How to go from tired, groggy, and “not feeling it” to positive, energetic, and happy with a tenacity to Crush life like the Incredible Hulk in 5-min flat.
>> If you haven’t read the first part of this 6 part series, checkout The Superhero Code: From Zero to Hero In 5 Simple Steps. This is Part 2:
What a bunch of bullshit…
Wake up an hour earlier than normal?!
Get less sleep… and that’s supposed to make me feel better?
This guy is out of his freakin’ mind. I’m definitely not trying that. Ever.
That’s pretty much what played out in my head as I finished listening to an episode of the Smart Passive Income podcast with Hal Elrod, author of The Morning Miracle.
In the episode, Hal Elrod, outlines how his morning routine helped transform his life. His brash claims included everything from making more money to living a happier, more fulfilled life and everything in between.
As someone that loves sleep and never seems to get enough, it sounded, well — like complete bullshit. And it was something I wasn’t interested in trying. No chance. Not me. Never. Ever.
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If you’re expecting me to say something like, “but one day I tried it and my life completely changed.” You’re going to be waiting a while…
I’m a normal human being and I don’t operate like that. And it often annoys me when people say they tried something once and it completely changing their life. Life isn’t so binary or black and white like computer code.
It’s really really fucking hard to create new habits and change behavior. It doesn’t happen overnight and it often doesn’t happen because of one single cataclysmic event. Behavior change is often a much more gradual and messy process for most of us — myself included.
I began to notice my morning mood slowly shifting over time. As my personal training business became more and more successful, I became more and more resentful. Soon, I came to dread and even loathe my 6am sessions.
Whoever was unlucky enough to train at 6am bore the brunt of my ridiculous behavior. Like a petulant child… I was crass, quiet, and often rude.
Here I was, living out my dream… getting paid $175/hour to help people get fit and I have an attitude about it because it’s 6am. It sounds stupid, childish, and ridiculous… and it was.
I was doing my 6am clients a MASSIVE disservice and I couldn’t go on like this. They were paying me way too much money to deserve this type of behavior. And all it takes is one very unhappy customer or poor Yelp review to completely ass fuck your business.
“On average, an individual will tell 9 people about good experiences, and 16 people about poor ones.” – American Express Survey
So, I decided to make a shift in my morning attitude. But positive affirmations or staring in the mirror and repeating the phrase “Be happy” wasn’t going to do anything to change my behavior — especially at 5am.
I’m old and wise enough to know that I couldn’t think my way into a new attitude or behavior:
“It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than to think your way into a new way of acting.” – A.J. Jacobs
I had to create a system for success… a precise set of actions, that if taken, will result in my being a much happier and more positive person to be around at 6am. Even better, I could setup a system when I was at my best so I could effortlessly execute when I was at my worst — like I was at the ass crack of dawn.
Out of necessity, I came up with my Morning NOT Todo list and something I call Positivity Primer. It didn’t happen overnight and it was a messy process that took months to perfect… but over time I developed a few morning habits that have served me well.
I feel better, I have more energy, and I’m able to deliver incredible value to my clients even at 6am. Let’s start dive into these in more detail:
Morning NOT Todo List
1. Never Hit Snooze
I first talked about how terrible hitting the snooze button is for you in 6 Simple Steps To Win Your Morning And Dominate Your Day. For more information, check out that article but I’ll summarize here:
Research has proven that hitting the snooze button makes you feel worse and even more tired than if you had just gotten up in the first place. It’s called sleep inertia and it’s science…
It’s as undebatable as saying the sky is blue or I can help you get six pack abs. It’s just a fact, and the sooner you accept it the better your life will be.
If that’s not enough, think of the psychological damage you do to yourself when you demonstrate a clear sign of weakness and tell yourself (and the world) that you’re not up for the challenge… you’re not ready and you can’t get up.
The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back asleep? – Jocko Willink retired Navy Seal
Remember, if you read the first article in this series From Zero To Hero In 5 Simple Steps, two of our other codes are Take Action and Lead By Example. You simply can’t do either if you are hitting the snooze button.
Plus, if you’re like most of my incredibly successful clients, you need to get your ass up and to the gym in the morning. It’s a classic if-then statement for all you computer science nerds out there:
If (I Want to be Successful) {
Don’t Hit Snooze();
Get Ass Out of Bed();
Take Action(); }
Sometimes, I miss the perfect simplicity, logic, and beauty of writing code. Anyway, on to the next item while I reminisce…
2. Don’t Watch The News
Reporting the news is BIG business. In 2015, Fox News make a reported $1.5 Billion. That’s not a typo.
How is this possible?
Eyeballs… eyeballs mean more money. And the easiest way to get more eyeballs is by reporting increasingly more negative news. To be clear, this is not an indictment of Fox News… I could really care less — it’s an indictment of ALL news stations.
Human beings have a natural negativity bias that causes us to be more attracted to negative news. This is because our brains want to protect us from harm. Due to this, we tune in more often and for longer when the headlines are negative and instill fear and anxiety.
