Jun 23, 2009 Dec 3, 2025 2009-06-23

What’s the first thing you hear in the morning? What’s the first thing you read in the morning? What’s the first thing yo do in the morning? I ask because this very first thing will shape your whole day. If it’s something that plays on the radio, you’ll hear that tune all day long. If it’s something that you hear form your room mate (or your spouse, or your kid) it will circle in your mind all day long. If it’s something you’re doing with good results it will influence your entire day. With good results, of course.

I call this specific piece of action, this day igniter: “the morning phrase”. The morning phrase is something very important and I don’t mean only at a symbolical, metaphorical level. We’re functioning with two minds: one conscious and the other one subconscious. Like it or not, a huge part of your being is driven by your subconscious mind. And one of the first things your subconscious will receive daily will be this morning phrase. And guess what: your subconscious mind is a very obedient friend: it will do exactly what you tell to it.

This apparently insignificant thing is like a powerful switch for a better mood during the day. Once you activated it, chances that your daily behavior will change – without a significant conscious intervention from your part – are really big. In fact, you’re still experiencing those changes, only at a subconscious level. In today’s post I’ll try to take the morning phrase out from your subconscious mind and make it a little bit more manageable.

Why Having A Morning Phrase

To unleash your energy in a specific task.
To keep a positive attitude during the day.
To implement a specific habit.
To fixate something in a longer learning process.
To keep you motivated towards a specific goal.

And you can add your very own reasons here….

What A Morning Phrase Is Made Of

I started to experience my morning phrase more than 2 years ago. I had several morning phrases and I learned some important things about the effectiveness of a morning phrase. Here’s the detailed list.

True

First of all, the morning phrase must be true. If it’s something that you perceive as a lie, it will not work. Remember, you subconscious mind is not easy to challenge, it will eat whatever you feed it, so if you feed ti with lies, it will get back to you with lies.

A true morning phrase is something that is very close to your own personality, your environment, you general life context. If the morning phrase is something like: “It’s so hot today in Antarctica” I don’t think you’ll hook your subconscious up into something useful.

Simple

It must be simple and understandable. When you wake up, your brain is trying to adjust from sleeping patterns, specifically delta / theta frequencies, to the awake state, typically alpha frequencies. During this adjustment period, nothing too complicated will really get through, so it better be simple. As in not complicated.

Realistic

It must be something you are able to do it. Like during that specific day, not in a week, or month. Using your immediate resources, not something you may have in a month or two.

Empowering

That morning phrase must motivate you in some form. It may refer to things you are attracted to, or it may be formulated in some familiar and pleasant way. Whatever the form, the morning phrase will unleash something from you, so be careful at what you want to let out.

Easy To Remember

If you really want to make things smoother, chose an easy to remember phrase. Don’t go out rhyming, if you’re not comfortable with it, but chose something easy to memorize. That way you conscious mind will be attracted in the game too.

How To Create A Morning Phrase

The most effective moment for the morning phrase is at or shortly after the alarm clock. If you use an alarm clock, of course. If you can get up in the morning without an alarm clock, you would have to create a separate habit for the morning phrase. I already wrote an article about how to create a habit in 15 days, so feel free to read it if you want to create this new habit.

My alarm clock is in fact my iPhone, which makes things a little simpler. An alarm set up in the iPhone clock’s application can also have a short description. Which is in fact my morning phrase. So, I’m set.

But you may not be an iPhone person, so you must chose other insertion points. You can have it written on a post-it on your bathroom mirror, for instance, or clipped with a magnet on your fridge. You can have it on your wardrobe, or on your car’s dashboard. It’s really a matter of what you think it’s a good insertion point for this type of messages.

In fact, you will find the best insertion point once you start assessing the results. Depending on the specific content of that phrase, the results may be extremely diverse, but there are some common points you could be able to identify.

Better Sleeping

I noticed that after a few days of having this morning phrase, my sleeping patterns are starting to improve slightly. Might be associated with the fact that my stress level is lowered by using a morning phrase.

Better Mood During The Day

Regardless of the specific goal set in the morning phrase, you should be able to experience better moods during your day. Or at least a more energetic attitude. Or you are smiling more often.

Effectiveness

That should be the most important assessment. If you’re experiencing a higher level of effectiveness – independent of the specific task you’re doing – the morning phrase is working.

The “Night Before” Trick

Ok, this is a trick, because is not happening in the morning, but it makes it works better. Read that phrase just before you go to sleep. Again, having it written in my iPhone makes it easier for me to have it close just before getting asleep. I noticed that when I read my phrase before going to sleep, in the morning I have a familiar feeling. Anyway, it works better like this.

Do you have a morning phrase? If not, ever thought to start having one? Do you think it’s beneficial or placebo? Would love to hear your comments on that.