Key Takeaway: Similar to how athletes warm up before their games, you should “warm up” as well before you tackle your day’s work.

The concept of “warming up” is ingrained in sports. I mean, how weird would it be if athletes didn’t warm up before their games?

Could you imagine if Kobe Bryant showed up to the Staples Center at 7:27 PM for a 7:30 PM tip-off and started playing in the game without stretching or taking any warm-up shots?

Or how about Peyton Manning playing in the Super Bowl without taking a look at the playbook or mentally preparing for how the defense was going to prevent his team from scoring?

It’s almost comical thinking about it.

Well, that’s pretty much what you do every single day when you show up to work without getting mentally or physically ready to execute.  If you usually start your work day at 8 AM, and you show up at the office at 7:58 AM and start working, you’re doing exactly what Kobe would be doing if he showed up two minutes before the tip-off of a game without getting ready.

The way you start each day sets the tone for your entire day.  To start your day off right, I recommend that you wake up a little earlier each day and incorporate a morning routine to help you get ready to be at your best each day.

Here are some things that you can do during your morning routine to warm up:

• Read.
• Listen to a personal development podcast.
• Journal.
• Plan for your day.
• Review your goals and values.
• Exercise.
• Count your blessings.
• Affirmations.
• Visualize success.
• Eat a healthy breakfast.

Incorporate any of the above (and anything else you may want to add) into a Morning Ritual for yourself. Make this Morning Ritual so habitual that it’d be weird too if you didn’t “warm up” for your day.

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(Photo Credit: Kieran Clarke via photopin cc)