The World’s Greatest Morning Routine (Use This Proven Point System)

That’s a bold statement… the world’s GREATEST morning routine.

But in all honesty, I truly believe I’ve discovered it.

I think I’ve gone through SO MANY different routines, practices, and rituals, that I’ve boiled it down to a handful of things, which I’ll teach you today, that can truly change the way you live your life and show up as an individual.

But let’s take a step back so I can provide some context, first.

My Path To The Perfect Morning

There came a point in my life and career, where I became OBSESSED with personal development. I mean it, obsessed. Still kind of am, to be honest… but if there’s anything I want to be addicted to, it’s the act of becoming a better person.

I started by getting my hands on a Robin Sharma book called, The Leader Who Had No Title. But after I read it… I bought the audiobook and listened to it as well. The second time was even MORE powerful for me than the first.

After that, I grabbed his other book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and right after that I read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

Honestly, I hated to read when growing up – but loved to write. So I had a connection, but was never introduced to anything that truly captivated me or changed the way I saw things in life. But these books did just that and then I was hooked.

The list went on and I really never stopped reading, it just became part of my day.

So this was good, because I was growing as an individual and I was becoming consistent with the positive habit of reading, which by itself has a huge carry over into self discipline and consistency in life. But I wanted more. I wanted something more direct, TO ME.

And the more I read about successful people who were ACTUALLY happy, too… I realized one thing. They all had a very specific morning routine. Almost to the point of being OCD. They got up earlier than anyone else in their household, they did not check on work and they got right into personal development work.

I knew this wasn’t a coincidence, so I started studying what these individuals did to come to this place and realized one thing… they all attended an event, joined a mastermind, or had a specific coach that helped guide them to this path of power (more on that soon).

Introduce, Resurrection Week:

Yes, that’s me getting punched square in the face. It was a round within what’s called, “Bull in the ring”. This is where a group of men line up on the wall and as the ref (or in this case, my coach) blows the whistle – they run out and get 15-20 seconds in the ring, with the bull (me).

I was 165lbs soaking wet, 22 years old, and going up against a group of middle aged men at least 30lbs heavier than me – one was an ex-college football player weighing 60-80lbs more than me.

I got rocked, to say the least.

Shook, scared, and hyperventilating… I sat down, just outside the team huddle, after the last round just pondering what had happened. I’m pissed. I’m embarrassed. I’m hurt. I’m ALIVE.

I know, I know… I probably sound like a lunatic right now but the truth is, it made me feel unstoppable.

Granted, I got WHOOPED. And I knew that. But I did it, I made it through the beating. I made it through what I didn’t think I’d make it through. I made it through boxing 6 guys in a row non-stop, all bigger than me, just an hour after my very first boxing lesson.

Oh and on top of all that… I didn’t know this was going down until we pulled up in the parking lot of the gym.

This was my first lesson;

You need to shock the system.

I needed to be shocked. I needed change. I needed awareness. I needed to SEE what was possible. I needed to see where I was weak. I needed to feel adrenaline. I needed to beat the odds.

And in life, this is something you need periodically to wake you up to reality and shock you into a better path for yourself. Because when you get lazy and compliant, good things rarely ever happen.

But the reason I share this story with you is because it was my very first mastermind.

1 full week in Pacific Beach San Diego, 7 men forced to be vulnerable and open minded, pushed physically, mental, and emotionally every day, and stripped of all material items (we had no phones during the days, all wore the same clothes, etc….).

During this week, I changed. It was as if I had removed some contacts from my eyes that were completely fogged up. I could truly SEE now.

And I had one major insight…

If someone was watching my every move, everyday… would I be living the life I want to live? Would they see what I want to portray? Would the man I could become, be proud?

The answer was no. I could do better, be better, and become more as an individual.

I now knew what my true potential was and could see with vivid clarity who I wanted to become.

But my daily actions didn’t match up with those of the individual I was dreaming about becoming.

Enter, the morning routine…

The 4 Pillars of Power

At this point I knew I needed a better morning routine because a.) that’s what all successful people had in common, b.) that’s what my coaches during resurrection week kept telling me, and c.) it’s the way I could put myself into power.

By ‘put myself in power’ I mean having a way to take control.

Doing specific things that allow me to tap into my full potential. Create clarity and produce at a higher level. Be a better husband and father. Become the best coach I could possibly be.

And what I was taught by my mentors at the time, is that there are 4 pillars to focus on in life – which will allow us to tap into that person we want to become.

This was originally (as far as I know) created by Garrett J. White of Wake Up Warrior, passed onto my mentors who were in his program, and since has been spread to thousands if not millions of others in the world on how to be a better man or woman. Garrett calls it Core 4.

Body, Being, Balance, Business.

It’s the 4 pillars of life – Health, Self (Mind/Spirit), Relationships, and Finances.

These are the 4 things we constantly, as human beings, focus on improving. It’s what we set almost all of our goals around and it’s exactly what we need to focus on in order to “have it all”.

But there is reasoning around the order of pillars here, because if you focus on your business first – it will NOT help your marriage, fitness, etc….

