Four Morning Habits To Win The Day

If I look back on my life 100 years from now, what habits will I say had the greatest effect on my overall success as an entrepreneur? (yes, I said 100. that would put me at 129. With technology & medical advancements, I believe this will be possible.)

Four habits I'm focusing on completing before I start the work day:  

1. Reading

Reading always sparks new ideas. Reading is one of the habits that has been constant in my life even in times of turbulence and indecisiveness. 
The first book I read after college was "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and it has had an effect on how I approach my career & investment strategy. This book actually shaped my business philosophy now that I'm thinking about it... "Build businesses, invest in real estate." Before now, I've never really formulated a strategy to build a consistent habit. I've always read books whenever it's convenient. But this week, I've been experimenting with making a habit out of it.

2. Exercising

Exercising is something that has remained fundamental to my well being. I began building this habit in 7th grade. Originally, this was the path I originally saw to success. I knew that if I outworked my peers in the weight room, then good things would come. This habit led to some early wins like earning a full ride football scholarship to pay for college. 

Now, my approach to exercise is much different. I'm studying ways that I can use exercise to make my brain work more efficiently to help me be a better entrepreneur. One of my favorite ways to exercise right now is through outdoor cardio sessions like mountain biking, trail running, hiking, XC skiing, skinning up mountains.

Outdoor cardio is one of my favorite ways to train because it brings multiple benefits into one session:

1. Cardiovascular training

2. Vitamin D intake (on days sunlight is present)

3. Fresh, oxygenated air to cells

4. Breathe in pollens from trees (builds immunity to allergies)

3. Writing

This is a habit that I feel like I "should" build. Why? In all transparency, it's because a lot of successful people have a writing habit. I feel like I'm missing out on potential opportunities if I'm not writing. 

To be fair, there is a massive push to online content. And people want to learn new skills right now more than ever. I experimented with this blog at the beginning of 2020 & I'm getting roughly 2k visitors per month. I only really focused on writing during quarantine. 

One of my articles where I wrote about my experience with a 3 day fast, is getting me 80% of the traffic. This was a fun experiment to write about because it's something I was planning to do anyway. Documenting it helped me personally take notes on the process so I can optimize for the next time I do it. 

Seth Godin challenges people to write in public daily — which is something that has been in the back of my mind. But for now, I'm going to focus on writing daily in my Roam database. If something I think is worth sharing formulates out of the process, then I'll publish to the blog. 

4. Mediation

This one is a tough habit to build. It's sort of like exercising... I never really want to do it. But I'm always happy I did after the fact. I've been doing this on and off for about 3 years now & I know that my brain benefits from the practice. When I meditate consistently, my focus increases. My intuition also seems to increase. I tend to find answers to questions that have been bouncing around in my head.  

Conclusion

This week, I've been experimenting with the routine of completing these habits on a daily basis. One of the big questions I'm trying to answer is, "What is the optimal order for these to be completed?"

I know what my dad would tell me....

"Don't think, just do." 

But I do think there is an optimal order to completing these. For example, this morning I began with mediation. And I liked it because it gave me a quick win. I then moved into my reading. Now, I'm writing. I've done all of these while drinking my morning coffee from The Perk. 

And after publishing this to the blog, I'll drag my butt out to the beach for a 4 mile run. Exercising is the hardest habit for me to actually get up and go do. But I know after I'm done, I'll have endorphins flowing and my outlook on life will have increased 5-10x. And after this morning routine, I'll be ready for a successful work day.