Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to take an intensive course with Heidi Hope of Heidi Hope Photography and besides all of the wonderful photography related information, I was given, I was also given a lot of wonderful advice.  One bit of advice that was given was from a book by —- called —-.  In the book, — speaks about the importance of your morning routine.  Did you know that 95% of people fail in anything 0_0.  Only 5% succeed and the people who are the most successful have some kind of morning routine.  Well I refuse to fail.  I tell myself every morning “5%” to keep me motivated.  To help in this,  I have adopted a morning routine of my own.  There are some specific things that you should incorporate into your morning routine to help your day flow.  So tomorrow morning, get up at least 30 minutes early and do the following:

Have a Healthy Breakfast

We have all heard it.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  This is the meal that gives us the nutrients and energy we need to get us through the day.  It also helps us to focus. Nothing like working hungry all day and waiting until lunch.  Who can put their all into work when their mind is on food?  I can’t.  I get hangry very easily and no one wants to deal with that beast.

Quiet Time

This is my favorite part of the routine.  Grab your cup of coffee and read for a few minutes, take some time to meditate, or free write.  Just get your mood ready for the day.  No social media. Don’t overstimulate your brain.  Visualize what your day is going to be like. Plan for positivity.  If you’re a creative, this time will give your brain the chance to let go and make room for creativity.

Exercise

My life struggle!! But working out in the morning really sets a tone for your day.  You will feel refreshed and accomplished and ready to take on what the day brings.

Make Your To Do List

This is the best time to fully plan out your day.  Put the hardest things at the top of your list and work your way done to the easiest. I know I love nothing better then to see things on my to do list crossed or checked off.  It’s really fulfilling and having a daily to do list is a great way to keep your day in order and productive.

Do you find that waking up early and getting a good start to your day makes a difference?  What are some of your morning practices?

I started a blog.  Actually I started my fifth blog.  I have been giving this blogging thing a go many times throughout out the years.  My second blog was mildly successful but it was never on topic of the things that I wanted to blog about and always ended up being about what I thought people wanted to see and I wasted a lot of time and money doing it.  I keep coming back to blogging because I really love to write and share life through my own unique perspective.  I love the connections I make with people and the stories I get to read sharing with other bloggers and the overall community of bloggers BUT blogging is a lot of work!!

Every time I take it on, I think I’m prepared.  I’m not.  This time I have done so much research and learned TONS of new information to take on this task and now that I have launched the blog I still feel completely unprepared!  Between making sure my SEO is on point, and networking, and sharing my posts, and monetizing …AHHHHH… and that’s without even including writing the content which is the most important part.  Not to mention I am running a creative portrait business full-time, I am a mom, and I am trying my hardest to stop being the disorganized mess I have become.  WHAT WAS I THINKING STARTING A BLOG?? Lol

….but I refuse to be overwhelmed or quit and this time I am going to succeed harder than I have ever succeeded at blogging before.  I know there have to be bloggers out there who are struggling with just getting everything off the ground like me, so this post is in solidarity with all my fellow starter bloggers!  Raise your hand if you’ve thought on occasion, what am I doing?? *raises both hands* We’re all in the same boat and I’m sure there is something that has helped you along the way to stay on track and stay motivated.  For me there are two things.  The first is a content calendar.  Mine is pretty wonky still and I am still working out parts of it but it really helps to keep me on track and make sure I always have something to post.  My second is my community.  Talking and sharing with other bloggers is paramount for the future success of this blog!  I learn so much from others and I find lots of great inspiration and I am motivated to keep going by watching all of the success others have had.  So this journey continues and it is truly a struggle some days but one I am happy for!!

Are you a new blogger?  Have you been blogging for ages?  Please share some of your tips for what keeps you motivated or what you found was the most helpful thing when starting out!  If you’re not a blogger what are somethings you do in your area of expertise to keep you motivated?

I had a tiny bit of savings and a whole lot of hope when I walked out of the door from the job I had been at for the last six years.  It was a good job in that it was very secure and it paid relatively well with increases annually (sometimes three times a year).  Being in that office, I probably would have been set for the life.  There were people retiring who had been there 30+ years and retired with great pensions that would leave them in a good position for the rest of their lives. But I walked out of the door with just enough hope to push me over the threshold and this is why.

A steady paycheck is nice.  IT REALLY IS. But you know what else is nice?  Being healthy. Having peace of mind. Being happy.  My job paid bills and was unhealthy, toxic, and soul-killing.  The anxiety that it caused made me a miserable and barely healthy person.  As I struggle with anxiety as is, working in an atmosphere where you are yelled at daily, over-looked, and over-worked only exacerbates that and once I started being forced to take on work that was not part of my original job description and being punished if I didn’t, I knew it was something I couldn’t do anymore.

Well God knew it too and my job offered layoffs.  The day it happened, my coworkers started emailing me saying, “This is it!” and I knew they were right.

I knew that I had always wanted to work for myself and generate an income off of something that I loved and controlled myself.  So I left with very little money saved and I set out on my adventure.  The adventure of entrepreneurship.

Do I know how I am going to pay my bills from month to month?  Nope!  Is my savings starting to dwindle?  Yep! Am I working harder everyday to get everything in place to be able to sustain a livable income?  Sure am!  …and I am the happiest I have been in a long time and I work everyday to get back on track to being healthy as well.

I jumped …and right now I’m still gliding but one day soon, I will fly and if you stay here with me, you will watch me on my journey to soaring heights.

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