E10: AMA #1 Taking Up The Crown: Building A Meaningful Morning Routine

Today’s episode is an AMA inspired by a listener question from Sherri in New Hampshire:“What’s a good morning routine to set yourself up for a successful day?”Before jumping into tactics, we start with an essential distinction: the difference between a routine and a ritual. A routine is a repeatable action that maintains order or capability. A ritual is an intentional action infused with meaning—one that shapes identity. The same behavior can be either. The difference isn’t what you do, but how consciously and intentionally you do it.From there, I walk you through my own Hour of Excellence—not as a prescription, but as a model you can adapt. Inspired by Robin Sharma’s 20/20/20 framework, this hour is divided into three phases: Move, Reflect, and Grow, each elevated through intentional ritual.We explore why morning is the moment when identity is either reclaimed or surrendered—when the sovereign self must be deliberately chosen before the world chooses it for you. Email, urgency, and reaction all compete for authority. The morning is when the crown is either taken up—or left on the floor.You’ll hear how small, repeatable actions—making the bed, breathwork, journaling, movement, and learning—can become formative when infused with intention. Through structured reflection, identity-based language, and deliberate closure, the morning becomes an arc: body → mind → meaning → action.This episode isn’t about productivity hacks or rigid schedules. It’s about understanding that:The power of a morning routine isn’t what you do—it’s who you become while doing itRitual creates moral weight, and that’s why it worksExcellence is embodied, not abstractClosure matters as much as initiationIf this conversation offers one central insight, it’s this:A successful day doesn’t begin with efficiency. It begins with identity, intention, and a consciously chosen way of being carried forward into action.To learn more about the work we're doing with athletes, recreationalists, and business leaders head on over to www.ascendhumanperformancecoaching.com.