Today’s perspective comes from Alicia McKay, owner of No Fear LLC, an organization that designs custom courses, offers personal coaching for teens and adults, and provides editing and publishing services.
My son often wakes up in the morning with enthusiasm and vigor. After sitting down to watch a favorite cartoon, he has his morning milk, a bit of tablet time and then he expects someone to join him.
Even at 7am, he has been awake for a little more than an hour before everyone in the house, and he is eagerly looking for his next adventure.
He has accomplished more in that one hour of alone time, before breakfast, than many toddlers will accomplish in the entire morning, before lunch.
He doesn’t know it, but he already possesses a key to successful entrepreneurship: the mastery of the morning.
A few months ago, I read the book, “The Miracle Morning,” by Hal Elrod. This book outlines the key to success, which is to take control of your day by mastering a good morning routine. From that book, I developed my own strategy to master my morning and take control of my entrepreneurial lifestyle.
ONE: Walk in Gratitude
Business is a winding path. Undoubtedly, there will be ups and downs. However, the most successful entrepreneur stays the course by being positive and quickly re-centering after a setback. Expressing gratitude for each part of the journey keeps you focused. I suggest a gratitude journal. Simply take a few minutes each day to give thanks for whatever or whoever you are grateful for. You can sit quietly, close your eyes and just think about what you’re grateful for. This one act alone can make a huge difference in your business. This type of practice will reinforce positive thoughts to shift the brain’s natural tendency of focusing on the negatives, to remembering more of the positives and thus calling even more of those positives into your life.
TWO: Listen
Choose a source of information that will provide you with encouragement, wisdom, or business advice. Make a list of different sources including books, lectures, podcasts, songs, or seminars. Challenge yourself to simply listen without feverish note taking or active processing. Be a vessel. Allow yourself to be filled with the information and trust that you will be able to access the information when you need it the most to enhance your business.
THREE: Make an Action Plan
Take a few moments to write down the tasks that you would like to check off on your to-do list for the day. Be ambitious. Write down anything that you believe you could accomplish in the next 24 hours. Be realistic. This is not a time to plan out your entire week or month. This is simply a chance to capture the day and take control of your agenda by identifying and prioritizing your tasks. I aspire to make an hourly plan each morning. Such a plan can be intense and requires much discipline to execute consistently. The most important proponent is to extend grace to yourself when you get off track and quickly re-center yourself. (see no. 1, gratitude above)
FOUR: Call on a Higher Power
Imagine Cathy, a woman who had a series of storms hit her like a thunderstorm unleashing rain, wind, lightning, and hail all at once into her life. Shortly after her daughter fell into an opioid drug addiction, she learned that her husband was having an affair and wanted a divorce. Following this revelation, a leg injury suspended her from her work at her dance studio while she had surgery and recovered at home. All of these problems led to yet another problem: financial difficulties. As a business owner, she really could not afford to be absent. If Cathy does not learn to delegate and share the wealth in her business, she will struggle to pay basic bills and may even lose her home.
Through these trials, Cathy learned that no matter how successful her business is, the storms of life are impossible to avoid. There will be storms. Often the only way to make it to the other side is through the storm. The simple act of slowing down and calling on the power of the spiritual realm can make a huge impact to your survival rate, despite the severity of the obstacles around you. Engage in a practice that releases your anxieties to a higher power and allows you to use love as a means to access your best life. For me, this is a time where I pray to God. I pray for myself, my family, my friends, and my business.
Alicia McKay is a Christian author who owns No Fear LLC, an organization that designs custom courses and personal coaching for adults and teens, as well as editing and publishing services. She is currently a board member for non-profit organizations, including The Literacy Project and New Ability Wellness Center. She also travels the country speaking to diverse audiences through lectures, interactive workshops, and seminars from a Christian woman’s perspective about increasing happiness and joy, improving relationships, increasing life’s fulfillment, gaining favor in God’s eyes, and reducing stress. She has published two books and looks forward to sharing even more valuable content at www.devote52weeks.com.
