Start the Day with an Empowering Mindset

Do you start your day with a positive outlook?

If not, your chances of winning the good fight may be seriously reduced. From the moment we wake up, thoughts begin swirling in our heads—and they may not be helpful, empowering thoughts!

Those early morning thoughts will subtly color our attitude and self-talk, so that by the time we head off to work we are either prepared to fight well, or have already set ourselves up for defeat.

Most of us will not start the day with a positive outlook unless we intentionally work for it by adding some positive thought habits to our morning routine.

Does your morning routine prepare you to succeed in the daily battle to live intentionally?

A Morning Routine is a set of actions (a routine) you repeat every morning. We all have a morning routine, whether we are aware of it or not. For many our routine is a mindless list of habits we’ve practiced for years: Take a shower, get dressed, drink a cup of coffee, feed the cat, etc.

In the midst of that routine, we may have fallen into negative habits of thinking. Changing those thought patterns can pay big dividends as you go about your day. Here are some suggestions to help you start the day with a positive mindset.

Pick one and begin building a habit by thinking about it every morning: when you first get up, in the shower, as you linger over coffee, of during your commute to work—Whenever you are free to think, but the sooner after waking the better.

Strengthen your positive mindset with these five concepts

Affirm who you are. Many of us entertain serious doubts about our self-worth. It may help to start the day facing the whole truth (not just the negative part). For example: I am a valuable, unique, and loved child of God, even though I am a hot mess and don’t have anything in the house to make lunch for my kids. Or perhaps: I am imperfect and easily distracted, BUT I am capable of change and growth. I CAN make positive decisions today.

Get your gratitude fix. Gratitude improves our outlook on everything. A few moments pondering specific reasons you can be grateful will boost your mood and improve your attitude. Life is not perfect, but as long as you are still breathing you can find something to be thankful for if you try. It’s your choice.

Remind yourself what you care about. The world bombards you with a million messages, each of which attempts to lead you in a different direction. We need to fight against that onslaught to remain firm on our core passions and purpose. How? By regularly repeating to ourselves what we care most about, what we aspire to achieve, and why it matters. If we don’t fight to set our intentions each day, we will easily lose sight of them in the noise of our busy lives.

Think ahead. Think about the opportunities you might have today to make good choices. Imagine yourself making the choices that will best help you achieve your dreams and goals. Thinking through the response ahead of time can help you actually make that good choice later on.

Choose your focus. It’s easy for us to focus on what is wrong, but when it becomes our habitual outlook we lose our ability to see all that is good. Just as an artist trains herself to see nuances of light and color the rest of miss, so we can train ourselves to notice the good. It may not come naturally, but the more we practice, the easier it will become. By frequently asking ourselves this one question, we can begin to retake control of our negative bias and turn our focus to the positive: Am I focusing on what is right, or am I focusing on what is wrong? Ask the question when you look in the mirror, when you look at the mess in the kitchen, during your commute, and throughout the day. Let it help you take back control of your focus and improve your outlook on life.

WARNING: Do not attempt to apply all five of these ideas at once. Lofty goals and sweeping changes rarely succeed, but small tweaks do. Small changes done consistently lead to big results, so choose ONE concept and begin to create a habit of it.  

May your outlook improve as you slowly adopt more empowering thought habits!