These 7-steps Morning Ritual Will Surely Make Your Day

You want to have a productive day? and thus be happy and proud of your achievements? then you need to master these 7 steps as they are the tonic for making anyone's day quite productive.

As you may know, a happy morning does not start in the morning, it surely starts the night before.

Here are the tips

1. Have something to look forward to

Making plans with friends the night before can boost your happiness the next day.

Happy mornings start the night before. 

Make sure before you go to bed you have something to look forward to tomorrow.

Research shows anticipation is a powerful happiness booster. It’s 2 for the price of 1: You get the good thing and you get happy in anticipation of the good thing.

Got nothing you’re looking forward to? Schedule lunch with a friend or promise yourself you’ll do something you enjoy. It’s one of the secrets of the happiest people in the world.

 2. Manage your mood

Do something you enjoy first thing.

Research shows your mood in the morning affects your mood for the rest of the day:

“We saw that employees could get into these negative spirals where they started the day in a bad mood and just got worse over the course of the day,” said Steffanie Wilk, associate professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

What makes you happy early in the day? Do that.

Are you often stressed in the morning? Then ask yourself, “What gives me a feeling of control?”

Anything that increases your perception of control over a situation — whether it actually increases your control or not — can substantially decrease your stress level.

3. Eat breakfast

Savor your breakfast.

Do you skip breakfast? I recommend you skip skipping breakfast. Eat something. It puts you in a better mood and increases willpower.

Kids who skip breakfast misbehave more than kids who eat their Wheaties. After a snack, all the children are little angels again.

So eat something. (And don’t kill anybody.) Going to just scarf something down quick? Bad idea.

Savor your breakfast. Take some time to really enjoy it. Research shows savoring — appreciating the good moments — is what separates the happiest people from the average Joe.

The key component to effective savoring is focused attention. By taking the time and spending the effort to appreciate the positive, people are able to experience more well-being.

4. Do something you dread

Yeah, you heard me. This post is about how to feel happy all day. So ask yourself what that thing is that you’re avoiding.

What’s that thing you’re going to feel guilty about not having done? Going to the gym? Doing that awful chore?

I spoke to the leading expert on willpower, Roy Baumeister, and he said we have the most self-control in the morning. That makes it the best time to do that thing you’re trying to dodge.

You have more willpower in the morning so push yourself to do that thing you’ll regret not having done. Afterwards, you’ll feel good about yourself. And the rest of the day will look comparatively easy.

5. Send a “thank you” email

Every morning send a friend, family member or co-worker an email to say thanks for something.

There’s tons and tons and tons of research showing that over time, this alone – one silly email a day – can make you happier.

Or you can send a text. That’s fine too.

6. Plan how you’ll deal with challenges

Ask yourself the question “What’s the worst that could happen today?” Sound like a downer? This is how you keep the day happy. By being ready.

The Stoic philosophers would imagine the worst before any major undertaking. Why? To prepare themselves.

7. Kiss somebody you love

Smooches are good science. Men who kiss their wives before work live 5 years longer, make 20-30% more money and are far less likely to get in a car accident.

A ten-year psychology study undertaken in Germany during the 1980s found that men who kissed their wives before leaving for work lived, on average, five years longer, earning 20 to 30 percent more than peers who left without a peck good-bye. 

The researchers also reported that not kissing one’s wife before leaving in the morning increased the possibility of a car accident by 50 percent. 

Psychologists do not believe it’s the kiss itself that accounts for the difference but rather that kissers were likely to begin the day with a positive attitude, leading to a healthier lifestyle.

No romance in your life right now? Sorry to hear that. But there’s a substitute: Give 5 hugs today.

People assigned to give or receive hugs 5 times a day ended up happier.

Sum up

Here’s the morning ritual that will make you happy all day:

Have something to look forward to: Plans with a friend are always good.

Manage your mood: Don’t check email. Do what gives you a feeling of control.

 Eat breakfast: If you eat nothing and end up killing someone, well… I hope it’s not me.

Do something you dread: You’ve got the willpower. And you’ll feel so much better afterwards.

Send a “thank you” email: Yes, it’s that simple. Really.

Plan how you’ll deal with challenges: Think about the worst that could happen and it probably won’t.

Kiss somebody you love: If this makes you late for work, feel free to blame me.

Don’t wait. You’ll forget. Right now, plan something fun tomorrow.

Or send a “thank you” email.

Or just give that special someone a big kiss. Who says being happy has to be hard?

 Source:     Ways To Be Happy All Day Long