5 Women and Their Morning Habits of Success
By Sujany Baleswaran
From best-selling books like the 5 am Club and Atomic Habits, to Youtubers reaching a million views on videos replicating routines of highly successful people such as Steve Jobs, why is there a sudden obsession to create the perfect morning routine? Many great leaders and entrepreneurs believe their morning routine is a great contributor to their success.
We all start our mornings differently, whether you’re a morning enthusiast or a night owl. Some of us reach for our phones to scroll through social media, some roll out a yoga mat, and others are up and ready to pack lunches before the school run. Having an intentional approach to your day eradicates the tedious decision-making, creating a healthy and stress-free start to the day. But just like everything in life, one size does not fit all – we all start our days at different times, at a different life pace and with different productivity levels. We spoke to 5 women as they shared the key aspects of their routines, from movement to affirmations.
Dianna Goodsky
Get your GAME on!
After becoming the first woman to reach the rank of Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, Dianna Goodsky retired and went on to pursue a career in real estate before embarking on her entrepreneurial journet as a mindset coach. Dianna shares the morning routine that catapulted her business and personal life.
I’m a morning person. The annoying kind. You know, one who smiles almost as soon as they open their eyes.
When I was a student of Bob Proctor through Proctor Gallagher Institute’s “Thinking Into Results” program, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was to get up early AND have a solid morning routine.
I was quite thrilled with this idea actually since I was already quite perky in the morning. Now, several students were the opposite. You know the type; can’t even focus their eyes until the 1st cup of coffee, grunts until awake enough to actually speak. However, since they were students of professional and personal development under the tutelage of Mr Proctor, they, too, recognised the value of a morning routine that could increase their chances of success in achieving all their goals. After all, Bob went from earning $4000 a year to over $1 million a year in less than two years. He knew something about how to reach goals.
Under his guidance, I developed and fine-tuned a morning routine that I ended up calling “GAME”. I then committed to this and adopted this saying: “I’m going to get my GAME on”. Then, I developed a checklist to help develop this new habit, which was compressing habits, therefore fast-tracking my success.
GAME stands for:
- Gratitude
- Affirmations
- Meditation
- Exercise
In order to make it easy for myself, I started small just to get into the routine. It went something like this:
- Gratitude: Thank You for a new day! I’m so excited!
- Affirmations: I’m going to have a great day!
- Meditation (this was HARD for my busy brain): I saved a 5-minute guided meditation from the rising higher meditations YouTube Channel.
- Exercise (another hard one at first): I did Kegels.
Once I established this easy routine, I was able to expand the actions in each area and my productivity and well-being (and income) started growing exponentially!
Shreesha Khare
I am not designed for routines and consistency cannot be a part of my evolution.
Fed up with corporatist capitalism after working in HR analytics, Shreesha followed her creative instincts to become a writer. She also presents the Minimalist Talks podcast, that explores spirituality in the modern world. As a writer, Shreesha shares her routine with us through creative expression.
A water splash on the face, switching off the fan in the summer heat and curtains being raised welcoming the bright sunshine, encouraging me to go cycling which eventually became part of my morning routine.
That used to be the start of my day before adulthood. Once I stepped into adulthood, routine felt like an out of body experience but persisted subconsciously, ingrained in my mind, influenced by people and books around me.
As I understood myself more with time, realisation swamped my conscious world. I am not designed for routines and consistency cannot be a part of my evolution. What was more significant was to show up in different ways through meditation, journaling or going to temple in our Indian tradition as each thing brought new energy with each dawn. I am designed as a passive digester of life where there is flow and a constant learning of new things to enhance my experience of mind, body, and soul.
As James Clear mention in his book, Atomic Habits, ‘Habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day’. Start small with your interests, for me it was cycling as it gives me thrill to experiment with speed and the ability to push myself.
Joy Adams
I’ve become a fan of having a loose routine
With a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, Joy has built up a resume working on economic development. In 2019, she founded Weekend Startup Warriors, with a mission to bridge the gap, helping people build their business around their 9-5 to job.
Do you suffer from post-COVID morning slumps? I know I’ve struggled.
We used to find the perfect “desk to dinner” outfit. The next thing we knew, it was more like “bed to boardroom” instead. Thankfully, many of us are getting out of a rut and getting back into the swing of things. I’ve become a fan of having a loose routine. I offer myself a “buffet” of activities, but I have to do something rather than lie around.
Mornings are for business, running, straightening up, language lessons or meal prep. The middle of the day is for business, errands, and work. The evenings are for events, friends and family. Different days have different combinations, but I never feel deprived or like I am failing. Mixing and matching my schedule has helped a lot.
The one thing that is consistent is strong black tea with full-fat milk every morning.
Milentina Marcus
Tomorrow morning is a new opportunity!
With a successful track record in sales and international business, and over a decade in the corporate world, Milentina Marcus made the decision to leave the burnout behind and began building her business parallel to her full-time job. Milentina discovered a passion for coaching women – emotionally and financially.
How often do we find ourselves taking care of others, forgetting to take care of ourselves and our minds in the process? We can not serve others until we serve ourselves.
Sticking to a morning routine means setting your mind to face the day’s challenges. All of us face challenges, but the way we respond to them influences how successful we will become. Starting your day with a run, maybe a few powerful affirmations of I AM, recognising the strength you have, 2 min visualising your best life and the best version of yourself will lead you to make better choices later in the day, as opposed to starting your day with an hour of social media.
Try to balance the four main areas of self-improvement: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Reading a book or listening to a podcast for 15 min(mental), meditate for 10-15 min (spiritual), a quick walk to work (physical), a healthy breakfast and vitamins (physical) and text someone you love to let them know you’re thinking of them (emotional).
Tomorrow morning is a new opportunity! Are you ready to start a new healthier morning routine?
Mikaela Messiou
It can make or break my day.
Mikaela Messiou is an entrepreneur, a writer, a mother, and a wife. Led by her own passion for achieving an optimum state of health and wellness, she co-founded Damaris Health & Wellness Centre with a mission to provide a holistic approach to well-being.
My favourite time of day is the early morning. It is the time that can make or break my day, so I ensure that it is a positive one. I wake up before my family does, to have some precious moments of me-time. I enjoy a warm cup of tea in a cosy corner of my home, while I write in my journal. This helps me clear my head and set my intentions for the day. I take a minute of gratitude and of getting in touch with my inner feelings. But most importantly, I make sure not to touch my phone for the first hour of my day. Starting my day in a positive manner has helped me change my outlook and my perspective on life.
