Stop pressing the snooze button!

It is 7:00 a.m. and your alarm is screaming into your ear to wake up. You roll your eyes press the snooze button and tell yourself, “5 more minutes.” The alarm goes off once again and without hesitation you press the snooze button again. You do this three more times until you notice you have 10 minutes left to get ready and speed off to work. You scramble to look somewhat decent, grab a mediocre granola bar from your pantry, and sprint out of your house with shoes untied and anxiety running through your body. Throughout your day you feel groggy, hungry, and overwhelmed. You come home with a lack of motivation to do anything but binge watch your favorite show, sleep late, and proceed to press the snooze button the following day.

This morning routine is much too familiar for many people. It is a morning routine that everyone should try to eliminate from their lives. Studies show that our brains are most active during the first hour of waking up. However, the first hour of waking up is typically wasted on rushing to work, scrolling on your phone, or watching TV. Instead, this powerful hour should be spent on yourself to create a positive mood and mindset for the entire day. Numerous of highly successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and public figures have a morning routine that they follow every single morning to help maximize their energy, productivity, and mentality throughout the day.

For example, Barrack Obama begins his day with a workout at 6:45 a.m., reads the newspaper, has breakfast with his family, and it isn’t until 9 a.m. when he begins to focus on his work.

Steve jobs, co-founder of Apple, starts his day at 6:00 a.m., looks into a mirror and asks himself “If today was the last day of my life, would I be happy with what I’m about to do today?” If he begins to say “no” for more than 3 days in a row he knows he has to make a change in his life.

Oprah Winfrey wakes up around 6:20 a.m., brushes her teeth and takes her dogs outside. She then does cardio for 20 minutes on the elliptical and does a 30 minute inclined walk on the treadmill. After her work out she does a 20 minute meditation and has a simple breakfast after. It is not until 9 a.m. when she begins to focus on anything work related.

Pepsi Co CEO Indra Nooyi wakes at 4 a.m. and meditates for 15- 30 minutes, she then enjoys a cup of tea, and then workouts out for an hour and a half. She has a healthy breakfast, preps a lunch and is in her office no later than 7 a.m.

Even though all of these successful individuals have different morning routines they all have one thing in common: they take time for themselves before worrying about their job, social media, or anything else occurring in the world. This type of self-care is essential in everyone’s lives to create focus, motivation, and will-power throughout the day. It is important to remove the negative connotation most people have with mornings and begin their days with a positive mindset and routine that will carry throughout their day.

The team of Mindset of a Hustler challenges you to wake up 15 minutes earlier every day and refuse to press the snooze button. Instead of reaching for your phone and laying on your bed gazing at it, get up and begin to create a morning routine that will be the start of a life changing experience. Here are a few habits to implement in your new morning routine:

• Say 5 things you are grateful for

• Meditate

• Drink water

• Exercise

• Stretch

• Write a to do list

• Say your affirmations in front of a mirror

• Spend time with your family

• Read

• Eat breakfast

• Make your bed

• Create a daily goal

Once you have done this for a couple of weeks, challenge yourself to start waking up 30 minutes earlier and then an hour earlier. You will begin to see how much more productive and energized you will become throughout your day. You will begin to love mornings instead of having a negative connotation towards them. This morning routine will only help contribute to your path of success and enhance your hustle mentality.

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Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. – Buddha