How you start each day plays a big role in how your day goes. If you start your day with a positive attitude, you are likely to have a good day; if you start your day with a negative attitude, it is likely your results will be negative. So, wake up each day and renew yourself, renew your thoughts about yourself in the positive direction, think good things about yourself and your future.
Remember, your thoughts eventually lead to actions and your daily actions eventually become routine, your routine creates your experience, your experience forms your personality and determines the kind of person you are. Knowing this, don’t you want to be the best of you that you can be?

Mental excercise

I start and end each day with reading. I wake up around 7:30 or 8:00 AM each day but no later than 8:30. The closest things to my bed are my iphone because it’s my alarm and a stack of books. They are a collection of audio, pdf and paper formats. I read for about 35 to 60 minutes in the morning. I do this not only because I enjoy reading and thus start my day with something I enjoy but also because it wakes the mind and gets me thinking about something right away. This is a good way to start the day.

Physical excercise

After reading, I exercise. It’s good to excercise mentally by reading but it’s equally pertinent to stimulate your body physically. In fact, one without the other is not as effective. My excercise lasts 30ms to an hour. I try to mix it up between running and weights since it’s Winter here in Korea and I don’t play soccer as much as I used to. When I run, I go for about 50 minutes because sometimes I get going and I don’t want ot stop. I try to run at least 3 times a week and workout 3 times a week although it doesn’t always turn out that way.

Choice of breakfast

Back home in U.S, choosing breakfast was easy. I could eat cereal with fruits and yogurt, make pancakes with turkey beacon and eggs, make vegetable crepes or have a bagel and ovaltine. But living in Korea brings a whole new challenge when it comes to breakfast. Korean’s don’t really have breakfast food as far as I know. Rice and kimchi seems to serve as the all-purpose meal. So, this makes it difficult to keep a consistent choice in making breakfast. Luckily I have a friend in the military who shops at the base for good-ol-American style breakfast. So, in the morning I make it a routine to have a good breakfast after my excercise. I keep it healthy as well. I usually have pancakes, meat crepes, or Korean style-rice and tofu and kimchi. The point is, I make it a habit not to skip breakfast; afterall, it is the most important meal of the day.

What does breakfast have to do with starting your day correctly? With excercise whether mental or physical, the answer is apparent. Breakfast puts you in a good mood believe it or not. There are days when I have a good workout and I am in a good mood mentally, but that doesn’t last long if I don’t have breakfast. I find myself agited for no particulary reason until I eat something. So, make breakfast part of your morning.

Preparing for the day

Yes I sing in the shower, so what chump? After showering and all the necessary grooming. I mentally prepare myself for the day. I think about what I choose to accomplish for the day. I usually make a list the night before of what I want to accomplish the next day. This keeps me focused and a step closer to my long term goals. With each little thing I do everyday, it has some significant towards my long term goals. I mentally prepare by reciting the list I make the night before.

One last thing

Yeah some people might find this wired but I also choose an emotion I want to be for almost each day. I look in the mirror staring into my own eyes and say to myself, today I am peace or today I am love. I go through the day and act as such. On the days I am peace, I look to create and be peace to everything and everyone I touch throughout the day. And when I am love or patience or respect receiving and giving, I am just that. You cannot get what you yourself do not give. Remember this always. Your attitude determines your aptitude. So, start everyday great and make it a routine. For you are great.

Here is a great video on attitude