Written by: Tara Sutorius, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I recently had the great fortune of meeting American author, spiritual leader, and political activist, Marianne Williamson. I was so moved by her speech, and my personal encounter with her, that I walked away knowing I had to share some of the golden nuggets I learned. I took copious amounts of notes but what stuck out for me the most was when she underscored that, “We all must proactively be part of the process to heal the world.” And that to do that effectively, “…we need to heal ourselves first.” The best way to start Williamson shared, is to develop a powerful morning routine. In so doing, we not only balance our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being but we open our mindset for love.
Furthermore, Williamson challenged that we are at a crossroads in humanity and the only way to move through this taxing period in the world is to embrace a love that goes beyond our own tribe. She opined that we all have a deep responsibility to live our lives with a more profound commitment to healing the suffering of our people, our planet, and future generations. What I took away from this was that to live with greater consciousness required clarity and a commitment to daily healthy routines, especially first thing in the morning – something Williamson has been doing herself daily for decades.
In 2017, I went through a very challenging period in my life. In a nutshell, my personal core values were tested, and I had trouble finding my way through a mucky situation. My anxiety was at an all-time high, and I was searching for clarity and a calmer mindset. To overcome this difficult period, I devoured personal wellness books and the common theme I discovered was those servant leaders who were living to their full potential and moving through difficult periods with grace and compassion all had one thing in common: they had all developed a powerful and personalized sacred morning routine. Did you know that the benefits of a powerful morning routine are both psychological and physical? They include:
Increasing productivity
Lowering stress level
Developing healthy habits
Boosting energy levels
Improving relationships
Combatting forgetfulness
We must proactively be part of the process to heal the world. In my case, what helped me find my way was learning to be still in the morning and kick ass in the afternoon. By that I mean, that I developed a morning routine that gave me ample space for quiet contemplation, stillness, and taking care of my physical body. Over the years, I developed my personal “Top 10” morning routine activities along with my favourite hacks:
Get up early (Hack: try setting your alarm 15-30 mins earlier)
Drink 1 glass of water upon waking (Hack: leave it by your bed the night before)
Don’t look at your phone first thing (Hack: plug it in the bathroom)
Recall your wins (Hack: ask yourself 3 things you are grateful for upon rising)
Make your bed (Hack: Adopt Mel Robbins’ 5-second rule and just do it right away!)
Eat a nutritious breakfast (hack: prep meal the night before)
Move your body for at least 20 minutes (Hack: time crunch? Take a short walk)
Do something that makes you happy for 15 mins (Hack: pick a book or podcast)
Remind yourself of your goals (Hack: try writing 5 personal affirmations)
Before starting work, meditate (Hack: download Headspace app. Start with just 3 mins.)
Bonus from Marianne Williamson: If you are spiritual, ask every morning of your God: "Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say, and to whom?" (Hack: Do this before you go into work, into a meeting, into a party or into any situation at all, consciously blast everyone who is going to be there with love.
With the “back-to-school” season in full swing in many parts of the world, the time of year has never been better than now to develop a powerful morning routine that works for you. Maybe it looks completely different from mine. And that’s ok. The secret is creating stillness and space for yourself – and if you need to wake up earlier then do it! The world needs each one of us to bring our best selves to our work, to our families, to our relationships, and to all our daily interactions with those we love as well as perfect strangers.
Need help establishing a personalized routine that works for you? Share this article and reach out to someone you trust and ask them to be your accountability partner. And if you remember just one thing from this piece let it be this: your energy in the morning is always a clean slate, and you get a chance every single day to build it up the way you want. So how will you start your morning tomorrow?
Tara Sutorius, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
As a certified professional coach trained with Erickson International Coaching, Barrett Values Centre and Career Joy, as well as an accredited PCC-level coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF), Tara Sutorius specializes in helping individuals better understand their personal core values so they may live a more purpose-driven life in alignment with what is most important to them in their personal and professional lives.
Tara is also the Director of Corporate Communications at Export Development Canada (EDC) and the founder of “Tara Sutorius Coaching and Wellness” – a coaching company offering compassionate, transformational and values-based personal leadership, career and wellness coaching. Working alongside senior leaders in both the private and public sector for over 20 years, Tara has a keen sense of what is required to be able to connect with one’s personal and professional leadership mission in order to effect meaningful change over the long-term and build greater resiliency both at home and at work.
What Tara loves most about coaching is helping guide individuals through powerful questioning and transformational conversations. Her coaching style is compassionate, action-oriented, motivational, connected and intuitive. She can help guide you to better align your values with your dream job, clarify your passions, set clear goals and take greater ownership of your career and overall wellness.
