How to start your day?

How to start your day?
Introduction: “Well begun is half done” so goes the maxim. It tells us the importance of a good start. It is vital in every field. If your team scores the important runs or points in the beginning, you are off to a confident game play ahead and have good chances to win the game. The pilots know that for a good voyage, the plane has to take off well from the terra- firma. A hundred meters sprinter would value the importance of a good start the most, if he starts quick and well than it becomes easy for him to take the lead and touch the finishing line before others. If we take this principle and apply it to our lives and master the art of starting our day well, we would have a more fulfilled, satisfying and accomplishing day in our lives. Below I am giving 10 tips that would go a long way to help you to start your day well.
1. Rise early: The beauty of a day is at its peak at the earliest. Don’t waste that beauty by getting up late. If you rise early, you would have plenty of time for yourself. The common complain is, “I don’t have enough time”. Let me ask you who has? You may be a king or a pauper but all have the gift of 24 hours in day and we can manage our time properly by rising early. Rising early would keep you more fresh and alive for the whole part of the day.
2. Rise with gratitude: This is very important. When you rise, you got to be thankful to God for the beautiful day ahead. You should shout like the writer in Bible, “This is the day, that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Thank God that he has kept you alive for the day and you have the pirvilege to live and experience the day that many did not have. Your attitude at the start of the day will decide your tone for the rest of the day.
3. Exercise: “Take care of your body, for it is the only place you have to live in.” says, Jim Rohn. Invest the early hours of the day of taking time for yourself, for your good health. Go for some physical activity, like jogging, walking, swimming, weight training, yoga, stretching etc. Do whatever, you feel good and alive to do. Exercise need not be for long time. 20 minutes of exercise at the start would go a long way to keep you healthy, fit and oxygenated for the rest of the day.
4. Quiet Time: “Silence is golden, speech silvern” says an ancient proverb. Before you rush into the hustle and bustle of the day be sure to spend some quality time in silence. In this time maybe 20 minutes everyday, you could meditate, visualize, do deep breathing exercise, read something encouraging. Be at a place where no one can disturb you. You could also go outdoors if appropriate. In silence, hear God’s voice guiding you. Seek it inside your heart not on the outside. There is a spark of divinity in each one of us. We should take time to connect and get wisdom for living and making decisions from this divine connection. In Quiet Time, you would do well to give exercise to your spirit.
5. Read or hear something positive: To set a positive tone for the day be not in a hurry to rush for the morning newspaper or the T.V. set for the news. The News media today is more interested in the negative news. Of course you can keep in touch with the world around you through these mediums. But morning time is precious, read or hear something positive. A motivational book, scriptures to motivate you, a motivational talk of 5 minutes. What you take in during the early hours of the day will mould you and make your attitude for the rest of the day.
6. Replace negative thoughts with positive: Usually when we wake up and are up to performing our morning duties like brushing teeth, bathing etc. we tend to think and worry about the day ahead or remember where we went wrong yesterday and what opportunities we missed. Replace these worries and negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Whenever you have such thoughts start singing or do something that will distract your mind from concentrating on the negative. Once you do that now replace it with a positive thought and start focusing on it.
7. Have a King’s breakfast: One should have a breakfast like a king is a common wisdom. Your body needs the essentials nutrients at the start of the day to provide you energy for the rest of the day. Replenish your body with a good breakfast and plenty of water. Don’t skip this or ignore this. It will go a long way to keep you in good health throughout the day. Watch what you eat, instead of snacks, settle for a full and wholesome diet.
8. Plan and set goals: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, If you start you day without knowing what and when to do something, you would spend the rest of the day in wasting your time and being confused. So plan what would you do from the time you set your foot in your office or the college. Keep some breaks in between two important tasks where you could find some time to refresh yourself for the further task. Let the break be not more than 10 minutes. Concentrate on doing the important and that which sounds difficult first. Also know your prime time of the day when you are able to concentrate at your best, keep important things in this prime time.
9. Decide to give your very best: Before you begin or step out into the new day, decide to give your best shot in everything you will be doing today. Don’t think of yesterday or tomorrow. Just think of today. If you are going to meet clients for a sale, decide to give your best efforts to make and close a sale. If you are going to attend a lecture, decide to give yourself fully to hear the lecture and learn something new today. Decide to live in this day as if it is going to be the last day of your life.
10. Step out and conquer: Friends, lastly, if you do all the above, you will be now fully prepared to take on the day. So don’t forget to venture out. “The journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.” So take that step out of your home. No matter you may have something difficult to face today, go ahead and face it. Sometimes the worries of things to come are worse than the real incidents. Better to go out and fail by trying than never try at all. Let me assure you if you start well you would also fair well in whatever you take in your hands for the day.
Joy be all yours.
Sohan.