Morning Gratitude Practice

(Wake Up and Give Thanks)

The first hour of the day runs the day. The tone you establish right after you wake up  will either set you up for failure or success. Establishing an attitude of thankfulness will set you up on a positive note.  Here is what my current morning routine looks like.

 Morning Routine:

1. Make and Fold Up Bed
2. Get Coffee or Tea Started Brewing
3. Wash Face, Use Restroom, Take Quick Shower
4. While showering, begin your morning gratitude practice (think of three things you’re thankful for)
5. Gym Time, come back and start the workday

A gratitude practice will change your life if you embrace it and do it religiously for 21 days. Just 21 days and you will see a marked change in your mindset, optimism and positivity.

I used to think it was a bunch of feel good, woo-woo bologna. It’s not. Thinking of just three things you can be genuinely grateful for will elevate your mood and start the day on a positive, uplifting note.

Today, I am grateful the fact that I live in a first world country and not a third world shithole, having over a year of living expenses saved and the fact that I have all of my body parts and senses in working order.

Evening Gratitude Practice

Throughout the day, you will work hard. You will use every minute of your time efficiently and smartly. At the end of the day, you will put your head down to rest. Before you go to sleep , you will think of three productive things you did that day that you can pat yourself on the back for. If you did not do at least three productive things that day, you will hold yourself accountable. You will write down the three tasks you missed and commit to adding them to your workload for the following day.

If you begin to do this daily Morning and pre-sleep gratitude practice you will gradually begin to notice yourself becoming happier and more positive. If you reach your 3 productive task goal per day, you will gradually sense your self-esteem and self-respect beginning to increase.

Productive things that count could be finishing a blog post, making a sale, completing a gym workout, sealing the deal with a new lady, cleaning your house up or finishing a business deal. You must be honest with yourself.

Life can be extremely hard sometimes, and it’s easy to just want to give up and quit when the going gets rough. That’s why you need to learn to count your blessings instead of hyper-focusing on your problems. 

Once you’ve got the morning gratitude practice established for a week, it’s time to also implement the evening gratitude practice.

Evening Gratitude Guidelines:

This evening gratitude practice is simple. To successfully complete it, you must do at least 3 productive tasks throughout your day. Working a job by itself does not count, that should be the default if you aren’t self employed. Taking this practice seriously will force you to use your time wisely. You need to be forcing yourself to take action no matter what. Inaction is the biggest thief of time you will ever face.

Throughout the day, you should be thinking of ways you can reach your target goal of 3 productive completed task to be thankful for. You should constantly be striving to figure out ways you can improve your productivity and effectiveness. It could mean beginning a new habit, writing out a to do list, figuring out ways to make more money or reading a book that will give you some new skills.

The key is to spend all day learning or earning. When you help yourself out you are being your greatest friend. When your hurt yourself you are being your biggest foe. The key is to be hard on yourself and for yourself to focus on positive actions that contribute to your overall success.

What’s The Difference?

What’s the difference between completing your evening gratitude practice and failing it? It’s a huge difference. When you meet your goals you will have a sense of accomplishment, self-respect and self-esteem. When you fail, you will feel like you let yourself down and wasted your whole entire day. That’s the difference. It’s the difference between sleeping like a baby with a smile on your face and having nervous, anxiety-ridden poor sleep that keeps you up all night. How do you want to sleep? Satisfied and comfortable? Or guilt-ridden, ashamed and nervous. The choice is all up to you.

Conclusion:

Implementing a twice a day gratitude practice will have a positive and profound impact on your life. The morning practice will help get you into a positive mental state. The evening practice will force you to hold yourself to a higher standard. With extended practice, consistency and discipline these gratitude habits will become second nature. The most positive people in the world are those who take nothing for granted and know that every day is a blessing. Bringing gratitude and thankfulness into your life will improve your mood, attitude and performance.