Yesterday I wrote about the power of going to bed earlier in helping us reach our goals and dreams. Today I would like to explore this further by looking at what happens in the morning.

I have never been much of a morning person. It wasn’t that I didn’t wake up early. I did, but I struggled to get out of bed. I would watch a boxset on my iPad, read the newspaper or browse the internet. The morning would quietly slip past, till eventually I was about to make myself late and would finally rush out of bed to my first appointment. I rarely left enough time for breakfast and would down a couple of double expressos to get me going.

This start didn’t exactly prepare my body or mind for peak performance. As you can imagine, my goals and dreams remained elusive. Unreached and unfulfilled. I was hungry for them, but my lifestyle and lack of personal commitment was keeping them out of reach.

Are you experiencing something similar? Are you hungry for success but can’t quite make it happen? Are your dreams and goals not getting any closer?

Change for me happened when I changed my evening routine by going to bed earlier and then combined this with a new morning routine. It has been life-changing. So, what’s different?

I now wake at 4 am. I do set the alarm but most days I wake before it goes off. Then I read the newspaper in bed for 30-45 minutes. When I decide I should be getting up, I turn on a motivational video on YouTube. This audio acts as a mental cue for me to get out of bed, and I usually can then hop out of bed within a few minutes of turning it on. I’m not watching the video, just listening to the sound.

I keep this same audio on the whole time while I shower, dress and eat breakfast. I write down notes on my phone for blog post ideas of anything that the audio says that I think is interesting. Then I will drink a protein shake before preparing and eating breakfast. Don’t turn the TV on during this process. You are listening to the motivational audio to focus your mind on performance and reaching your goals.

I usually finish clearing up and sit down at my desk ready to start work at about 5:45 am. Now, this is the most critical moment. I don’t look at the internet, read any emails, or do anything else apart from work on my most important goal. In my case, it is to write this blog.

So, I open Word and start writing. I listen to music, not the radio, so there is no talking or distractions. Nothing gets in the way of this writing time. It doesn’t matter what other commitments I have. This morning routine is ritualistic, monastic but is working. Nobody else is up in the house, so I’m free to write, think and create without any distraction.

If you can create a morning routine that gives you the time to work on your dreams and goals, then you will quickly find they come into reach. If you make a personal commitment to work on them first thing in the morning every day then very soon you will make them a reality.

Making a daily commitment to work on your goals, will change your life. The morning, before everyone else gets up, is the only time you have complete control over. It sets you up for the whole day. Take ownership of it. Make it your personal, private time to work on your dreams. Remain strong, remain disciplined and your time will come.

Long before others believe, you must believe it’s possible. Remember, we climb the mountain, not in giant leaps but one small step at a time.