Have you ever gotten to the end of the day, and just thought – “Wow, that was a great day!”?

What is a great day for you? Maybe it’s a day when you get a lot done, or when everything just seems to work out well, or a day when you just feel really happy, apparently for no reason.

If you want to consistently have great days where you feel happy, focused, productive and in control, then looking at how you start the day is essential.

For many of us, while we have good intentions to get up that little bit earlier in order to have a nice relaxing morning, in reality we wait until the last possible minute to drag ourselves out of bed, which leaves us having to rush to get ourselves out the door to work on time.

Having started the day in this way, we can feel like we never really catch up and as a result can spend most of the day feeling rushed, stressed and generally distracted. The end of the day leaves us exhausted and spent, with little in the way of results to show for it.

This is why establishing a morning routine that supports us is essential.

So what is the ideal morning routine to set ourselves up for a great day? The specifics will be different for everyone, but in my experience there are certain actions when done in the morning that can really make a huge difference in your day. To setup your own ideal morning routine, pick and choose the items from the menu below that most strongly resonate with you, and each morning do them in the order that you feel works best for you.

Be Grateful

Write down at least 10 things that you are grateful for. Actually writing these down each morning is more powerful than just having a list of things that you look at every day. Take your time with this, and really feel how lucky you are to have all of these great things in your life. As bad as things may seem, there are always things to be grateful for, and by focusing on these every morning, you will bring more of what you want into your life, and less of what you don’t want.

Review your Purpose or Mission Statement

Why are you here on earth? What are you here to accomplish? Who are you here to be and to become? Without knowing this, it’s hard to get really excited and to live life to the fullest. If you don’t know what your life purpose is, then I can help.

Journal

Each morning, write down the good things that are happening in your life, and any progress you are making towards your goals. Over time you will be able to look back at these entries to see real evidence of how you are gaining momentum and how your life is moving in a positive direction.

Affirmations

If you have an affirmation or affirmations that you like to remind yourself of, repeating these affirmations (out loud ideally) to yourself is a very empowering thing to do in the morning. An example of an affirmation is “Every day in every way I am getting stronger and stronger.”

Meditate

Meditating, when done properly, will help you to bring more peace and joy into your life. Starting the day with some meditation can really help you to deal with the challenging situations that can occur during the day more calmly and effectively without reacting negatively.

Exercise

Exercise is amazing. I do this in the evening at the moment, but whatever time of the day you do it, this is hugely beneficial. Whether you are doing cardio or weight training, you should be pushing yourself (safely) in order to get the best results. If you are not breathing heavily or sweating then you are not getting the real benefits of exercise.

Review Your Goals

Review each goal on your list. If you don’t have a list of goals or intentions, then I recommend you create one! For each goal, take at least 30 seconds to close your eyes and really visualize what it would look like and feel like to achieve that goal. Imagine it as already completed. If you don’t feel good, then either you aren’t getting into it powerfully enough, or you don’t really want that result and you need to throw away that goal and start again. Visualizing your goals as completed is so important, as it programs your subconscious mind to notice opportunities throughout the day and to unconsciously take actions that will move your towards your goal. Without a daily review of your goals, it’s unlikely you will ever achieve them. If you meditate, do this step after your meditation, as you will be able to connect more deeply with your goals in the relaxed and peaceful state that meditation brings.

Plan Your Day

Decide on what you want to get done today. Write out a list of tasks that you believe you can realistically get done. Then visualize yourself carrying out those tasks and getting the result you desire. This can also be done the night before.

Take Baby Steps

Take it slow. Establishing a routine where you do even just one of these things, consistently, every morning, will take time and effort. Start with one and persist until you are doing that one thing every morning. Then use that as an anchor to add more to your routine. Even just creating a consistent morning routine where you do one of these steps will reap huge benefits, and will allow you to have more and more great days in your life.

Jonathan Dudley helps young professionals who feel stuck or at a dead end in their career and who want to find work that they really love, where they can experience real passion and a deep sense of purpose.

Find out more about Jonathan at the Life On Purpose Coaches Collective.