But check this out…

If you focus on getting healthy, by training every week, moving every single day, and fueling your body to be weaponized – a 20’ Ferrari Portofino, not an 89’ Ford Pinto – you will BE a different human. Confident, sharp, quick, clear, and energetic.

When you lock in your health, your being or self changes. This is your mindset shifting, your internal energy vibing, your spirit lifting, and your emotions becoming more clear. Tapping into your health, unlocks an unstoppable mindset.

Once you unlock an unstoppable mindset, open emotions, and a confident self all around… you just show up differently, specifically in your relationships. Now the way you treat others and the energy you give off, is more well received. You start appreciating them more. You start giving to them more. You start loving harder. You start doing it all with absolute certainty.

If you get this far… your body is healthier and ready to go. Your mind is sharp and clear as can be. Your relationships are on fire. There is no way for your business to go, besides up. Which is why business comes last – because it’s a successful byproduct of the rest (doesn’t mean you can’t focus on marketing and strategies, but the point is you rarely have to if you lock all this in first).

So now you can see, you have to tap into your body first (this is why our old Boom Boom Performance Shirts (old company name) used to say “Your Body is The Fastest Path To Power” on the back of them) to get to your self right, which carries over and excels your relationships, and eventually builds your business – again. 

Body, Mind, Relationships, Business.

Fitness, Faith, Family, Finance.

Body, Being, Balance, Business.

Health, Spirit, Spouse, Finance.

However you want to spin it – there are so many different interpretations out there now, but it doesn’t matter. The concept is the key.

Ok, NOW you have the context needed to understand how the morning should flow.

You understand how I came to this conclusion, why my morning routine has been this way for the last 6+ years, and exactly what you should be focusing on each day.

But how do we set it up? What’s the system?

The World’s Greatest Morning Routine

First thing you need to remember is that we have to have some way to track it all, because without metrics… is it working?Same exact thing we tell our clients here at Tailored Coaching, we need to see what’s working and what’s not in order to determine how to adjust and tailor the process to you. That means recording your diet, tracking weights lifted in the gym, and paying attention to your biofeedback.

In the case of a morning routine, we’re going to have a point system. If you’re single, it’s 7 points per day. If you’re in a relationship, it’s 8 points per day. Each category has 2 points, minus the relationships category if you’re single – you’d only have 1 there.

Now we have a way of tallying up wins, so we know if we’re doing what we said we’d do. We also use this to gage how effective it is AND where you are drifting in life (this refers to the idea that you are letting something slip and it’s causing all your pillars to be out of whack – when we have points, we can see where you’re lacking and correlate the drift right to the thing missing).

This is also a form of accountability. In fact, it’s a powerful form of accountability that can have the psychological benefit of creating a dopamine kick every time you check off your box. This is an addictive brain chemical, the same one we get a kick of when we get an instagram like or comment. Well, by checking off your points and getting that drip daily from positive aspects – we’re now creating an addiction to self improvement and a better life.

Add to that, oxytocin is released in many of the actions we take within our routine, like appreciation to others for example, which allows us to feel really good inside and have an unbelievable sense of reward every time we do _____ action. Once again, creating that positive reinforcement to stay consistent.

See, so there’s even a science behind this! It’s not by chance that this works so well and has worked so well for all the clients I’ve used this with.

Now, let’s dive into the point systems and checklists:

HEALTH – PILLAR #1

Fitness / Fuel

Broken up into 2 categories, for a total of 2 points – as discussed – you’ll have fitness and fuel. In other words, movement and nutrition.

Now for many of you reading this, this part is easy because you train every day. If you’re anything like me, that’s definitely the case. I track my nutrition (practicing what I preach) and train my body, EVERY single day, and you don’t need to ask me to do it. I WANT to do it.

But for those of you who do not normally train or track your nutrition, that’s your duty. Every day, ideally in the morning if we want to keep this as a way to set the tone for the day, you need to train and plan your diet. It’s simple and effective. How will you train your body? What will you eat today? Having a plan is not only a key to success, but builds your confidence.

For those of us who already do this as second nature, we’ll take it up a notch (this also includes those who just want to go all in and/or train in the afternoon).

Your morning routine requires a completely separate fitness and fuel action. You will train in the afternoon or later in the morning/day and regardless will track your nutrition – because you want to improve your body, period.

But in the morning, you need to start with something that shifts your mind into a positive and healthy place. Kind of shock the system, just like me getting punched in the face by a 250lb linebacker. Just not as painful.

You’re going to move your body (walk, mobility, stretching, or short interval session)  first thing in the morning for your fitness point.

Next, you’re going to slam a greens drink with 16-20oz of water right away. Before you put ANYTHING else into your body, you’re hydrating and shoveling mass nutrients in. More than this being a magic supplement, it’s a way to program your brain for HEALTH right away.

SELF – PILLAR #2

Meditate / Journal

There are MANY forms of meditation, so I don’t want you to think you need to sit criss cross on a patterned rug making that “hummmmmmmm” sound. You don’t. You need stillness, that’s all.

You need a distraction from stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. Because that’s truly what meditation is all about. It’s about distracting your mind from all the negative, stressful things, in life.

