How Your Morning Routine is Killing Your Dream

You get up at 5 am.

You step outside for some deep breathing exercises.

Then you swing the kettlebell, cool down with a few yoga asanas, and greet the rising sun to trigger your circadian cycle and soak up that healthy vitamin D.

After a cold shower, meditation, and a bit of journaling, you’re primed and ready for a productive day.

I know you.

You’ve managed to optimize your life, biohacking every detail that can give you an edge.

You’ve developed your perfect mind and body to peak condition.

You’re ready to maintain this optimal state indefinitely.

What for?

True, you’re prepared for almost any challenge that comes your way. But nothing worthy of your talents is ever going to show up.

Not unless you choose it and go after it.

And when you do, it will disrupt your routine.

The Most Exciting Truth

I don’t want to drive you away from fitness, health, self-care and vibrant wellness. But don’t lose sight of the most exciting truth:

You are more important than the discipline you’ve created for yourself.

Self-discipline exists to serve you, not the other way around.

Your efforts are wasted if all your creativity and energy just go into journal entries and better exercise routines.

And you will stagnate if you consistently avoid experiences that keep you up past your bedtime.

So what should you do instead? 

80/20 Your Life

Let’s look at a variation of the 80/20 principle.

Devote 80% of your time to living your disciplined, optimized life.

Dedicate 20% to making it a life worth living.

That high-value 20% gives you about a day and a half per week to bend the rules in pursuit of something bigger.

What is that “something bigger” supposed to be?

Your choice.

Finding Your Life’s Purpose 101

What have you always wanted to do, but never succeeded, maybe never tried, maybe never even gave yourself permission to want?

What big passion of yours would you like to put even more time into?

What important cause do you believe in?

Find a problem to solve.

If you can’t devote time or money to it, at least learn a little bit about the problem.

Read about it, think about it, talk about it.

Still don’t have an answer?

If nothing tugs at your heart, pick out something you think is important. Once you get involved, you’ll begin to care more about it.

Sign up for bass lessons or an improv class. Go on a one-mile hike. Circulate a petition to save the coral reefs.

Maybe you can’t go to Paris. But you can treat yourself to a cafe latte at a local coffee shop, and read Victor Hugo while you sip it.

Human beings are meant to have variety, experience, growth, learning, relationships, purpose, and meaning.

Your routines are just there to give you the physical, mental, and financial health to dream bigger and better dreams.

Routines are only valuable if you have a good reason to break them from time to time.