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I hear my alarm go off at 5:15 am. Having got to bed at good time the night before I am fully rested so it is easy to swing my legs out of bed, get up, and put on my exercise kit that I laid out in the bathroom the night before. I head downstairs where I spend time sitting on my cushion, journaling, meditating, and reflecting on the start of my day. I walk into the kitchen, make myself a healthy breakfast, and then enter our dining room. I glance at a photograph of the Karalee, Jocelyn, Kevin, Allen, and I getting ready to dock our sailboat Dragonsinger in Aegina, Greece connecting me to the rest of our family who are not yet awake. I pack up my water bottle and head out to join my small gym group at 6:00 am. We work hard for an hour; after which I head to a coffee shop where I enjoy my first coffee of the day while I journal for a few minutes. Two hours after I first woke up I take out my smart phone for my first look of the day at social media and email.

Do you jump out of bed with enthusiasm looking forward to your day like I do in the photo above? The first of my 4 Vital Actions is the start of your day. I learned over time that I need to do very specific things the first thing every day to set me up for success. The description above is what I do every work day to set me up for success. If you want to be in control of your day, spend time figuring out what you should do the first thing in the day and then take steps to make sure you do those things every day.

Many people sleep with a smart phone next to their bed. The first thing they do is reach for it as soon as they wake up. Few people find that this action gets them grounded well for the day. For most, interacting with social media and email the very first thing in their day makes them anxious rather than grounded.

After a good night of sleep, our bodies need food. Our mothers are right—a healthy breakfast does give us the fuel we need to show up at our best. For me, following this with exercise powers me up for the day.

How you start your day determines how the rest of your day will go. Take the time to find out what works best to start your day so that you too can leap for joy as you start each and every day.