The morning, is the start of a new day. And many of us choose to spend it turmoil.
In the past I woke up to an undesired alarm, initially drag my feet unable to wake up, and then launch in a mad rush to make it to the station in time. I was already overstressed, before I even got to work. Forget about breakfast, forget about mind and body slowly being introduced to what the day has to offer.
Over the years, I made a series of changes. Not only do I wake 1.5 hours earlier, I do so comfortably, it has truly transformed my life.
If you have clients that structurally start off the day in stress, here are some coaching tips to use.
1. Your choice of alarm: your first awareness of the day you want to make a positive one. Strange thing is, the sound of most alarms, make you want to cringe even in the middle of the day. Let alone, in the wee hours of the morning. Now on some mornings I wake up to Tibetan chimes, others chirping birds.
till a challenge, but getting better all the time.
8. I purchased a different thermostat, at my desired “get up” time, my house will be heated! So the comfort of warm sheets, on cold mornings won’t be tempting.
9. I either start my day with a workout, or meditation. While I used to spend it reading or watching the news (if there was time.) I stopped reading or watching the news, 6 years ago, simply because it is always bad. This is not how I want to start my day, imagining the horror around the world, and some days even get upset or angry. I never miss important events, but if you must….do it later in the day.
10. My thinking in the morning is to be positive only. Initially this took some work, but I choose to be in a good mood the moment I wake up. And yes, I believe it is a choice. Initially I started to make a conscious decision to think in positive terms in the morning, noticing what is great and beautiful. Now it is unconscious. My brain automatically runs like that on its own.
11. Everything I need in the morning I prepared the evening before. I know where my house keys are, my purse, my bag is packed, lunch ready to be prepared, clean clothes to wear etc. This guarantees smooth sailing.
12. Sometimes I choose to start my day with a walk on the beach, the rice paddies or outside. I am lucky, I travel to locations for work as I provide NLP Training and life coach certification classes at resorts in Miami, Los Angeles and Bali. Even when I am home, I enjoy the beautiful Dutch meadows.
13. I started eating breakfast, as I realized the body NEEDS food to get started. And if you are into weight management or muscle building, you need to feed yourself to be strong and get your metabolism working early. I used to never eat breakfast (and suffered from obesity, now I am a fit healthy machine.)
14. Eat a healthy breakfast, after all you want to set a good standard for the rest of the day. A good balance of proteins and carbs. I also don’t eat anything that has been processed or modified by factories. I actually use the shake from Purium / Platinum that I sell elsewhere on this blog (watch the advertisements for 10 Day Transformation cleanse.)
15. I have a coffee maker that can produce a cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds. This prevents waiting time, for my favorite morning liquid. And chemical of choice to wake me up.
16. Eliminate anything and everything (not living) that could stress you out, put you in a rush, or irritate you in general. Find out by keeping a list for a week need be. What happened when you were irritated, stressed, or put you in a rush?
17. Now the moms amongst us, I hear what you are saying. Indeed you have to get your children ready. I coached moms in doing the majority of the above, it can be easily achieved by getting up half an hour earlier, or simply better organization or even delegation.
18. Understand that the only thing that will get you out of bed are: A) anything that you are motivated to move towards, something that you like doing, want to accomplish, or attain, B) Something that you are motivated to move away from. Something that would happen if you were to be late for instance..
19. Firmly commit to only press the snooze button only one time. Commit to it for 30 days, and then evaluate how it makes things different.
20. Ask a loved one to wake you up gently, and make sure you get out of bed. And make the process as easy for you as possible.
What is your advice for getting up early in the morning and doing so comfortably?
I am a busy mum, but my mornings are made 200% better by the fact that my husband takes a full supporting role in the mornings. He is a lark, I am an owl. He rises easily, and cheerily greets our 3 children – all under 5 yrs old – feeds them, gets them milk and started for their day. I rise a little later, we meet in the kitchen, hug, he leaves for work, I take over. I know I’m lucky but all couples could work towards this – doing what suits your personal and individual strengths and characteristics.
On weekends he still rises before me, usually brings me coffee or tea, and leaves it next to my pillow for when I am fully awake. Then it’s payback time and I come down and make everyone a fab breakfast – usually pancakes!
Great tips! I agree that giving yourself extra time in the morning is really precious. Most mornings, I have a cup of hot lemon water and a little light yoga stretching for the first 20 minutes after waking and it really sets the tone for the entire day. The key for me is to limit the amount of full-on thinking I do when I first wake up. Just giving myself the time to simply be, before my ‘to do’ list and email inbox start niggling away in my mind, helps to ground me and provide clarity and calm for the day ahead.
In the end just being more calm in the morning, will save time in the end. Great insights folks.
I like the way you talk about automation, starting with the philip light, then the thermostat. The dreaded morning cold is one of the main things that keeps me from getting up in the morning 🙂 Anyone else use the philps wake up light? Is it really worth the $$
Hi Nicole,
Great tips! Generally, I enjoy any activity that sparks and opens up my senses.
I live by the beach in Brazil, so walking by the beach is the path of least resistance. The rising sun shines on a vast palette of colors. The chaos of the waves stimulate the ear. And the wind, along with walking barefoot on the sand, titillates the kino side.
But that’s just one option among many…
Cheers!
Steve
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. Life’s Too Good From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! keep up the good work.
Pray to the Lord and say thankful for having another great day. Thanks for sharing your life coaching tips.
Glad you enjoyed it. Keep checking back. Thank you.
I love places where you can see both the beach as well as mountains. Definitely engages the senses even more, for inward and outward reflection,
I talkd about the philips light in class today, while we were teaching students how to figure out the strategies people run inside their head. Some students had never heard about it. I absolutely love it.
This is the first time I came accross your blog, it was by absolute chance. Just want to say thank you for all the valuable tips and articles.
Just read a few, and they all offered me something very useful.
I am just starting out as a NLP Master Practitioner, (wanting to focus on coaching) it is my passion and I am still searching for idea's on how to start a new client base, as a junior in the field. I realise there is always so much more to learn.
Thank you, may your work and business be blessed! Your articles are an inspiration.
Elaine
Hi Elaine, sorry it took me a little to get back to you. I failed to notice the pending messages. I am glad you decided to join a master prac somewhere, and are enjoying yourself! Good luck with your coaching, it is a wonderful profession. You learn so much yourself from it too.
My advice to wake up comfortably in the mornings is to go to sleep with intention. I review my day with gratitude and visualize the next days plan. Through doing this, I sleep fully and I noticed i began to wake up before my alarm. It seems my body naturally has had enough sleep. The first thing I do in my waking state is smile. Smiling ignites the energy within and begins to Flow optimism toward the brain. Smiling in thanks, i breathe in life and slowly begin to stretch my body in bed . Though the mind can start to chatter different things, I say “I love today!” In my minds eye. Breathing in my daily agenda I am fully ready to tackle any obstacle that may show up. Igniting enthusiasm I step out of the bed….