This post may fall under the TMI category. What do you do first thing in the morning? I mean after you pee. For most people it’s check their iPhone for Facebook and Twitter updates. And that’s before they brush their teeth.
Airline pilots use a Standard Operating Procedure before each flight. They check their plane from top to bottom to ensure that they’re ready to fly. Developing your own SOP is a good idea. You already have one, by the way, whether you realize it or not. It was the answer to the question I asked you above.
Every morning (after I pee) I get in the shower and while I’m washing my body and shampooing my hair I recite out loud the thirty principles outlined in Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Then I do it again. Then I recite out loud the “Self-Confidence Formula” outlined in Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich”. And then I do it again. Yup. Out loud. Twice. Every morning.
That usually takes me up to right about the time that I’m ready to get out of the shower. Yeah, I’ve been reciting these things for so long that I can do it pretty quickly, but I don’t rush it. Even though I’ve repeated these things thousands and thousands of times (and I often repeat them on stage too) I focus fully and concentrate on the words. I don’t just recite them without thinking about the meaning. And that’s the key. It’s not that I’ve got all this stuff memorized. You’d have them memorized too after repeating them thousands of times (there’s a lesson there). The question is whether it’s making an impact on you. And by extension the people around you.
Start the morning by developing your best attitude. Your day will reflect it. And your life will be a lot more fun and positive. What can you do to ensure that your head is on straight before you head out the door?