Morning Routines = Pathway to Success

The more I meet aspiring soccer players, the more I see the mindsets of amateurs. The thing is, if you want to be a professional, you've got to get your attitude, perspective, priorities, and life in order. To REALLY be successful in this industry, there are going to be a lot of failures, a lot of people saying no, and a lot of frustration and disappointment. How you respond to these, will ultimately reflect in the longevity of your career. Some people just don't know how to take the pressure, but there are some SUPER important hacks to setting up your pathway so that you stay on track. 

There's no magic pill to greatness, but here's the closest thing. With just 5-10 minutes each morning, you can  set yourself up the best possible way for an amazing day... week, month, year, game, season, LIFE! It's probably the most simple and effective way I've seen to boost your happiness levels. Even lazy people can get in on the action. Let dive in!

So there are basically 5 skills or abilities that distinguish a happy + successful person:

1. Savoring the moment; not dwelling on past or future
   
   This involves being able to ground yourself in the present moment. Being able to be mindful of the here and now brings you the opportunity to feel a sense of happiness for being at the point in your life where you currently are. This type of presence + mindfulness is also really useful for your mid-game performance, especially when you've scored an own goal, and you can easily let that negative image out of your mind, so that you can get back into the game without feeling terrible. You can brush off the crap, and focus faster!
   
   
2. Thanking others; cultivating gratitude 
   
   Being grateful is a HUGE, scientifically proven, way to improve your life. When times are hard, it's so beneficial to be able to see the silver-linings, and that just might be the reason why you don't hang your boots up after a tough year. Training your brain to see the good in life and to be thankful for it also helps you savor the moment!
   
   
3. Aspiring to achieve meaningful goals; having a plan and sticking to it
   
   Happy people have goals. If you want to be successful in soccer, setting great goals, whether they're S.M.A.R.T goals, or Stretch goals, or whatever system you use to plan + crush your milestones, will help boost your amount of happiness + sense of achievement in your life! There's lots of momentum that comes after you hit your targets en route to your big dream. 
   
   
4. Giving; unselfishly helping others 
   
   Much of life boils down to one word, "Service." Whether you're working at a shoe store, helping a family member move, or giving advice to a friend, you've got the opportunity to help others. When we do this, there are ripples of kindness that are created in the world and that kindness turns to happiness for anyone who is a part of it. (See 10 facts that prove helping others are key to happiness here)
   
   
5. Empathizing with others; Putting yourself in their shoes
   
   Making it less about you and more about others helps you , build connections with them and since we as humans, thrive from connection, it turns out to boost your happiness (health and all of that good stuff!)

To remember them just think that you'll need to set the "S.T.A.G.E" for your happiness.

So how do you make sure you're stage is set? By rehearsing of course! When you pick a time to practice these things daily or even as little as 3 times per week, you can significantly improve your happiness levels. 

Once you create this little ritual, it doesn’t take a whole lot to start seeing measurable differences (I'd say a few weeks - months of consistent daily practice!). By having a template to work from, you can effortlessly rock it.

That's where The Morning Ritual comes in. I created it to help you develop your mindset for positivity in about 5 minutes. It can't get much simpler than that. It's a really cool journal that you fill out each day. It's laced with scientifically proven tricks to boost your happiness! 

Save the page, fill it out one time each morning, and you'll be on your way to rocking your happiest life ever!

​-z