It’s the same reason everyone on the expressway slows down to stare at a car crash on the side of the road. The problem is that all this negativity eventually takes a heavy toll on you and your mind:
A 2001 study found that watching the events of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the television was powerful enough to trigger symptoms of PTSD in some viewers.
A more recent study concluded that frequent exposure to negative news led to symptoms of PTSD including anxiety, increased alcohol consumption, depression, and somatization (physical signs of distress in the body).
What’s even worse is that because of our natural negativity bias, it takes a LOT more positive news stories and comments to offset a negative news story or comment.
One research report found that ratio could be 2-1 or greater while a study out of Harvard shows that a ratio of 5.6 positive comments for every 1 negative comment is an ideal ratio.
Do yourself a favor, turn off the news — especially in the morning. And compliment a loved one while you’re at it instead of criticizing them.
One of my favorite speakers Les Brown summed this up beautifully when he said:
“Don’t watch the news. More people have a sense of hopelessness and anxiety about life by looking at the news. If you look at the news, you cannot feel good. You’ve got to guard the kind of things you put in your mind. If you don’t program your mind, your mind will be programmed.”
Although great, a Not Todo List is only half the battle. It does the job of protecting your body and mind from weakness and negativity, but it doesn’t promote blood flow, energy, or positive emotions. That’s where a morning Positivity Primer comes into play:
Early Morning Positivity Primer
In my research reading books like Tools of Titans and listening to podcasts like Tim Ferriss Show, I found that most people tend to agree that the best way to change your mental state is to change your physical state or physiology. In fact, Tony Robbins talks about this all the time. He even does a morning exercise called Emotional Flooding guaranteed to dramatically change your state.
But most people find these breathing and mindset exercises to be a bit too woo woo for them. So, instead of doing some “out there” exercise that’s going to make your spouse look at you sideways — try doing some simple movements combined with listening to a motivational video.
The exercise or movement will get your blood flowing, loosen up your body, and get you breathing. All this will change your physiology and as a result — positively affect your mental and emotional state.
The motivational video will override any negative thoughts and instead, replace them with uplifting positive thoughts. The combination of movement or exercise plus motivational messages is incredibly powerful…
Even more powerful than platinum and diamonds in a watch or even speed and power in the NBA, at least according to Dom Pagnotti for those of you that remember He Got Game 😉
Here’s what my online clients, Ryan had to say about doing his Positivity Primer and how it helped him push through an incredibly difficult day when he woke up tired and “not feeling it.” He went from being tired and groggy to feeling like the Incredible Hulk:
You’re probably wondering, what type of exercise or movement should I do and how long should it take?
Like any behavior change, it’s important to start small. Set yourself up for success out of the gate, that way you can stick to it and add on later once you develop a solid habit. I have my online coaching clients start off with just 5-min. Here’s an example routine (watch video below for demonstrations):
- Hip Flexor Quad Stretch 30s each side
- Bulgarian Split Squat 5 reps each leg
- Pigeon Post 30s each side
- World’s Greatest Stretch 3-5 reps each side
- Side Lying Windmill 5-10 reps each arm
- No Money Drill 10 reps (3s hold)
- Up-Down Jumps 25 reps
While performing this quick, full body movement routine I highly recommend listening to some positive messages in the form of motivational YouTube videos. Here’s a list of some of my favorites:
- Refuse To Be Outworked (ft. Eric Thomas)
- Through Hell (ft. Eric Thomas & Les Brown)
- The Best Motivation of Your Life
- MM7 – EXCELLENCE (ft. Eric Thomas & Les brown)
- Never Give Up
- All The Motivation You Need in 2018
The skeptic in you might be screaming right now. You might not believe that this simple system will do anything to better your life. Remember, I felt exactly the same way…
I didn’t think that waking up even 10-min earlier would do anything but make me feel worse. Now, I wake up a solid hour earlier than I “have to” in order to go through my morning routine. I’ve since expanded on the initial 5-min version you see here. And my guess is that you will too, once you harness the power of the Positivity Primer.
Tips For Your Success
- Don’t be reactionary and let your emotions dictate your attitude for the day. There is no such thing as waking up on the wrong side of the bed. You can determine your attitude for the day, but it doesn’t start by thinking — it starts with action.
- “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than to think your way into a new way of acting.” – A.J. Jacobs
- The best way to change your mental state is to move your body and change your physiology. Stretch, workout, jump around, or even go for a walk. Any of these things will instantly improve your mood.
- Some ways of taking your Positivity Primer to the next level include using the 5-min Journal, meditate using Headspace, or performing any number of physical or emotional exercises like Emotional Flooding.
Action Items For Your Success
- Don’t hit the snooze button. Research has proven that hitting the snooze button makes you feel worse and even more tired than if you had just gotten up in the first place. It also demonstrates a clear sign of weakness.
- Don’t watch the news. A recent study concluded that frequent exposure to negative news led to symptoms of PTSD including anxiety, increased alcohol consumption, depression, and somatization (physical signs of distress in the body).
- Start your day with a 5-min Positivity Primer. Follow my example to start and you can expand on it and create your own once you develop the habit. Your Positivity Primer should consist of some physical movement (stretching or exercise) and some positive audio or video.