It’s also a way to clear your head and be alone within your thoughts. It’s what helps you create clarity and focus. 

This is exactly why so many thought leaders meditate – it allows them to SIT in their own heads and CREATE CLARITY on what they want, what needs to happen, and what can be achieved.

So you get 1 point for meditation. This can be lying and listening to meditation sounds for 5-20 minutes, could be going on a walk with no phone or headphones, or it could even be taking a cold shower first thing in the morning. As unpleasant as that sounds, it’ll create stillness and calm after the shock.

My recommendation is choosing one that works well for you and can be repeated on a daily basis, because again – this is a DAILY morning routine. My choice is meditation for 5-10 minutes and although I believe in all of this first thing in the morning, I opt for a second lunchtime meditation on most days because that’s when I need to recenter myself.

Next, you get a point for journaling. This is something that can be challenging for many, because thoughts don’t just appear on paper in a freeform type of writing style for most. So in my coaching, I implement Positive Focus with my clients.

Positive Focus is a way to shift your perspective and choose to respond calm and collectively in life, versus reacting abruptly. 

Here’s what you do; answer the following questions in your journal:

» What’s the situation? (Pick 1 thing that happened to you, at least 50% of the time it should be a negative thing so you can FIND the positive within it)

» What’s the positive found within this situation?

» What’s the lesson you’re learning from this?

» How does this apply to the 4 pillars?

› BODY:

› MIND:

› RELATIONSHIPS:

› BUSINESS:

If you can run through this series of questions every morning, your mindset changes and the way you process and handle things elevates. You’re finding lessons within everything you do and ultimately growing massively because of it.

I turned this into a PDF for you, you can download it completely free right here. Print off 30 and do this daily for 30 days, see how you feel. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

RELATIONSHIPS – PILLAR #3

Spouse / Other

If you’re single, you just have 1 point here and are going for a total of 7 points every morning.

This is the most simple, but also one of the most effective because it provides the best oxytocin drip and keeps you wanting to do more, for others. Because it just FEELS GOOD to give, appreciate, and be grateful.

So here’s what you’ll do… send a note. That’s it.

Ideally this note says the words love, appreciate, or honor within it and is delivered via sticky note, marker on the mirror, short video, text message, voice memo, a phone call, or straight up in person.

The point is, you’re telling someone you love and appreciate them or honor your relationship with them.

For individuals who have a husband or wife, you’ll get 1 point for giving them the gift of appreciation and 1 point for connecting with a friend, family, co-worker, or someone else you decide deserves your gratitude.

My only other suggestion here, for those who do have a spouse or are in a relationship… have fun with this and get creative! Leave sticky notes around the house, write on the mirrors in marker, shoot a quick video, write a long email, make a book full of daily entries, etc….

BUSINESS – PILLAR #4

Learn / Teach

The last one will come pretty naturally for most, but it’s still important to knock out within your early rising morning routine.

Point 1 (learn) comes from studying your craft. For me, as a fitness and nutrition business owner, this means reading research reviews, nutrition textbooks, periodization articles, copywriting or marketing books, etc… things that help me master my craft. I would suggest spending AT LEAST 10 minutes here, but up to an hour depending on how much time you have.

The point here is to keep you in the trenches, first and foremost. But point two is to elevate your knowledge, because education is one of the only things that is infinite – you can’t ever know enough.

I also suggest focusing on reading until you have an “aha moment” or a real lightbulb goes off, rather than reading for a timeline. Now, you can definitely set a timer to make sure you don’t go overboard and ruin your timeblocks and schedule for the day. But if you just read until something really clicks, then you write it down and sit on that thought – you’ll engrain that knowledge 10x better. But if you just keep reading, just to read as much as possible, you’ll likely skip over powerful thoughts and fail to extract what’s needed from the text.

Now if you’re not in a career that requires this or you are in search of a new career, study something else. Personal development, fitness, love, marketing, or the new career you’re ready to dive into. No matter what you’re reading and increasing your own knowledge.

Point 2 (teach) comes from USING that information, because what good is reading and learning if you’re not actually using the information you’re taking in. This could be a blog like this, a video, instagram post, posting in a group you manage, simply sharing it with someone who will listen, or even journaling it if you truly do not have anywhere to put it. But the point is, you EXECUTE and TEACH what you’ve taken in.

Ok, so let’s put it all together for your morning routine point system:

Conclusion:

There’s not much else to say, besides “get to work!”

The point of this routine is to push you to change, challenge your way of thinking, get you moving, and truly weaponize your body.

Your body and mind are not only the two things only YOU have control over, no matter what happens in life… but they’re your most valuable assets.

Strip the money.

Strip social media.

Strip your career.

Strip any relationships you’ve had.

Strip experiences away, good and bad.

What’s left?

Your health and your self.

And stripping all that away, would NOT be a great thing to experience… we’d never wish that, want that, or aim for that.

But thinking about it in that way is good, because it shows you what YOU actually have control over.

Add to that, the way you develop your body and mind will forever dictate how the rest of the areas in your life pan out and develop.

If you have any questions on this, I’m happy to chat. Email me at [email protected] or apply for a coaching call with me, right here.