Morning practices that can help you succeed

What do many great people have in common?

A mutual point of understanding of many great thinkers & doers is that you must start your morning off with a positive routine and attitude. A great quote, by Marcus Aurelius, thought to be one of the best rulers of Rome and a well-known philosopher, said, "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

The list goes on with other successful people claiming the importance of a morning routine

"Mornings belong to whatever is new; the current composition. Afternoons are for naps and letters." — Stephen King

"I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up." – Benjamin Franklin

"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." – Steve Jobs

"There have to be reasons that you get up in the morning and you want to live. Why do you want to live? What's the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future? If the future does not include being out there among the stars and being a multi-planet species, I find that incredibly depressing." – Elon Musk

"Go to bed early and wake up early. The morning hours are good." – Jeff Bezos

Significance of an early start and great attitude

What's the significance of starting the day early & in a good mood? It's no surprise that starting your day early will give you more time to get things done before you have to work, whereas people who wake up 30 minutes prior to work (especially in this remote work atmosphere) will have virtually no time to get things done prior to starting their day. The goal is to maximize your time. Starting the day off with a positive attitude will trickle into the rest of your day. Morning gratitude, meditation, or affirmations are a great way to hone in your focus for your true purpose.

How are we doing this at Prospect AI?

How do I practice this in the real world? Let me give you insider access to what we do here at Prospect AI every morning. As a startup - we have standup meetings every day at 7 AM EST, meaning that I wake up around 6:00 AM, get ready, and get on my desk by 7. Then we start off with pushups to get the blood flowing, and morning affirmations to get in a state of gratitude and confidence, followed up by going around the table to see what tasks the team has for the day. Implementing a process like this every morning for yourself, or your team, is an amazing way to start your day. The process doesn't have to be complicated, but the consistency has to be there.

-By Tanvir Rahman