Stop shaming yourself for not doing a downward dog at 6am
Morning routines. Do you have ones you swear by? I end up swearing when I try to stick to any of them. I am not disciplined or consistent enough at all to follow rigid regimes. I don’t like to be controlled and being told what to do, no matter if it is a boss – or a morning routine calling the shots. Still, in the entrepreneurial sphere, it is looked at as something we all should be doing in order to become successful. But should we? Do these routines really make a difference?
You know the titles and catchy posts I mean: ‘morning routines for wildly successful entrepreneurs‘. Instagram and LinkedIn are littered with them. Posts in which some ambitious person tells us how they always get up at 6am, do a round of sun salutations and downward dogs, sit and meditate for 30 minutes, and then write their goals in their journal while sipping a vitamin-packed green smoothie with curcuma and chia seeds. The extra keen beans throw in a Wim Hof ice bath too before they even open their laptop at 8.30.
Maybe if I was a health and fitness coach…these routines would absolutely suit me. But I am a creative business coach, and quite frankly, no.
The best morning routine for creative entrepreneurs?
I tell you about my morning routine. It consists of being woken up by shouting kids at 7am, tripping over the cats, grumbling in the bathroom, sorting out breakfast and school bags, before finally drinking my coffee in peace at 9am. The only sun salutation I do is on my terrace, saying cheers to the big yellow one in the blue Spanish sky. An ideal start of the day? Maybe not, but it is reality for most of us with families, and we don’t need any more guilt and pressure thrown at us for just trying our best. Well done you, if you manage to combine kids, business and your morning meditation, but it ain’t me.
Why am I telling you this? Because I want us to all stop shaming ourselves for not not doing what we supposedly ‘should be doing’. We have enough on our to-do-lists.
Look at everything you already do well, and have achieved, without copying someone else’s routine. There is always room for improvement, for sure, but celebrate yourself a little bit more. And tune in with yourself, with what morning activities come easily to you. That may be yoga, or that may be just sitting in silence, sipping your tea, reading your emails.
Rigid routines don’t really suit a creative brain
I have built a pretty successful creative coaching business, by just sticking to what works for me. I am not one for rigid structures and strict planning. My creative brain, and Enneagram type 7 personality, quickly get bored of that. I am good at executing ideas, and work hard at my goals. But I also stay open to what else may arise, and what feels good in the moment. I read self development books but not weekly, and I meditate, but not very often. I listen to podcasts only when I have the time, and I journal daily, simply because writing comes natural to me. That is how I do it. But why would I claim that this is the golden recipe for success?
We are all different people, with different energies and different ways of doing things.
No entrepreneur is the same. And creative entrepreneurs with quirky businesses are probably not on the same wavelength as someone who works for a corporate business where they are used to operate within a very rigid structure already. Also, when you start diving into personality tests such as the Enneagram or Human Design, this may give you some great insights as to why you work in a certain way, and may not be able to stick to rigid routines. Once you understand better how you are wired, it is much easier to be gentle with yourself and choose what works for you.
You do you. If you love a strict daily routine, by all means, follow it. But all you people out there, who feel guilty and a failure because you don’t have a morning routine, or you don’t digest enough business books or podcasts to help you further – stop it. You are enough. Be at peace with yourself.
Find what makes you tick, choose what brings you joy
Being successful as an entrepreneur has absolutely zero to do with whether you have a ‘great morning routine’. The key to success in life is to know who you are, and understand what makes you tick. To find the joy and the flow in your life and work, and make sure your business is aligned with your core values. Once you have that clarity, you feel so much more focused already. By all means, take good care of your health, exercise, and read good books. But stop comparing yourself to others. You can be as successful as you like, in your own time.
So relax, my fellow rebel, I salute you and support you! You are awesome.
Schedule a free 30-minute call in my diary if you are ready for the next step in business, and are looking to work a creative business coach like me.