The Spartan Warriors used to say, “Sweat more in training, and you’ll bleed less in war.” Installing a one-hour practice hour from 5AM to 6AM every day… I call it your Victory Hour… Is a game-changing move. It’ll give you the opportunity to practice. Practice building a stronger Mindset, practice purifying your Heartset, practice increasing your Healthset, practice, upgrading your Soulset. One hour not checking your email, not watching the news, not wasting time. One hour in self-mastery is one of the best investments you could ever make. And please remember, the way you begin your day dramatically sets the tone for the way your day unfolds. Now, what are the key elements of a world-class morning routine that sets you up to be a warrior and an amazingly productive person who also navigates the day with a lot of soul? Think about this acronym: MRG. Pretty simple. First thing you want to do is move. Movement. It will create a pharmacy of mastery in your brain. Sweating first thing in the morning by a run, or maybe a spin class, or maybe skipping, will release BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which will actually increase your processing power of your brain. It will promote neurogenesis, which is the repairing of damaged brain cells by stress. Working out first thing in the morning will release dopamine, the inspirational neurotransmitter.
So even if you wake up feeling cranky and grumpy, after your morning workout, you will feel so much more alive and so much more inspired. Working out first thing in the morning, the M in the MRG acronym, moving first thing in the morning will release norepinephrine, which promotes focus. Focus is so important as you go through your day. You’ll release serotonin, which will make you feel better. You’ll release oxytocin, which will make you feel better as well. You’ll increase your metabolic rate, which will give you more energy. I could go on and on, but the first thing you want to do is move actively and intensely. MRG. The second part of
the acronym is R. Reflect. This is where you can sit in solitude. You can pray. You can think about your day. You can actually reflect on how you want to behave in your day. Willpower and habit researchers call it a pre-commitment strategy. You can actually write one paragraph in your journal about how you want to show up and operate during the day ahead. That will
allow you to make such better choices. MRG. The final part is grow. At the end of this one hour, take some time to read quietly. I love autobiographies of lives well lived. Read some philosophy. Maybe you’ll listen to an audiobook. Maybe your growth will come from reviewing your game sheets and your goals. But give yourself that one hour, start a great morning routine, starting tomorrow morning, and watch what happens to your
productivity, your happiness, and your impact.
