On Success: Five Things Successful People Do Before 8 AM

Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.

~ Jeff Olsen

My first job in life was as a paperboy in Seattle, Washington delivering the Seattle Times / Post Intelligencer to my community.  I had one of those canvas bags for the weekday editions and pulled a big red metal cart for the large Sunday papers.  I was eleven years old when I got that route.  I switched to have a Journal American route once my family moved to Bellevue, Washington in 1982 and continued with it throughout my high school years.  The money I earned from delivering papers bought my first car, a 1977 metallic blue Volkswagen Scirocco.  Good times.

Ever since my days slinging papers I have been a morning person.  I love the mornings.  I like to get up before the rest of the world to start my day.  I love the crisp morning air.  I love watching the sun rise.  If you haven’t noticed, the majority of the pictures I include on my blog posts are pictures of sunrises (sometimes a sunset, but they pretty much look the same to me).  I chose sunrise pictures on purpose because I am inspired by them.

I’m so into mornings I even wrote a song about them.  Check it out on the sidebar of my blog.  The song is called…well..Morning.

I recently came across a Forbes.com article by Jennifer Cohen, an executive wellness coach, sharing her perspective on the morning habits of successful people.  She points to Margaret Thatcher who woke at 5 am every day, Frank Lloyd Wright at 4 am, and Robert Iger (CEO of Disney) who wakes at 4:30 am as examples.  Because of my fetish for mornings, her topic really connected with me.  I thought you might enjoy it too as you work to unleash your greatness.

Here is my summary of Ms. Cohens’ Five Things Super Successful People Do Before 8 AM.  I’m not quoting her exactly as I felt to simplify her list a bit more.

1. Exercise.  Exercising before work gives you a boost of energy for the day and that deserved sense of accomplishment.
2. Plan.  Map your schedule for the day as well as goals and to dos.  Be sure to include breaks and preparations for healthy eating.
3. Breakfast. Fuel your body for the tasks ahead.  It is also a great time to connect socially with your family.
4. Meditate. Spend time inside your mind, in prayer, and visualizing.  Focus on the success you will have professionally and personally.
5. Execute. Get the hardest item on your to do list done while you are fresh and focused.  The rest of your day will get progressively easier, a great way to head into your free time more relaxed.

I thought this was a great checklist and action plan on success.  Check out the complete article here.  I encourage you to integrate some or all of them into your morning routine.  While you’re at it, I recommend you also pause to enjoy the sunrise.  It is breathtaking.

Choose to make the necessary sacrifices for success.  Choose greatness.

~ SLE