Get a Power Hour every day

It’s hard to be motivated all the time.

Heck, it can be hard to be motivated even part of the time. That’s why a "Power Hour" can come in real handy.

Challenging situations can beat you down. Competitors can ruin your day. People on your own team can wear on you.

So what's the best way to stay motivated? Where can one get confidence and peace of mind like clockwork?

Look to the first hour of the new day for the boost you need. I call it the "Power Hour."

The morning is the best time to program yourself for success and to get motivated for all you need to do.

Quality mornings are a foreign concept to many people. I met a woman recently who said she isn’t "a morning person."

“What a pity,” I smiled. “Since morning happens almost every day.”

Your Power Hour may have to happen quite early. If your kids get up at 6 AM, that’s probably their Power Hour, which means that you'll have to grab your 60 minutes at 5 AM.

Be selfish about how you spend the first 60 minutes of your day. I’ve refined my Power Hour through the years and have taught it to leaders and salespeople on five continents and in 49 of the 50 states.

Below is a slightly edited excerpt from my book, 5 Cool Ideas for Working, Living & Feeling

1. In the morning, no news is good news.

Wake to music, rather than an "alarm." Set your phone or music device so you awaken to harp tones rather than unpleasant noise. You can arrange to wake up to your theme song. You do have a theme song, don’t you? Also, do not digest news during your Power Hour. A lot of the day's news is negative and based in conflict.

2. Self-affirmation is corny, but effective.

When you awaken in the morning, draw a deep sigh, smile and deliver a positive belief to yourself.

The deep sigh rushes oxygen into your brain and makes you instantly more alert. Your lungs will wake up, too, because they've been in a shallow breathing pattern all night. The smile releases natural happy chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin.

A positive belief such as “people need my help today,” will motivate you to jump right out of bed and get the day going.

3. Wake up body parts separately.

Stretch out on the floor to do a few push-ups and stomach crunches. Even five minutes of this activity is five minutes more exercise than some people get in a week. Sing in the shower to wake up the right side of your brain.

Awaken the left side of your brain with some writing, light reading or a bit of a crossword puzzle.

4. Eat a vegetable for breakfast.

A good Power Hour includes a full breakfast with some protein and at least one vegetable. Drink a pint of water within 60 minutes of rising to flush and lubricate your system.

Leave on time for your first appointment. Being late creates anxiety and stress.

5. Early to bed means early to rise.

When getting ready for bed, no news is good news. Don’t watch or listen to the news after 7 PM because troubling headlines may keep you from sleeping.

Control your weight and sleep by not eating dinner right before bed. If you must eat late, try not to consume an entire beefsteak or something that’s going to moooove around on you during the night.

Don’t answer the telephone after 8 PM. Late night callers will expect you to laugh, cry or think, none of which have anything to do with sleeping.

When you go to bed, lie back, smile, breathe a deep sigh and enjoy a positive affirmation based on your day. Use these techniques to go to sleep quickly almost every night.

Do you work with someone who’s not a “morning person?”

These folks often share their dim views of mornings by saying things like, “I’m not a morning person” and “I’m not awake” and “I haven’t had my second cup of coffee, yet.”

Maybe we should just pay them for the afternoons.