5am-morning-ritual.pdf

THE LIFE CHANGING MORNING RITUAL FOR BUSY ENTREPRENEURS

Dan Luca * The Life Changing Morning Ritual * Page 1 www.5amhacks.com

Rituals are part of our everyday life. They are used in all areas of our existence in order to simplify the sequence of actions needed to be taken in order to reach a desired outcome. We may have a ritual for setting the table for dinner, a ritual for studying, a ritual before giving a speech, a ritual before the big game, and so on… Many of us have reached the conclusion that it’s easier to !nd out what is working and then keep repeating these steps in a precise sequence, in order to get the same desired results. Rituals give us predictability and allow us to increase the results/e" ort ort ratio because, as Aristotle said: “We “ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” The Morning Ritual that I am sharing with you in this Special Report is the outcome of more than 5 years of helping busy entrepreneurs build worldclass businesses while having great personal lives. All the items in this ritual have passed the test of time and relevance, but more important, all of these practices are easy to put into practice and deliver results in just a few short days. Wake up & LIVE! Dan


YOU CAN’T TEACH OTHERS WHAT YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ONLY TEACH THEM WHAT YOU ARE This is my life long credo that allows me to be fully in alignment and “walk my talk”


THE 8 STEPS OF THE LIFE CHANGING MORNING RITUAL The Life Changing Morning Ritual is comprised of the following steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Gratitude for a Fresh Day (3 minutes) The Hawaiian Meditation (7 minutes) High Intensity Interval Training TABATA Exercise (4 minutes) Shower Learning (10 minutes) The Best Breakfast in the World - Blueberry Smoothie (7 minutes) Journaling (5 minutes) The Goal of the Day (10 minutes) The Relationship Enhancing Note (5 minutes)

This ritual takes only 51 minutes to perform from start to !nish. For each of the steps in this report, I’ll answer these questions: -

What is each step? Why is it great? What is the best way to practice it? When & Where? What are some common pitfalls and remedies?

We are now at the starting point. Are you ready? Let’s Begin!


STEP 1 MORNING GRATITUDE 3 MINUTES What is this? It’s a practice that sets the tone for the day. It’s a fast and easy way to put yourself in a great state in the !rst few minutes of the day. Why is it great? Gratitude has the bene!t of releasing the oxytocin hormone that counters any anxiety released hormones, such as cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) So, how are you going to do this? What are you going to write about? All you have to do is take 2 minutes and start writing all the things that you are grateful for… You can use the phrase: “I am so grateful that…” The topics of your gratitude can include: • health, spouse, children, money, clients, parents, friends, knowledge and things less obvious such as… • hot water, food, a shelter, a bed, clothes to wear, your eyesight, your ability to walk, the fact that you live in a peaceful country, that you have the freedom of speech and the freedom to pursue your dreams. Dan Luca * The Life Changing Morning Ritual * Page 5 www.5amhacks.com

The best time and place to do this is: While you brush your teeth. You read and feel the things you consider to be the most important for you and your life. Possible pitfalls & remedies: • You might forget to do this: it’s not the case if you write 8-12 items on a list and stick it on the bathroom mirror. Exercise: Please take 2 minutes and write down at least 8 things that you are grateful for right now:

1. _____________________________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. _____________________________________________________________________________ 5. _____________________________________________________________________________ 6. _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. _____________________________________________________________________________ 8. _____________________________________________________________________________


STEP 2 THE HAWAIIAN MEDITATION 7 MINUTES What is this? Meditation, as I see it, is about quieting the mind and becoming aware of the present. Mind has the strange habit of being either in the past or in the future, and almost never in the present. But the body is always in the present, so, becoming aware of the breathing is an easy way to stay in the “here and now”. After trying many types of meditation practices, I came to the conclusion that the simplest and most e" ective is The Ho’Oponopono meditation. Dr. Hew Len teaches Ho’Oponopono which is the ancient Hawaiian system of healing, problem solving and transformation. You can read in detail about this system in the book “Zero Limits”. Why is it great? This is a very powerful technique that has brought peace and healing to me and to many others. It’s a great way to start the day, to clear all that is incomplete over the night and to start fresh and energised. Just as we shower on the outside, we need an internal shower to cleanse anxieties, frustrations, stress and leave our body, mind and heart refreshed and ready for a great day. Dan Luca * The Life Changing Morning Ritual * Page 7 www.5amhacks.com

