Three Things To Do Every Morning To Find The Balance You Desire

By: Jon Dwoskin

One of the most important questions people are asking these days is simply, “How do I find the work-life balance I need in order to feel completely fulfilled?” For those business leaders who tend to burn the candle from both ends, finding balance can be nearly impossible. How are we expected to grow a business, take care of ourselves, spend time with our family and read the latest books that promise to help us grow? Twenty-four hours doesn’t seem to be nearly enough time to fit all of this in.

What if I told you that all you needed was 15 minutes a day to help center yourself to produce the best version of you possible? Don’t believe me? Try it for a week and let me know how it goes.

We must first start with the thing that is within our greatest scope of control: our mornings. To be able to fit everything in, especially self-care, we have to start waking up 15-30 minutes earlier than we already do. This time will give us the space we need to do the following three steps that will set our days on a trajectory toward success.

Step 1: Wake Up, Sit Up, Breathe Deep 

To get the day started on the right foot, simply get up, and for the first five minutes of your day, sit in bed and take 30 deep breaths. Breathe slowly — in through your nose and out through your mouth. Be mindful of the airflow by concentrating on the passage of the oxygen as it enters your nose and out, slowly, as it escapes through your mouth. This will start your day focusing on your own personal energy, and it will be a simple reminder to breathe throughout the day.

I find so many people I encounter, either through work or meetings, who forget this simple part of living: breathing. They are running so fast, trying to cross things off of the to-do list, that they forget the basics. Take deep breaths. These will force you to concentrate, slow down and clear your mind. They will also help you to find solid ground. Getting grounded is the best way to start a day.

Step 2: Gratitude, Reflection, Intention

The next five minutes of your day should be spent journaling about something you are grateful for, something you learned yesterday and what you plan to accomplish today. I have put this into practice and have discovered that it really helps to get my mind in the right frame, focused on the right things.

You could spend time researching the benefits of being conscious of your gratefulness, but most importantly, this practice will help you re-ground yourself and get connected back to yourself, clearing your head for the approaching day.

Find a nice journal, a good pen, or even a favorite note-taking app — whatever works best for you — and spend five minutes every morning journaling. You’ll see your clarity grow, your thankfulness and positivity skyrocket, and your day will be started in the right frame of mind.

Step 3: Meditate

For the last five minutes of your new and improved 15-minute morning routine, take time to meditate. Sit in a chair, breathing consciously again, and try to let go of all thoughts. This will give your mind and body the time it needs to process and “warm up” so that you can attack the day with a vim and vigor you haven’t felt in a while.

Think about this for a second: Do you just start your car and drive it immediately, or do you let it warm up? How about your computer? Sometimes our computers are running so many programs, they crash; the same is true with our mind, body, brain and spirit. We must take time to get warmed up before attacking the day. We must consciously give ourselves the space we need to rev up for the day so we can bring our best self into each new frontier and attack it with a sharp mind, less fear then we did the day before and a better version of ourselves.

By becoming this better version, we will inspire those around us, be the leaders we want to be, and foster the growth of those around us to be their best too.

This 15-minute morning ritual recipe is one solution and roadmap to getting you on your way to a more prosperous week, quarter, and eventually, year.  By taking only 15 minutes a day for yourself, you will end up taking 5,040 minutes per year — that’s 84 hours, which is over two weeks — of you time to get your mindset in the right space to accelerate the growth of yourself, your business and your people.

Remember you can only control what you can control, and your mornings are something you can control. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.” Start today, have fun and have a great morning!

Think BIG!

Jon Dwoskin