Morning Routine: Deciding How You Want To Feel, Choosing Gratitude, & Expanding Your Mindset January 7, 2021 17:15 2 Comments

Do you feel like you just ran the world's most intense marathon, and just as you're about to unlace your shoes, someone tapped your shoulder and said "no sweetie, it's time to start again." I know I do!!!! 2020 was a LOT to process. I am slowly, in my own time, easing into planning for the new year and if you're feeling like I am this is your reminder that it's ok! Take as much time as you need to process it all, congratulate yourself, celebrate what went well, learn from what maybe didn't go so well. All the planners, pens, and notebooks will be there when you're ready to dive in. 

I adopted a very specific morning routine about a year ago (after going through my friend Cat Golden's program called BE Camp) and I often share a page of whatever book I'm reading in the morning on our Instagram stories. I wanted to put everything in one place for you to reference whenever you feel like you're ready to start something new. 

The Routine:

Every morning I wake up and before I open any social apps or check my email, I get out of bed, make myself a cup of coffee, and I sit down with a notebook, a pen, and whatever my morning book is. I'll often light a candle and make it an experience for myself before the craziness of the day gets going.

I put the date at the top of the page and then I write "Today I want to feel _____." I then write out a list of things I'm grateful for (don't think too deep on these - you can be grateful for anything you want - sometimes I'm grateful for a fresh manicure and sunless tanner - it all counts!), and something new I've recently added is writing out what I'm most excited about that day. 

Starting the day with gratitude and making a conscious decision about how YOU want to feel is truly life changing. Do this before you open up Instagram and see that Suzy got up at 5am, already went to the gym, ran 3 miles, and made a green shake? All while you're just opening your eyes and it's 9am - and now your subconscious has you instantly feeling a little worse about yourself before YOU even decided how you wanted to feel that day. Maybe it's Suzy's hustle day of the week, and maybe you just worked 12 days straight and it's your day to allow yourself to sleep in.

Social apps and email can be such amazing tools, but also quite a beast. So before you let your emails dictate how you'll spend your morning, and your mind gets racing on all the things and people you need to get back to - I encourage you to incorporate the 10 minutes it takes to make this a part of your morning routine. 

After I decide how I want to feel, what I'm most excited for, and write my list of gratitudes, I then spend about 5 minutes (sometimes longer depending on the book) reading. I never thought I would be a morning reader but it has really changed the way I start my day. I used to wake up in a frenzy - 10 to do lists going off in my head before I even finished my coffee. 

The Books:

Heart Talk by Cleo Wade - full of amazing inspirational quotes! If you love pinning quotes on pinterest you will LOVE this book!

Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie - a daily reading meant to inspire you to live life from your heart. 

Inward by Yung Pueblo - another one full of great quotes - quick and easy snippets to start your day. 

Girl On Fire by Cara Alwill - for the woman who knows she was meant for more - it teaches you how to burn the rulebook, choose yourself, and go after whatever your heart desires. 

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman - this is a MUST read for everyone - men and women. You will learn a TON about yourself, and if you have a spouse, partner, boyfriend - this is a fun one to read together and discuss. 

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein - this one is all about transforming fear into faith and will really have you looking inward. Her follow up book called Super Attractor is on my list for this year. 

Some other books I highly recommend if you haven't read them yet:

Girl Code by Cara Alwill

You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero

Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley

Like She Owns The Place by Cara Alwill

Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

Own Your Everyday by Jordan Lee Dooley

I made it a goal in 2020 to really work on expanding my mindset and thinking much bigger. Similar to working a specific muscle in the gym, mindset takes time and dedication.

Some of my favorite podcasts, one in particular that I make a point to listen to every morning is Daily Mind Medicine. Taylor Welch gives super short 4-6 minute drops of wisdom daily that'll help expand your mindset.

Other favorite podcasts include:

"And She Rises..." by Amanda Frances - The Money Queen

"The Brendon Show" by Brendon Burchard

"For The Love of Money" by Chris Harder

"Earn Your Happy" by Lori Harder

"Powerhouse Women" by Lindsey Schwartz

"Style Your Mind" by Cara Alwill

And if you're interested, I was a guest for the very first time on "The Modern Leadher" podcast by Heather Rose - you can listen to that episode here.  

 I truly appreciate you being here and I hope you found this helpful! If you have a book or podcast recommendation please drop them in the comments! 

Cheers to a positive, healthy, and prosperous year ahead!

xo, 

Randee