I’ve found that the more purposeful I am in the morning, the better my day goes.

I once heard Tim Ferris say, ‘Win the morning, win the day.’ That statement so resonated with me because I not only agreed with it, I try to live by it.

Call it a ritual, a routine, or a rhythm, how we spend our time right after we awake sets the tone and the pace for the rest of our day.

Doesn’t your day go better when your morning goes well? The kids are off to school without a hitch. The clothes you want to wear are not only clean but wrinkle-free and ready to go. And, the world seems to be smiling down on you as all the lights are green on your way to work.

Isn’t it a struggle to recover from a horrible morning? The kids are whining and late for school. Your clothes are all dirty. You hit every red light on the way to work and spill your coffee all over that old shirt you’re wearing. Of course, you’re wearing it because everything else is buried at the bottom of the clothes hamper.

Win the morning, win the day.
Lose the morning, have fun trying to recover.

The definition of the win is up to you. Whatever it is, describing your ideal morning gives you a vision and a target for which to aim.

I’d suggest the first hour of your day, or more focuses on you. It’s your time to invest in yourself; your spiritual, emotional, and physical health and growth.

Ask yourself, ‘What am I putting into my spirit, my soul, and my body in the morning?’

If you’re a follower of Jesus, would it benefit you to read your Bible, worship, and pray in the morning? If you’re not a follower of Christ, is there something you can do to increase the peace within and center yourself for what’s coming your way?

What are you feeding your mind in the morning? Does going straight to the news, Facebook or the latest Snap Stories create a strategic advantage for you and the day ahead? Or might listening to or reading something that educates, inspires, and challenges your mind, be the better way to allocate some time in the morning?

I’ve found that turning on my mind before turning on the technology yields far better results.

What are you feeding your body in the morning? My kids roll their eyes when I repeatedly say, ‘Use food as fuel, not filler.’ Treat yourself well by eating something that will fuel your body. Shoveling down a couple of Eggo waffles with syrup and whip cream or that colorful bowl of Fruit Loops for breakfast is treating yourself with disrespect. It just is. Eat something that fuels your body, that’s full of the nutrients you need. And avoid swinging through Starbucks on the way to work to grab a Venti Caramel Frappuccino. Save the $6 and stop eating dessert for breakfast. You can roll your eyes as my kids do, or you can email me a note of thanks after you save a lot of money, cut some weight, and find more energy for your day from food, not filler.

Many of my high-energy friends also swear by a morning workout routine. I prefer to exercise in the late afternoon or evening, but that’s probably just a habit I’ve created due to my schedule. If you literally have no free time later in the day due to work, family, etc., strongly consider establishing a morning workout regimen. Be it a little or a lot; it pays incredible dividends in every area of life.

Experiencing a sense of accomplishment and making progress toward what we’re capable of and who we are called to be, we step into the rest of our day with confidence, conviction, and love. Love? Absolutely. When we love ourselves enough to invest in ourselves, we tend to be more loving toward those around us.

Do Something Simple: Identify ‘The Win,’ for your mornings. Do those things and win the morning.

Before stepping out into the world where everyone else has a vision for your life and makes high demands of you, love yourself enough to make numero uno the priority in the morning.

Win the morning, Win the day!