The best part of waking up.

A good morning starts with a series of choices and actions. A bad morning starts with a series of events and reactions. The key to making every morning a good morning is to act with purpose, not react on-autopilot, no matter what happens when you wake up.

Here are five ideas that might inspire you:

• Read with purpose. Learn a skill that makes you money, explore the character of an interesting historical figure, empathize and understand the perspective of a smart author who disagrees with you on an important topic.
• Read for fun. Choose a topic that’s always been interesting to you but you’ve not devoted much time to it. It could be a fiction book, a sport, a hobby, a craft, a language, a profession.
• Write to clarify. You can write ideas, plans, or dreams. You can write thoughts, ideas, or emotions. You can write notes to your past self and your future self. Amazing things happen when you put pen to paper and just see what comes out. Always pen and paper, not iPad or computer.
• Challenge yourself. Do something physically, emotionally, or intellectually difficult. Combine two of them if you want to really jumpstart your day. Lift weights, get your heart rate near max, or stretch. Explore a fear, insecurity, or frustration that’s been stuck in your head. Brainstorm, innovate, and problem-solve something complex, whether real or a game of some kind.
• Isolate and reflect. Give yourself time and space, mentally and physically, to be without an agenda or distractions. Sit in silence with your eyes closed for a set time. I do this in a dim room with some calm rhythmic music playing. Go for a walk by yourself without any technology. From time to time you’ll have to do this in your car on the way to where you’re going.

Discipline is the shortcut. Do the work.