Get ready for an amazing insight coming at you. People with a good, positive, optimistic attitude tend to enjoy their day more and accomplish more than people with a negative, depressing, pessimistic attitude. See, I told you—deep insight. You’re welcome.

We know this from research and from our own experience. But how do we create and maintain the positive mindset we need to live a happier, healthier, life and reach all our goals?

There are 7 great tips at the bottom of this post, but I want to begin with this:

Start every morning by thinking about all the great things in your life. For most of us it’s pretty easy coming up with at least a short list.

I have a routine I go through every day when I wake up that gets me up on the right side of the bed. I’m a Christian, so for me this ties into my religion. But you can use the same type of technique whether you’re religious or not. Instead of a thankful prayer list, simply make it your gratitude list.

As I slowly wake up, I start to pray. I thank God for for my wife, my children, my extended family, and my friends. I thank Him for the fact that I have more than enough to provide my family with food, clothing, and shelter. I praise Him for the fact that I was born in the United States of America and I have so many opportunities to create a life of abundance for myself and enough to help others as well. I give thanks for having jobs that I love, and I’m grateful for my excellent health.

As I’m saying my prayers, I’m creating beautiful images in my head of everything I’m praying about. As I do this, I can feel my body and spirit coming more and more alive. Feelings of peace and happiness and ambition well up within me and I begin to feel excited about getting out of bed and starting the day. I spend about three minutes doing this. (I know this sounds kind of touchy-feely, but if you try it for a few days I think you will be amazed at the results you get.)

After I’m done giving thanks, I spend the next three to five minutes being grateful for my future life with all my major goals achieved. I put everything in the present tense as if I’m already living the life I want. I’m getting my conscious and subconscious minds focused on my goals, and the best way to do that is to put everything we want in the present tense.

I visualize pursuing my Passionate Purpose at the ultimate level. I imagine achieving my goals in every aspect of my life. If you really want to get excited about your future, describe it in great detail and imagine how it will look, feel, sound, smell, and taste. Get your emotions into it. Play the movie of your extraordinary life in your head. It’s better than any blockbuster at the multiplex.

The more real you make this, the more excited you will become to take on the day, and the more your subconscious mind will help you pursue your goals.

Other things that help get your day off to a great start.

1. Set your alarm to a soothing sound for you and not super loud. No buzzers!
2. Stretch in bed before you get up. Stress and relax each body part. Feels great.
3. Have a wonderful breakfast. Maybe not everyday if you don’t like to cook. But I make eggs and sausage or ham and some fruit every morning. Love it!
4. Put your phone in your pocket without looking at it. Very hard to do, but super rewarding. Becomes a new habit. Get your day set on your priorities before you check emails and social media. Schedule a set time in the morning to do all that – NOT when you first wake up.
5. Super charge the morning by getting up 30 minutes before you have to in order to read, think, pray, meditate, or exercise. Sounds horrible if you’re not a morning person, but if you make it a new habit you will never stop.
6. Pick someone you can help today. Nothing makes you feel better than helping someone else.
7. Every time you open your email program write a quick thank you to one person. It has to be a real thank you. When you force yourself to think of who you should thank, you will realize how many people help you and are nice to you and how often we overlook it.

Questions for comment: When was the last time you woke up energized and looking forward to the day? What did you do to create that experience?