How I start my day with Intention
For me, my morning routine has become one of the most important parts of my day. It sets the tone for everything that follows, my mindset, my energy, my discipline, my focus and how I show up for myself and others.
Most mornings, I wake up around 5:00am or 5:30am. The first thing I do is go out to the kitchen and put on the kettle. While the kettle is boiling, I put something uplifting on YouTube, usually a morning motivation video, a gratitude tape or something positive that gets my mind in the right place.
Then I sit down with my coffee and my journal, and I play The GAME.
The GAME is a simple daily practice I use to train my mindset. It stands for:
I start by writing down three things I am grateful for, and each one starts with:
“Thank you for…”
This helps me focus on what I already have instead of what I feel is missing. It could be something big, or it could be something simple, my health, my family, my business, a good night’s sleep, or even just the opportunity to wake up and go again.
After that, I write three positive affirmations about myself, and each one starts with:
“I am…”
For example:
I am disciplined.
I am confident.
I am becoming the best version of myself.
This is where I begin to speak to myself with intention. The way we talk to ourselves matters. If you constantly tell yourself you are tired, lazy, stuck or not good enough, your actions will usually follow that story.
But when you start telling yourself a better story, you give yourself something better to live up to.
Next, I meditate.
This doesn’t have to be complicated. I simply sit, close my eyes, and focus on my breath for 2–5 minutes. Some mornings my mind is calm, other mornings it is all over the place. That’s normal. The goal is not to have no thoughts. The goal is to notice them, slow down and come back to the breath.
After that, I exercise.
Some days it might be a one-minute elbow plank. Some days it might be a few push-ups. Other days it might be a 5km run. The intensity changes, but the promise stays the same:
I move my body every morning.
This is important because exercise creates momentum. Once I have moved, I already feel like I have won the first battle of the day.
When The GAME is complete, I get into the shower. At the end of my shower, I always turn it cold for at least 30 seconds.
That cold water wakes me up like nothing else. It gives me a shock, clears my head and makes me feel alive. Once I step out of that shower, I feel ready.
Ready to work.
Ready to lead.
Ready to train.
Ready to conquer the day.
This routine is not about being perfect. It is about building discipline, creating momentum and proving to yourself every morning that you are in control of how you start your day.
You don’t need a perfect routine. You don’t need two hours. You don’t need to copy mine exactly.
But if you can start your day with gratitude, positive self-talk, a few minutes of stillness and some form of movement, you will begin to feel different.
Your mindset will change.
Your energy will change.
Your standards will change.
And when your mornings change, your life starts to change with them.
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