Every Instagram entrepreneur and coach preaches the gospel of rising and grinding. They tell anyone who listens that while we were busy sleeping they were up all night grinding and now they’re back at it again at 5 am. Umm, sir, there is so much wrong with this mentality that I would be remiss to not school you.
Subscribing to the school of rise and grind is foolish for a multitude of reasons. First, it assumes that success relies on hard work, it doesn’t. Success is a complex equation of hard work, innate ability, luck, and perseverance. If you do not have the right idea at the right time and the resiliency to push through closed doors and failures, rising and grinding won’t save you. Also, real Gs move in silence. Successful entrepreneurs focus on growing their business not tweeting rise and grind. When they do give out advice, it is typically a bit more useful than a meme. These people also do not hop out of bed and immediately get to answering emails, that’s a great way to burn out. So if the whole rise and grind vibe is detrimental to your success what should we be doing to get the most out of our days? Don’t worry, I got you.
Instead of hopping on your phone first thing in the morning to tweet a cliche, here are 5 ways to start your morning with intention to make each day more productive than the last. Not a single one of these involves grinding or even answering a text. Now I’m not saying I do these things EVERY day, I am human, but when I do, I notice my day flows easily and I can get more done.
Get Grounded.
I like to spend the first 5-10 minutes of my day in meditation. It’s not always as mystical as it sounds, I promise. Most times meditation is as simple as listening to a song and sinking into the feelings it brings up. Some days it means chanting or sitting in silence for a few minutes. Whatever meditation means to you, take some time to listen to your feels, get connected, and set your energy BEFORE you get on the Gram.
Set some intentions.
Once your energy is flowing, take some time to set an intention or two for the day. You can say a quick prayer, write a short to-do list, or say an affirmation. This entire process is personal so take some time to figure out what works for you at the moment. There is no real wrong or right to it.
Focus on the good shit.
Like everyone, I have a habit of hopping on social first thing in the AM. To keep this habit from messing up the mood I want to carry through my day, I am hyper vigilant about what I click on in the morning. Instead of going into my newsfeed, I only go to accounts I know will be full of positive energy. Some of my favorite early morning/late night go-to accounts are Gabrielle Bernstein, The Trap Witch, Chani Nicholas, and The Hoodwitch. Now if new age spirituality isn’t your vibe, that’s cool. Make sure you aren’t waking up and reading the comments or taking in celeb drama in the first hour of your day.
Move your body.
I don’t care if you run 13 miles or stretch for 10 minutes, get moving first thing in the morning. Not only does an early morning workout wake up your body, it kicks your metabolism into gear and gives you a serotonin boost to lift your mood. And while you’re at it, drink some water.
Protect your vibe.
Now that you’re juiced and ready to get carpe the damn diem, be sure to protect your energy at every turn. While I personally rely on more metaphysical means of protecting my magic each day, you don’t have to. Keeping your vibe high can be as simple as monitoring your social media usage or listening to a bomb playlist while you work. Whatever you need to keep yourself grounded and your energy riding high, do that.
Now please, do me a favor and start rising with intention and stop rising and grinding. We get it, you’re like every other Millennial with a side hustle for your side hustle trying to build your dreams and work off student loan debt.