How do you do this? 1. Relax with eyes closed - you don’t need to be in a meditation position, it’s ok to sit up with the back straight. You can even sit in a chair. 2. Inhale through your nose gently while counting (Count in your mind 1-2-3-4-5-6-7) 3. Hold your breath for seven seconds (Count in your mind 1-2-3-4-5-6-7) 4. Exhale out of your mouth for a count of seven (Count in your mind 1-2-3-4-5-6-7) 5. Hold your breath for seven seconds (Count in your mind 1-2-3-4-5-6-7) 6. Do this for seven minutes 7. Slowly open your eyes and notice how clear and balanced you feel! Possible pitfalls & remedies • falling asleep: if it happens don’t worry, you just need more sleep. Plan to get at least an extra half an hour of sleep tonight. • abundant thoughts coming to mind: keep counting, because in this way you will keep your mind from wandering. • no great improvements or “aha” moments after the !rst sessions: it takes a few sittings to relax and quiet the mind. Give it time and your e" orts will be rewarded.


STEP 3 HIIT TABATA EXERCISE 4 MINUTES What is this? Tabata training was discovered by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. The findings were used to train the Japanese Olympic team. Why is it great? Tabata and his team conducted research on two groups of athletes: - one group trained at a moderate intensity level while - the other group trained at a high intensity level. The moderate intensity group worked out five days a week for a total of six weeks; each workout lasted one hour. The high intensity group worked out four days a week for six weeks; each workout lasted four minutes and 20 seconds (with 10 seconds of rest in between each set). The results: Group one had increased their aerobic system (cardiovascular), but showed little or no results for their anaerobic system (muscle).


Group two that performed the TABATA workout showed much more increase in their aerobic system than group one, and increased their anaerobic system by 28 percent. In conclusion, high intensity interval training has more impact on both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. But the trick to getting all these bene!ts is the level of intensity. You’ll know if you are at the right intensity level if you feel nauseous, you're seeing stars or you’re sucking wind. How can you do this the proper way? The Tabata workout lasts only four minutes, but is one of the longest four minutes you'll ever live. The structure of the program is this: • Workout hard for 20 seconds • Rest for 10 seconds Dan Luca * The Life Changing Morning Ritual * Page 10 www.5amhacks.com

• Complete eight rounds The exercises that I suggest to you, are the ones that I have found to be very e" ective and will give you a full body workout and will be easy to practice at home. 1. Run in place for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 2. Jumping jacks for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 3. Jumping squats for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 4. Push ups for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 5. Bicycle crunches for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 6. Burpees for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 7. Mason twists for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec 8. Mountain Climbers for 20 sec / rest for 10 sec The greatest thing with this kind of workout is that you can start without any prior training because you do less reps of each exercise and you build up from there. And even when you become advanced, you can increase the intensity and do more reps in the same amount of time. The amazing thing is that even if you are a beginner or super-advanced, it takes the same amount of time. Possible pitfalls & remedies • You might !nd it hard at the beginning: do as much as you can of each exercise, you will develop endurance in a few days and you will improve very quickly from that point on. Also check out the “Quick 4” app. It features a countdown timer for each exercise and it keeps you on track almost like a personal trainer. Make sure you also watch the YouTube video with detailed explanations; search also for “Quick 4”.


STEP 4 SHOWER LEARNING 10 MINUTES What is this? It’s an ingenious way to use your limited time in the morning in a more productive way. In this case, it’s about having a bluetooth speaker in your shower, so that you can listen to audiobooks, TED talks or anything else while you shower. Why is it great? This is truly great because you can sync it with your smartphone and, while your body gets refreshed, the mind can receive great nourishment right from the beginning of the day. How can you do this? It’s quite easy: go online at amazon.com and order it. Just search for: “EcoXgear ECOXBT” As a side disclaimer, I am not getting any commission on any product that I am recommending. So, you can hang it in the shower, using the hook that it comes with. It works on batteries so you don’t have to worry about being close to an outlet.


