Key Morning Disciplines

“We must all suffer one of two things: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” – Jim Rohn

I believe this quote from Jim Rohn has a spiritual/eternal application and an earthly/temporary application.  As a business coach and consultant, I often hear these words from my clients: “wanna, shoulda, woulda, coulda.”  Those words are devastating and they are evidence of the disappointment Mr. Rohn was referencing.  I don’t know about you, but I would much rather feel the pain of discipline than feel the pain of regret.

Here are 6 Morning Disciplines that will add value to your life:

1.       Read Something:  I personally believe we don’t remain stagnate.  We get better or we do the opposite.  We must invest in our personal growth each day.  Read a book.  Read a chapter of a book.  Read a blog.  Read a white-paper.  Devour an infographic.  Here is a list to help you get started: www.maximizevalue.com/resources 

2.       Write Something:  For me, writing is the accountability piece to reading.  If I read and don’t write down my take-aways, then I am wasting my time.  When we write down what we have learned, we can look back and reference that particular milestone. 

3.       Review Your Goals:  Take a look at your current goals.  Where are you? Are you making progress?  What do you need to do today to make sure you are in alignment with your goals? Simply taking inventory of where you are will help catapult you to productivity.

4.       Make an Execution List for Your Day:  You may call it a to-do list, I call it an execution list.  Identify a few key tasks that you must complete today, write them down, then block time to execute.  No excuses, no interruptions. Get it done.

5.       Workout:  So many studies support this idea.  Exercising is a tremendous way to steward our bodies.  It stimulates creative thought patterns.  It reduces stress.  It makes us feel better. It does so much more.  Just do it!

6.       Help Someone:  Helping someone could be as simple as sending an encouraging text or email.  Maybe it’s making coffee or breakfast for your spouse.  Perhaps you need to send your co-workers your take-aways from your reading this morning.  Don’t make it complicated, just do something for someone else.  One of the best things we can do for ourselves is start the day by focusing on others.  We exist to help others.  

Return Value:

When you apply these 6 Morning Disciplines, you will begin to minimize the pain of regret and disappointment you feel in your life. God bless you as you focus on living more intentionally.

-CK