What’s your morning routine?

My normal one goes something like this:
😴 6:30 wake up, drink coffee and read news updates (in other words on auto-pilot trying to shake the zombie feeling)
😴 7am (ish) have breakfast and catch up on social media (generally still feeling like a zombie)
😴 8am (ish) jump in shower and feel “rearing” to go to start the work day 🤣

In my head I’m not really a morning person and I seem to take an age to really get going in the morning. (Anyone relate?)

So when I was considering my next weekly challenge to push myself outside my comfort zone I thought: ah ha, let’s challenge myself by changing my daily routine for a week.

Let’s get up at my normal time but instead of sitting in my pjs with a mug of coffee scrolling on my phone, let’s pop some clothes on and walk down to the beach with my coffee.

It’s a 15min walk down to the beach and then 15 mins walk down to the end so I’d be gone an hour.

Sunrise was at 6:58am.

My ego mind didn’t like that much. It didn’t like me shaking up my normal routine, which seemed so much more comfortable. It didn’t like not knowing what the impact might be. It didn’t like it being dark and early.

It tried it’s best to come up with excuses why I shouldn’t go down to the beach at stupid o’clock.

I admit it was a bit of a mission to get out the front door but I also admit dawn is my favourite time of day and having the beach pretty much to myself at that time of day was magical.

So it was a win.

It was even more of a win because I actually did it every day for the week.

And this is five things I’ve learnt…

1) Starting is always the hardest part

Our ego mind likes keeping us in our comfort zone where its warm and safe so whenever we start to think about doing something new or different or shaking up the status quo or taking a step into the unknown, our ego mind has a habit of going into overdrive telling us why we shouldn’t, why it’s a bad idea, coming up with excuses and imagining any number of worst-case scenarios. We often get so caught up in this thinking before we’ve even put a foot out the door that we freak out a bit and don’t actually start. But once we start doing that thing, it’s amazing how much quieter and easier things feel.

2) Every day will be different

Once you’ve started you’ll still experience a rollercoaster of feelings depending on where your head is at. One day I felt energised, another I was tired, another I couldn’t be bothered. All that’s happening is you’re experiencing the ups and downs of living in the feeling of our thinking. But we don’t have to take those feelings so seriously because… (see point number three below)

3) You can still do it even if you don’t feel like it or if you feel like you can’t do it

It’s easy to get caught in the trap that whatever we are feeling is pointing to some truth about our ability or some deeper meaning. ie I’m feeling tired so it means it’s not a good idea to walk down to the beach. Nope, this line of reasoning couldn’t be further from the truth – because the actual truth is you can do stuff even when you think you’re not good enough, even when you feel unmotivated, even when you’re tired, even when bed seems so much more inviting.

4) Your worst-case scenarios that you’ve told yourself about will hardly ever come true

I imagined changing my morning routine would stuff up the rest of my day, that I’d faint because I was exercising before breakfast, that I’d be tired for the rest of the day. Goodness it’s funny the stories we tell ourselves! None of those things actually transpired – what did transpire though was feeling awe when I started to see the sunrise, being in the moment feeling the wind on my cheek and hearing the sound of the waves, feeling joy as I watched the sea birds soar.

5) Do it because you want to not because you should

Getting up and walking down to the beach won’t be for everyone, just like joining the 4am club won’t be for everyone. I woke early on Saturday but because I had only intended to do the challenge during thw working week my initial thought was I should stay in but after half a cup of coffee in my pjs scrolling social media I realised I actually wanted to go down to the beach and it was beautiful. And I will continue this new morning routine this week too not because I should but because I want to. Because for me I realised, there is nothing better than having that time at dawn with nature, because it brings me joy and makes me feel alive.

#ownyourawesome

PS – I’ve been setting myself challenges to step outside my comfort zone to raise awareness of the stories that I’m telling myself and to see what’s possible. So far I’ve written a poem and recited it on social media, I’ve tried jackfruit and yoga, and worn an item of clothing out in public that I didn’t think I could.

If you’re sick of being stuck in your comfort zone and want to dip a toe in the water but not sure how, then get in touch and let’s talk about what’s possible for you.

PPS – Know someone who might benefit from coaching or this blog? Please share!

Coaching question to reflect on
What excuses are holding you back? How could you make one small change to shake up your daily routine?