Do you have a fascination with morning routines? I’m always curious about how people use the first hour(s) of their day. Until COVID, I didn’t have a real routine. Some days, I’d set the alarm for 4:00 am to catch an early plane. Other days, I’d have the luxury of sleeping in. I’d always eat breakfast but what I considered “breakfast” might not qualify for everyone. If I only had a short time to get up and go, I’d combine my morning coffee with a protein shake. It tasted awful but I could drink it while I drove to an appointment.

Nowadays, my morning routine is predictable. Every day I set the alarm for 7:15. Why, I have no idea. Every morning, I hit the snooze button or turn it off entirely. Eventually, my cats inspire me to get out of bed and move toward the kitchen for breakfast, scanning the news and journaling. Oh, and getting dressed at some point. It’s much more laid back and casual.

But sometimes I wonder what it would be like to bound out of bed first thing in the morning without an alarm.

Now it’s your turn.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Here are some possibilities:

You’ve hit the “snooze” button on your alarm clock three times and now you’ll have to sprint to catch your train.
Your first Zoom call is in 20 minutes and if you’re lucky, you’ll just have time to wash your face and arrange your hair. Thank goodness you’re wearing pjs with a collar!
You feel a sense of duty to your team, who’s been working on a big project that’s due on Friday and needs your approval to submit the project report.

We’ve all been through the ringer these past couple of years. It’s little wonder that our morning routines reflect that. But as we move into 2022, it might be a good time to come up with some motivating, energizing goals. Goals that will propel us out of bed with enthusiasm.

Without a set of highly motivating goals, you can be working long hours but still feel adrift. Every day can feel like “déjà vu all over again,” to quote Yogi Berra. That’s how I’ve been feeling lately, for sure. How about you?

Here’s a great example. Melanie is a woman with decades of experience and accomplishments. She’s been in the same job for a dozen years. She works long hours and has lots of responsibility but she’s lost her motivation. She feels vague discontent, nothing serious but it’s affecting her energy level, enthusiasm and quality of life.

Our coaching sessions had been lackluster. Useful but not in the territory of passion. Midway through the third session, I blurted, “There’s something not quite anchored in our work together. What are your goals?”

To my relief (because it can be risky to name something like that), she said, “I don’t really know. I’ve been working hard but I sometimes question my value. I’ve got this team, they can do it all on their own. I’m wondering if there’s something else I should be doing.”

We talked a little longer and then she said, “I miss the mentoring piece. No one has actually helped me get better. I’d like to make sure that doesn’t happen to other people.” We went on to create several highly motivating goals that she immediately claimed. She went from ho hum to humming in the course of a phone call.

Having inspiring goals can make you feel like a new person. Research has shown that when you have a goal, your mind automatically scans the environment for information relevant to that goal. Once Melanie decided she wanted to create a mentoring program, she started noticing all sorts of resources that pertained to mentoring. She didn’t even have to do it consciously. Before she knew it, she had a whole folder of great ideas.

Another benefit of goals is that working on one can open the door for other positive changes as a byproduct. For example, if you start exercising, you can count on seeing a positive impact on other areas of life such as diet, self-confidence, patience and productivity. Regular exercise also has an impact on unrelated behaviors, such as reducing the frequency of credit card use. Go figure!

Pursuing goals that inspire you impact your energy level, connection to other people, enthusiasm and overall quality of life. What’s not to like?

As you contemplate the coming year, I invite you to set some really thrilling goals that will have you jumping out of bed with enthusiasm. And I promise to update you on which of my goals will propel me out of bed at 7:15 without the need for an alarm.

P.S. If you’d like help setting and achieving some thrilling goals for 2022, apply for Grow to Lead, my online leadership program launching in January. Click here for an Information and Application Form.