How To Create The Ultimate Morning Routine | Lewis Howes EP 231

0:00Hi, my name is Lewis Howes and welcome to the Daily Motivation show.

0:10I firmly believe that taking charge of your mindset allows you to be in the driver's seat of your life and unlock your potential. And that's why I'm thrilled to share that my new book is out right now. It's called The Greatness Mindset. In it, you'll learn how to build a plan for greatness through powerful exercises and toolkits designed to propel your life forward. This is the book that I wish I had 20 years ago. It's everything I've learned in the last decade with the research and the science to help you unlock your mind. Make sure to go to lewishouse.com slash 2023mindset to pick up your copy of my book, The Greatness Mindset, today.

0:50There's lots of talk about what to do in your mornings, but you've got to figure out what's best for you. It might sound simple, and it's something you've probably heard a thousand times, but morning routines are popular because they work for people. Having a consistent ritual sets the tone for the rest of the day. And by overcoming laziness in the morning, you're telling your brain and the world that you're ready to keep up the momentum for the rest of the day as well. Now, this one comes from billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank personality, Kevin O 'Leary. Instead of over-complicating his mornings with a million different tasks and busy work, he focuses on a simple yet effective technique.

1:29Every night before bed, Kevin takes out a sticky note and he writes down the one thing he needs to get done the next day. Just one thing. If nothing else was accomplished, getting this task done would make that day a success. Then he places that sticky note on his bathroom mirror, right? Right there when you wake up. That way, when he gets up in the morning, it's front and center for him to read and remind himself what to focus on. This helps him stay clear on his top priority for the day and serves as a daily reminder that he won't fall victim to laziness or distraction. Every morning at the crack of dawn, former Navy SEAL and best-selling author Jocko Willink takes a picture of his watch and he posts it on his Instagram.

2:16He usually gets up around 4.30 a.m. Now, I'm not saying that you have to get up that early. I don't get up that early. But the habit of posting something like this on your social media will help you on the days that you're feeling not so motivated, okay? The reason is if people who follow you are used to seeing you get up at a certain time to start your day, then you'll start to feel more obligated naturally to keep up with that habit. That is the power of group accountability or some type of accountability partner. That's why I'm a big fan of having a coach or being a part of a program with this.

2:48Even on the days that you're exhausted and you don't feel like doing anything, having people in your corner who you don't want to let down can help push you across the finish line.

3:02My good friend and bestselling author Mel Robbins said this to me when she was on the show. We as humans make decisions based on our feelings. And that's exactly what's robbing us of joy and opportunity. And the only way we can truly change our lives is with one five second decision at a time. And that's exactly why she developed the five second rule, which has now become used by so many people across the world. And I think it can be a game changer for you when it comes to waking up early and starting off your day right. So here's what the five second rule is. Whenever you have to make an important decision, whether that's making a cold call, going to the gym, working on your book, or getting up the second your alarm goes off, Mel says you should all count down from five to one and then take action.

3:52So five, four, three, two, one, and go. And science says this practice works because there's a five-second window between an instinct or motivation and the hesitation is to not act on it. The reason is because our brains are designed to help protect us from harm. So they'll magnify any feeling of doubt and trick us into not taking any action at all. This is why it's so critical to leverage the power and momentum of the moment during the initial five-second window, to take action during that window. So next time you're lying on your pillow when you first wake up and your brain is telling you to stay in your warm, comfortable bed and that you're missing one day at the gym isn't really that big of a deal, use the five-second rule.

4:38Count down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and then just get up and start taking action. And if you can master this powerful principle, you'll be able to start to destroy laziness in no time. As simple as this one sounds, it's absolutely essential to me in developing the discipline I've needed to reach my goals. And every morning, I make my bed, not just because it makes it look nice, but because it affirms that I am in control of my day. And I like to clean my space before I leave my space. Making my bed sets the tone for me, and it reminds me that no matter what happened the day before, or what will happen to me today, there are still things I have total control over in my life.

5:19I can take action on in my life. And I can choose how I wish to respond to what happens to me. I can choose which thoughts I listen to or don't listen to. And I can choose the type of person that I am becoming. Jordan Peterson talks about the importance of making your bed in the morning as well. And he says that before we solve the problems of the world, we need to take control of ourselves and our own lives. And having a clean bedroom is a great place to start. This final morning ritual we'll be covering comes from Stanford neuroscientist and good friend of the show, Andrew Huberman. And it turns out that getting sunlight doesn't just feel good.

5:59It also has a lot of scientific benefits as well. Andrew has been on the record saying that getting anywhere from two to 10 minutes of sunlight exposure first thing in the morning is perhaps the most important thing that we can do for our mental and physical health. So let me say this again. Andrew has been on the record saying that getting anywhere from two to ten minutes of sunlight exposure first thing in the morning is perhaps the most important thing we can do for our mental and physical health. That's big, and this is an easy thing that we can all do. By doing so, our body's metabolism, hormone system, and mental state will be moving in the right direction at the very start of the day.

6:41This is huge. This doesn't take some crazy thing you got to do. This is two to 10 minutes a day. With this in mind, maybe your ideal morning ritual could be going for a short jog, taking your dog for a walk outside, jumping rope on the porch, or something else entirely. As long as you're getting sunlight first thing in the morning, your body and mind will be getting what they need to set things in motion. I want you to remember that your dreams are inside of you for a reason, that they're calling you for a reason. And many of you listening to this right now have probably trapped your dreams inside of you for so long that they are begging and screaming for you to let them out.

7:20Many of you have neglected your calling, your gifts, your talents, and many of you have turned a cold shoulder to what is possible inside of you. And I am so tired of seeing it happen to people in my life. So I want you to ask yourself this, how long are you going to continue to keep them inside of you? What is it going to take for you to finally set them free? You know, the world doesn't just deserve to see your gifts, your talents, and your dreams. The world might very well need to see them right now.

8:01Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of The Daily Motivation, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to click the link in the description. That will take you to the full episode of our main podcast on The School of Greatness. And if you are loving the daily motivation, please follow us over on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts right now. And if you want more exclusive content and ad-free listening experience, make sure to subscribe to our Greatness Plus channel on Apple Podcasts right now. And if you want to get even more inspiration from our world-class guests and learn how to improve your life and take it to the next level, then make sure to sign up for the Greatness newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com slash newsletter.

8:54Again, have an amazing day, and I'll see you tomorrow with another episode of the Daily Motivation Show.

9:09Thank you.