Wake up and Piss Excellence

That title is cool is you are a Will Ferrel fan, and probably offensive if not. Sorry. I think it's awesome.

There are three easy strategies to wake up feeling great here. The most usable is first and the best is last. I'm not sure what a "Morning Person" is or if the occur naturally, but I am sure I was not born this way. Here's what works for me and please comment on what works for you below.

Assuming the two things after this don't happen (you passed out last night without planning today, your kids have to be to school soon, so forget about exercise, reading, or a quiet time), this works every time. Ask yourself great questions. Have a list of questions that focus you on the good things. For me it's:

What am I grateful for? - What can I look forward to today? - Who am I thankful for? How many unbroken bones do I have? How good does it feel to not have cancer right now? Who needs be to show up strong today? How can I make the most of what I have been given so far? How sweet is it to have ______ in my life?

The key here is taking some time when you are sharp to think of all the questions that work for you. I have to give the credit to Tony Robbins on this one: He said years ago that all thinking is asking yourself questions. I can't even evaluate that statement without proving it! Take control of that process straight away.

The best thing for me at least is to have my day all lined out the night prior. If you work independent and creatively or lead a small team like I do, deciding what to do (out of an impossibly long list of things that could be done today) is important work that must be done regularly. Do this when you are up and running well. Lay out your clothes the night prior. Have the coffee pot all set up on an automatic timer. Make sure anything special to be brought in is touching your keys or blocking your door. In short, set the morning up so the dopey version of you doesn't have to think too much and is happily reminded of the smart you that should take over in a few hours.

Finally, according to most of my heroes, in addition to knowing what you are going to do, waking up early enough to take some time to make yourself strong first is enormous. 30 minutes of cardio, a little mediation, reading scripture...whatever makes you the strongest can revolutionize your life if it is made into a daily ritual. When it really opens you up, and becomes as compulsory as showering or brushing teeth, things start to really change.

Now, go do something that really needs to be done!