3 Things You Should Do Every Morning

On Monday, I posted I Eat Worms.  I wrote about getting up early, some benefits of getting up early and included a list of some pretty successful people who also got up early.  You can read that here.

There are a lot of things you can have in your morning routine.  And, there are certainly some that are more popular than others.  I list the most common below.  I purposely left out all the personal hygiene stuff.  I assume we are all doing that whether you are an early riser or not.

Here are 3 of the most common morning routine activities.

1.  Gratitude/meditation - expressing gratitude is an excellent way to greet the day and getting your mind right.  This one is on almost everyone's list that I found.

2.  Goals - set your goals for that day and review your long term goals.  This gets your mind focused on what actions you need to take to get to where you are going.  This is the setting of your mental compass.  The direction is going is more important than how fast you get there.  See "Should You Use A Clock or A Compass?"

3.  Exercise - this is the most common morning routine outside of brushing your teeth.  It is a great way to start your body and your day.

How do you get started?

The Friday Five - 2/17/17

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - "The process is more important than the product."  Inky Johnson.

2.  Book I am reading - The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferris - just like his book The 4 Hour Workweek, this has a bunch of ideas that can really add value to your life.  It is not all useful  but still worth a look.

3.  Song of the Week - Different Shades of Blue by Joe Bonamassa - if you like blues, this is for you.  Great guitarist!

4.  Video of the Week - ET the Hiphop Preacher brings in a special guest speaker, Inky Johnson.  Get ready for some inspiration with Impose Your Will.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Compound Exercises - they offer a bunch of benefits versus the traditional isolation type weight lifting and straight up cardio.  Burns a ton of calories too.

Have a great weekend!!

What can you do with just 4%??

4% is not a lot.  

It's just 4 cents out of dollar.  It is two minutes and 24 seconds out of a football game.  It is less than 15 days of a year.  It is only 3 years out of a 76 year old's life.

It doesn't seem like a lot.  But, it can be.  It can be for both good and bad reasons.  4% is just a little.  And, Little Things Do Matter.

4% is one hour out of each day.  It is amazing what you can do and not do in one hour.  

You could blow it on internet surfing. Or, you could work out.

You could sit through episodes of Seinfeld that you have already seen. Or, you could study a good book.

You could gossip with a friend about your other friend. Or, you can play with your kid.

The choice is yours. Yes, it is only a small amount of time.  But, it adds up.  And, it adds up fast when you don't pay attention to it.

If you work out one a hour a day, 365 days a year, I can guarantee you that you will look and feel much different after that year.

If you study a good book for one hour a day for 365 days a year.  You will most certainly be smarter and way more informed after that year.

Daily disciplines and habits are what make your life.  And, they are usually little things until you add them up.  Many of the little things are even less than an hour.  They are even less than 4%.

So, what can you do with 4%?

The Friday Five featuring "Multipliers"

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - "You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."  Jon Kabat-Zinn.

2.  Book I am reading - Multipliers by Liz Wiseman - a great book on two approaches to leadership in business.  Are you a multiplier or a diminisher? This is an eye-opening insight that you can put to work immediately. You will end up seeing that boss you thought was a moron and the one you would run through a wall for. And, now you will know why.

3.  Song of the Week - Feel Invincible by Skillet - motivating song with a great edge.  It's clean too.  And, there is a reference to the roar of a Patriot stadium.

4.  Video of the Week - ET the Hiphop Preacher talks about why Tom Brady is one of the best and how you could be too.  Watch Pressure Makes Perfect.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Intermittent fasting.  It is not a diet, but rather a dieting pattern. In simpler terms: it's making a conscious decision to skip certain meals. 

Have a great weekend!!

I Beat My Kids

I beat my kids.  Really.  I do.  Whenever I can.

Every time we play any kind of game.  Be it a board game, card game or a game of H-O-R-S-E.  I try to beat them every time.

There are no participation trophies in our house.  Trophies are for winners who earn it.  The losers get nothing.  Second place? No trophy for you.  Wondering if losing is good for kids, then read "Should You Let Your Kids Fail?"

The lessons are winning and losing, being a good winner and a being a good loser.

Breakaway!

"Breakaway, breakaway, breakaway."  I could hear the words in my headset like someone other than me was saying them.  We were 25,000 feet up in the cold February air over Norway.  Our Marine Corps C-130 Airborne Refueler was refueling a couple of F-4 Phantoms.  

We were at war.