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By Aubrey Marcus
Nick Saban, possibly the greatest coach in the history of college football, tells his players to follow what he calls "the Process."
The average down in football lasts seven seconds.
If his team wants to win the National Championship, then they should focus on the smallest unit of measure.
Seven seconds.
Focus on what's in front of you. Focus on something you can chew and swallow. Focus on the micro - and the macro takes care of itself.
We are going to flip the script and re-calibrate our daily activities. To own your life, you gotta own the day. Owning one part of your day will be a catalyst to meaningful, demonstrable change. Change is the essence of evolution. To master 24 hours is to master your life.
Everyone Has Room to Improve
I was stressed, depressed, and suffering as a consequence. One day near my 30th birthday, I made a commitment to be better. I chose to take responsibility for my life. I found the tools and practices that could bring me total human optimization. Dare to dream of great success.
Examine Your Day
What do you do when you wake up? What do you eat? Are you getting enough vitamins and healthy substances? Are you seeking good stress and avoiding bad stress? Are you taking advantage of alive time when you travel? How do you wind down after a long day? Are you having enough sex?
Guide to the Book
Owning it is a matter of having the knowledge and the specific prescription needed to create positive, repeatable habits. Your goal is to prepare and own one full day, like a total boss. Are you ready? Then let's go hero, go!
Chapter 1 - Water. Light. Movement.
Hydrate with water (not coffee) immediately upon waking up with a 12 ounce glass of water. 60% of the average adult human body is made up of water. 7+ hours without drinking a drop of water can lead to a pound of water lost overnight.
Preparation Habit: Drink a glass of water right before going to bed and refill the glass of water to put on your nightstand to drink as soon as you wake up.
Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote, "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work - as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I'm going to do what I was born for - the things which I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?"
Stoics use discipline to wake up and perform their morning routine. It's all about building momentum.
Aubrey Marcus recommends the Morning Mineral Cocktail = 12 ounces of filtered water, 3 grams of sea salt, and 1/4 squeezed lemon, which is what pro fighters do when they are recovering from cutting weight, and if it's good enough for the best in the world on their most important day, it should be good enough for us too.
Get Lit
Open the curtains and wake up with the sun. As your circadian rhythms go, so goes the rest of your life. Timing of these rhythms can easily become altered by the environment or choices we make, which can cause internal desynchronization. The strongest synchronizing agent is (blue) light. Environmental light, aka sunlight, is the most natural and abundant source of blue light.
Get into the light every time you wake up from sleep or from a nap.
Movement
You want to increase core temperature, cortisol, circulation, and release endorphins that will make you more alert. If you sleep with your significant other, then morning sex is a great way to start moving to start your day.
15 burpees before your morning (cold) shower will take less than a minute and will also get your movement job done. [How to do a burpee]
The point here is not to exercise, it's to elevate your heart rate and get the lead out - all without crossing the threshold for activity that requires some form of recovery. We want to add movement, activity, and play into all parts of your day.
Getting hydrated, getting lit, and getting moving is the initial momentum to start your day. You can complete three simple tasks.
Accomplish these in the first 20 minutes, and you have set the tone for the entire day. It's your on-ramp to the highway of happiness and effectiveness. You are the captain of your internal universe. You choose to go get the sun and the water and to move the clouds of stagnation in your body.
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