Your daily ritual

Nature is new each day. Flowers bloom, tides ebb and flow, the sun rises and sets always - fresh and new.

Every morning is a new beginning; a new day and a potential fresh start to your life.

The first few hours of your day have the power to shape the rest of your day. Today, I will share seven powerful ways to start your day -- the Corporate Sufi way.

1. Start your day with clarity of your goals -- 90-day, monthly and weekly goals. Read these goals every morning and before going to bed. If you have not articulated these goals, spend a weekend to write them out.

Your 90-day goals would include items about your work, finance, lifelong learning, health, family & spirituality.

2. Decide on 3 important mini work goals and 3 important mini personal goals that you would like to accomplish today that are aligned to your 90-day goals. If you were to do 100 things, but not these goals, your day will be wasted. But, if you finish these three work goals and personal goals your day is a Wow!

3. Schedule these mini work and personal goals and the timing around when you will tackle them. By attending to these goals first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be a ‘piece of cake’.

My co-author of What you Seek is Seeking You, Brian Tracy says, “Eat the frog first thing in the morning”. Using “frog” as a metaphor for the difficult yet important things.

4. Practice the Corporate Sufi ‘Hour of Power’ -- 20 minutes meditation; 20 minutes exercise, and 20 minutes reading something uplifting. This one hour you invest in yourself in the morning will significantly enhance the next 23 hours of your day - you are more dynamic, energetic, fulfilled.

5. Say, “I love you and thank you” to your loved ones -- spouse, children, parents, grandparents. Love them the way they are; not the way you want them to be!

6. Dress your best for the day that conveys the message, “I mean business” and “I walk, talk and breathe success!”.

7. Recite loudly the following:

* Today will be the best day ever in my life. I will be more alive, more alert, and grateful.

* Thank you for the most wonderful life that I have been blessed with. I am ever so grateful for everything that has happened to me in my life - the good, the bad, the indifferent - all of these experiences collectively have made me richer in every sense of the word.

* I know that I am not perfect today nor will I ever be. Perfection is not what I strive for, but rather being human, kind, gracious, insightful, wise, authentic, excellent, grateful, and balanced.

* I came with nothing in the world and I will go back with nothing except my actions, good deeds and contributions. I commit to make positive impact today in everything I do - small or big.

* Thank you for giving me the opportunity to think afresh and start afresh, for yesterday is gone and tomorrow who knows. But I have today and that is all that counts. Today well-lived makes yesterday a good dream and tomorrow full of hope and confidence.

The above rituals will take you less than 90 minutes, but will make you focused, positive and happier in your life’s pursuits. Sleep 90 minutes earlier than normal so you can wake up earlier and get a head start to your day - the Corporate Sufi way!