Buckle up for the ride!

Success is a journey that starts afresh every morning!

By Catherine Wijnberg

Let’s get the great adventure started! Last year is history – its lessons have been learnt, its successes have been banked and the knocks and bruises left behind us in the Book of Experience.

It’s time to launch forward into the future. The 12 months ahead will be filled with the energy we decide to bestow on it, so why not make this year simply amazing? How would it be possible to make this the best year ever? Whatever your vision of that is, the year ahead is a fresh clean slate waiting to be drawn on.

Personally I like to use January to settle into and adjust any new habits and commitments so I can be sure that they will ‘stick’ for the year. Slight changes now mean that we can start the year with an army of daily small wins to build confidence and set a pathway toward success. A wise quote from Bill Gates reminds us that “People tend to overestimate what they can do in a year, and underestimate what they can achieve in ten”, which helps to keep our year goals realistic.

Commitment to small ‘wins’ that can be applied consistently every morning sets us up to feel fantastic for the day, especially if it keeps you physically fit and well, inspired and clear headed. But it’s important to create a routine that works in your personal situation and one that challenges and inspires you. Too soft a routine and there is no sense of a ‘daily win’ and too hard a routine and you are likely to give up.

My own morning routine consists of:

5am wake-up. I like to write down my reflections and insights from the night while drinking my coffee. I deliberately stay away from the phone to keep my energy positive and centred. It’s now that I set a daily intention (or prayer) and reconfirm my 3 highest priority actions for the day.

20 minutes of exercise keeps the mind and body fit and adds a ‘win’ to the board. I have a variable routine that includes walk, run, swim, yoga or weight-training.

20 minutes of meditation or inspirational video helps me start the day in a positive way. Currently I am listening to The Compound Effect – an inspiring audiobook by Darren Hardy which is a reminder of the importance of small, consistent effort as the cornerstone of mega success.

As Robin Sharma loves to say – ‘How you start your day determines how well you live it” so a routine that gets you ready for the very best day ahead, translates to the very best week, best month and best year.