh, and I forgot – cuddling with my kids in bed!
.-= Carmen´s last blog ..Nomading Families Talk about Life and Education – Round Table Discussion Part IV – Maya Frost =-.
Don’t have pets but I can totally relate with cuddling with your kids 🙂
Nice! Any one of those choices sounds pleasant to me. I also like to spend some time with my pets in the morning. Something very grounding about feeding/walking/petting the animals.
.-= Carmen´s last blog ..Nomading Families Talk about Life and Education – Round Table Discussion Part IV – Maya Frost =-.
Great list! I definitely have to try out some of them!
Another thing I’d like to add to the list is:
Go out and take some photos!
Mornings are one of the best times to take photos of nature, especially after rainy mornings, like this one I took: I’ll Come Back Later. 😉
Taking photos, that’s something I forgot to put in. But definitely a high point 🙂
Oopsie. That link was wrong. Here’s the correct one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gloson/3864113394/
.-= Gloson´s last blog ..My Poem Performance of “Once Upon a Twice†=-.