Want to be exceptional? Start each day with good daily habits

All I could see was darkness around me. The sun had not yet cracked the horizon of the sky to let us know it was coming. I began to smell the pot of coffee I was making to wake up. The deep, thick Blue Mountain aroma was teasing me as I poured some condensed milk from a can into the bottom of my mug. As I poured slowly from the carafe, my thoughts started to wander to who else might be getting up this early. I remembered the quote in my bedroom from Benjamin Franklin, “Early morning hath Gold in its mouth!” I began pacing back and forth in my office as I prepared to make the phone call to a new lawyer that was going to represent me in a land acquisition. We were in the bottom of the ninth with two strikes on us. I was stressed out of my mind.

Creating good daily habits is critical to the success you want. Of the most important lessons I learned in business, learning to wake up early came during our efforts to purchase a massive piece of land. Everything was going wrong with the deal and we were hemorrhaging cash. Trying to figure out why things were not working, I wound up getting involved with many brokers, bankers and lawyers to have conversations about what was happening and what to do.

One particular lawyer was only available to speak between 5–6am. But he was really experienced and I liked his demeanor as well as his willingness to work with me to figure things out.

I began waking up earlier and eventually started modelling his morning habits to a degree. I would ask him what he did and why he did it. As we got to know each other, it became clear to me that this guy made his available time limited to certain hours when it was convenient to him. This compelled me to start changing my own routine and develop better daily habits overall.

I started focusing on my mornings, making sure that I was doing what was necessary for my mental and physical health and keeping my routine as positive as possible. Eventually I began to see the difference and the purpose of getting up early and creating a valuable routine that allowed me to organize my thoughts and actions, get my physical exercise done and prepare for the challenges of the day. By 9:00 am when everyone was arriving to work and I was already 5 hours into my day and I was winning before the real work had even started.

Winning the day became my mantra then and has been my mantra ever since. Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! Now I call it my miracle morning, but I focus on getting as many personal and creative things done as early in the day as possible so that I can deal with any challenges that arrive at my door step during the day.

This is one of the most critical aspects of becoming a super-achiever and reaching an exceptional level in everything you do. It starts with your own focus on winning the day at all cost, no matter what the cost.

Here are ten good habits that I try to focus on each day:

1. Post a positive quote on your social media accounts (I always try to find a good image that goes with the quote when possible)
2. Meditate for 10 to 20 minutes (I try to clear my mind and then visualize what is important in life and the goal I need to accomplish for that day)
3. Drink hot tea when you first wake up. (I drink Iaso detox tea every morning if you want to really get focused and productive.)
4. Talk a walk or do light exercise for 30 minutes (I create a routine and then change it every 10 days)
5. Tell someone a funny joke (I am a dad of two boys, so my dad jokes are always at the ready)
6. Eat a healthy breakfast (Mine is oatmeal and berries M-F. Saturday is a cheat day and Sunday we have a family breakfast of eggs, veggies, ham and toast)
7. Write down what you are grateful for (I have a Gratitude journal that I write in every morning. It shifts my attitude in a positive state)
8. Write down your mission for the day and the outcome you want to achieve (I also have an outcomes journal where I focus on what I want to accomplish for the day and what needs to happen to make it possible)
9. Do a random act of kindness (You would be amazed at how just telling someone you like their hat or scarf and acknowledging them can change their day)
10. Read something to develop personally (I use audible mostly, but I try to read from books and online articles on things that can help me be better in areas of life that are important to me)

It is said that it takes 21 days to form a good habit. I never paid attention to the days. I just started working at being more aware of each thing I wanted to do in the morning and assembled my morning around the things that I believed would make me more productive. I have been happier ever since.