You can take it with you on your vacation as it’s fully waterproof and crashproof. Just keep you smartphone !lled with great audiobooks and your morning shower will become a “learning experience”. It works with iPhone and Android also. Here are 4 audiobooks that I recommend you listen to, if you are not sure what would be a good place to start: (not getting anything out of this, either…) 1. Tony Robbins - Get the Edge 2. Jim Rohn - The Art of Exceptional Living 3. Napoleon Hill - The Master Keys to Success 4. Stephen Covey - The 8th Habit Possible pitfalls & remedies: • You don’t want to be in there forever, so… keep track of your time and don’t get carried away. • You don’t have anything great to play - make sure you have your playlist ready every morning.


STEP 5 THE BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST 10 MINUTES What is this? This breakfast is a smoothie. Why? Because it’s fast, it’s nutritious and delicious! It’s the best breakfast you can have in the morning so that you get your optimal dose of antioxidants and nutrients for an entire day. It’s not the breakfast of champions, but it’s the daily breakfast of an MD, Phd with more than 30 years of clinical nutrition experience. Why is it great? This great guy’s name is Dr. Greger - a physician, author, and internationally recognised speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. He is a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and is licensed as a general practitioner specialising in clinical nutrition. He is the founder of nutritionfacts.org a website with more than 1 million visitors a month.


How can you make this great breakfast? Use these ingredients: • • • • • •

A cup of unsweetened soy milk A half a cup of frozen blueberries The pulp of a nice ripe Mexican mango A tablespoon of ground $ax seeds A palmful of bulk white tea leaves A teaspoon of gooseberry powder

You can get all of these from a good supermarket, a Whole Foods Market or your local health food store or online at amazon.com Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix them - you’ll get approximately 17 ounces of smoothie. Please also watch the video that Dr. Greger made on this topic from his website: nutritionfacts.org and search for: “A better breakfast”.


STEP 6 JOURNALING 5 MINUTES What is this? It’s the easiest way to stay connected to your true self, to the best version of yourself. Why is it great? This is great because, as you probably already know, all the resources that you need are inside of you. Turn your attention inwards and !nd the signi!cance for everything you do. Journaling might also be called the act of thinking in writing. A few years back I heard a quote that I still remember every time I see my journal: “Great ideas will visit you only once. You’d better capture them, or you’ll loose them”. How can you practice this? Answer these questions in a nice journal. My absolute favorite is Moleskin. If you are not yet a fan, you should try it…


The 5 life changing questions that you should answer each day are: 1. What would I dare to do if I knew I could not fail? 2. What am I assuming about what’s possible and impossible? 3. What hill am I willing to die on? 4. What brings me joy and ful !lment? 5. What revolution do I want to lead? Possible pitfalls & remedies: • Writer’s block: that’s why I included the 5 questions, so you don’t have to come up with “the right questions” o " the top of your head each morning at 5:45 AM. • Lack of Preparation: make sure you have your journal and your pen ready and have a quiet place to write. • Not knowing whether to journal by hand or journal on the computer. Based on experience, most people !nd that it is much better to write by hand rather than type on a computer as you engage much more with the process. It’s ok at the computer or other device, but please give handwriting a try !rst.


STEP 7 THE GOAL OF THE DAY 10 MINUTES What is this? It’s an extreme way of prioritising a busy entrepreneur’s agenda. Instead of working in a lot of small chunks, on a lot of projects, work on one chunk of the most important project for the whole day. Why is this practice great? Single focused minds tend to win the game every time. Do the most important step !rst. Forget everything else. Single focused days have changed my last months. My productivity exploded and the quality of my work went through the roof. How do you "nd the most important goal of the day? • Make a list of 5 goals that you want to achieve today. Put them on a blank sheet of paper on a grid. • Take each goal and compare it with each of the others. Each time you compare them, ask yourself: If I have to accomplish only one goal today, which of these two will it be? Write the one that wins down on the grid. For example, when comparing #1 vs. #2 - if the most important is #2, write #2 in the corresponding white square.


