You've probably heard the old saying many times and, if you had a caring Mother growing up, like I did, you heard it almost every day - - "to start the day off, right, you need a good breakfast."
Well, I'm here to tell you that, if you are a Lawyer (like I am), you need more than a good breakfast to start the day off right.
First, let me mention the things that you should NOT do at the start of the day:
- Don't meet, first thing in the morning, with your most contentious client;
- Don't get into a fight with other members of your Firm or Office;
- Don't come to the office drunk or "high" (in fact, don't do that at any time of the day);
- Don't come to the office right after having had an auto accident on the way to the office; and,
- Don't skip breakfast
All these (and other such) things will not only ruin the start of your day, but your ENTIRE day.
As Robert Pagliarini pointed out in a nice article entitled "Better ways to start the day," which appeared in The Orange County (California) Register newspaper on April 22, 2011, "the first 30 minutes of your day has a powerful grip over the rest of your day - - morning behaviours and attitudes can influence how you feel and what you do for the rest of the day."
Pagliarini suggests five simple things that will "start your day off on a better note and help you live your best life."
- KILL THE KRYPTONITE. Don't hit the snooze button when the alarm wakes you first thing in the morning. Doing so makes you weaker. It unconsciously reinforces the belief that you are weak and can't get out of bed when you had intended to. Break this habit.
- FIRST 5 SECONDS. The first thing you should do is feed your mind. Read an inspirational quote or spiritual message, listen to soothing music, go over your goals, or something constructive.
- GET THE BLOOD FLOWING. The best way to get your mind engaged and primed is to get the body moving. Immediately after you "feed your mind," do a few minutes of light stretching or yoga to get the blood flowing to your muscles and joints loosened.
- POWER JOURNAL. This may be hard for Lawyers to do, but Pagliarini suggests that you spend 15-20 minutes every day writing, brainstorming or just thinking about YOU. One of the best ways to increase your happiness and sense of well-being is to express gratitude.
- BREAKFAST. And, here it is, "Have a good breakfast." Don't just have coffee and a sweet roll. Worse yet, don't have a Bloody Mary.
As Pagliarini states, if you did all of these, it would add maybe 20-30 minutes to your morning schedule, but this would be a valuable "investment" in the rest of your day. Doing these things will make your healthier, give you a more positive attitude, provide a much greater feeling of control, and grant you a sense of peace and calmness.
...and, Heaven knows, what Lawyer couldn't use all of those !
JEROME M. BAME, Esq. Coach-Mentor-Confidant to Lawyers, 10061 Talbert Avenue, Suite 200, Fountain Valley, CA 92708; Telephone (714) 962-4477; Email jmb@PracticingLawSucks.com
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