Starting your day on a positive note can make a surprising difference. As a business owner, the course of your business depends solely on you. As such, how you approach each day will significantly impact your productivity.
Imagine waking up feeling confident about what needs to get done and working through your to do list with positive energy. Ticking off the your tasks for the day and feeling accomplished as you keep moving towards your ultimate goals.
Just for a minute, let’s take a look at the opposite side of this coin…. we may start the day feeling stressed, worried about the challenges we will need to face and maybe even doubtful that we have what it takes to succeed in the business world. These negative feelings can squash our confidence and in a worst case scenario, may lead to us giving up on the whole building a business dream.
Ask yourself which of these mornings you’d rather experience for yourself? Of course, on a daily basis, most people are usually somewhere between the two scenarios above.
But what if you could have more mornings of the former and more positive kind? What difference would that make to your life, your business and even your frame of mind?
Research Shows Positivity Impacts Productivity
Barbara Fredrickson is a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina and some of her most-referenced research proves that positive thoughts and reinforcement helps to improve work outlook and productivity.
Her study consisted of 5 groups of people:
- 2 groups were shown video clips that were joyful and produced positive feelings
- 2 groups were shown video clips that evoked negative emotionsand
- 1 group was the control group who were not shown any video clips at all
Each person was then asked to answer a series of questions. The groups who viewed the positive videos were more likely to see solutions to problems than those who viewed the negative videos. In short, the positive group saw more possibilities with their lives. They broadened their minds with positivity and creative thinking rather than narrowing their focus to just the negativity.
Ideas for Starting Your Day on a Positive Note
If you want to create a positive start to your day you’ll first need to consider your current routine, how it makes you feel and whether it has any benefits.
The most positive morning routine for every person will vary somewhat, which means that what works for one, won’t necessarily work for others. The key is to discover what makes YOU feel calm, refreshed and positive about the new day ahead.
Start by analysing how you wake up in the morning…
Are you constantly hitting the snooze button before dragging yourself out of bed at the last moment and rushing around to make sure you’re dressed and ready for work on time?
- Do you need 15 minutes of quiet to enjoy your morning cuppa?
- Do you relish an energetic morning work out?
- Does meditation or yoga help you feel grounded and ready for the day?
- Do you need spiritual reassurance, such as from the Bible or other spiritual book?
- Do you read a novel while you eat breakfast?
- Have you tried journaling to ease you into the new day?
- Do you have a written plan of action each day so you know exactly what you have to accomplish?
No matter how you choose to start your day, be consistent, even during stressful times and on the weekends. When tiny habits are done consistently, they become a part of your everyday routine and you won’t have to think about them again.
Start the day on a positive note:
Write down any changes you make to your morning routine and take notes on how it affects your mood and productivity throughout the day.