• After you’ve compared all the goals, add up the number of times each one has appeared, and the one which appeared most often, is your one goal for the day. (see picture) Sanity check after you "nd the Goal of the Day. Ask these questions: 1. If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? If the answer is YES, go on. (Steve Jobs asked himself this question every day.) 2. Would I want to call my best friend at the end of the day and brag about this accomplishment? 3. Will this goal count 5 years from now? 4. What advice would “X" (mentor) give me on accomplishing this goal? 5. How could I reach this goal for today if I worked for only 1 hour? 6. What is a completely di " erent way of achieving this goal? Possible pitfalls & remedies: • Pressing matters to attend to: It’s quite interesting, but when you work consistently on your no.1 priority, you have way fewer !res to put out. So, this is a remedy in itself. Dan Luca * The Life Changing Morning Ritual * Page 19 www.5amhacks.com

STEP 8 THE RELATIONSHIP ENHANCEMENT NOTE 5 MINUTES What is this? It’s an easy and simple way of upgrading your relationship; a distinct gesture of appreciation at the beginning of the day that can really light things up in a couple. Why is it great? It is awesome because you only need 5 minutes (or less) to write a great note. Do some soul searching and write something from the heart, write something that will brighten your spouse’s day, write something that will bring a smile to the face of your loved one. I’m sure that you know how great it is to feel the love of your most important person in your life. You feel invincible! This is why doing this for someone else is a great relationship enhancer!


How can you write this note? You don’t need to become a card writer for Hallmark. You don’t even need to become a part-time writer. It’s enough to choose from the questions that I will give you and answer them from your heart. That’s it! Here are some questions that you can answer and put them in the note: - What compliment have you never made to your spouse? - What is one trait of your partner that you are glad the he/she has, because you lack it? - In what way has your spouse pleasantly surprised you in the last days? Why do you appreciate that? - What compliment would you like to receive from your spouse? So that you can o" er it !rst… or if you like something more straightforward, you can use one of these: - You inspire me - I love to hear you laugh - You are my biggest treasure; I feel rich every day! - Your gorgeous smile can lighten up my darkest day - You amaze me with your… - You light up my life - You have a beautiful soul - You are lovely in so many ways - I am the luckiest man alive when you hold my hand - I have butter$ies in my stomach when you say my name - I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you


Possible pitfalls & remedies: • Out of inspiration: Write more than one note on the “inspired” days and keep them for the “low inspiration” days. • You stop writing because your spouse is not writing back to you: If you are willing to wait for a few more days, you will see some changes in your spouse’s behavior. But this is not the purpose of this practice. Do it because it makes you feel great and because you can show daily appreciation for the person you’ve chosen to be your spouse. • You are reluctant to repeat some of the “greatest hits” from the previous days or weeks, you seek only new stu " : A belief is carved into our minds after many repetitions. So, actually, you are doing your spouse a favour by repeating some of the ones that had great impact on him or her. You rea%rm that you really believe that and it makes you feel grateful, often.


51 MINUTES You are now at the end of the Life Changing Morning Ritual and you have spent only 51 minutes in the process! If you add an extra 1 minute between each step as an on-ramp and o" ramp… you still have spent less than 60 minutes… 58 to be accurate! 1. Gratitude for a Fresh Day (3 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 2. The Hawaiian Meditation (7 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 3. TABATA Exercise (4 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 4. Shower Learning (10 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 5. Breakfast - Blueberry Smoothie (7 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 6. Journaling (5 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 7. The Goal of the Day (10 minutes) - transition (1 minute) 8. Relationship Note (5minutes)


Now, do you want to make everything even easier and more predictable?… You might think that it’s hard to remember all these steps, the sequence, the timing… it’s nearly impossible to get it right and stick to this routine… but… This is why, I am happy to tell you that you can now delegate all the time keeping and sequence remembering to a virtual assistant. It’s an app that is called “Seconds” for iOS and Android.

It really is awesome because you set this routine in the software and you just press play after you wake up. After that, all you have to do is keep up with the timer, as the steps are being counted to zero. You do need to prepare everything before going to bed at night, but other than that, your !rst hour every morning is pure joy and outstanding results. I even created a sequence with the Morning Ritual, so all you have to do is download the pro version of “Seconds” on your phone, and import the !le below.


This is the link with the programmed sequence: http://www.intervaltimer.com/timers/5571832 (again, not making any commission, just for the added value that it brings to you) If you don’t want to pay extra, you can still use it as a desktop app. That’s it! You are ready for a great morning and an excellent day! Wake up & LIVE! Dan


5am-morning-ritual.pdf

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