Introduction: The Secret Morning Rituals of the World’s Most Successful People
How do you start your day? Do you immediately reach for your phone upon waking, scrolling through notifications and messages? Perhaps you brew a cup of tea, turn on the television, or flip through the newspaper. These are the typical ways most people around the world begin their mornings. However, the world’s innovators, billionaires, and company owners start their days quite differently.
The success of these billionaires isn’t determined by what they do throughout the entire day, but rather by a few habits they practice in the morning hours. Some of these habits might seem unusual or even strange at first glance, but behind each one lies a scientific foundation designed to bring your brain, body, and mindset to optimal levels.
In this article, we’ll explore five unusual and secret habits that successful people practice when starting their day. If you can follow even one of these habits starting tomorrow, we can confidently say your day will be more enlightened than ever before. We’ll cover what these habits are, how to do them, and what benefits they bring to your body. Every detail is here for you to discover.
Before we dive in, there’s something special to mention. We have a Brain Booster program featuring 30 activities over 30 days, designed to boost your brain in five different ways. More details about this will be shared at the end of this article.
Habit 1: Ice Water Bathing – The Ultimate Morning Awakening
One of the most common practices among successful people worldwide is taking an ice-cold shower first thing in the morning. This means immediately upon waking, they immerse themselves in ice-cold water, take a cold shower, or plunge into cold water. This practice is notably followed by prominent figures like Tony Robbins and Jack Dorsey, who immerse themselves in cold water specifically to awaken their minds instantly from sleep.
There’s a solid scientific foundation behind this practice. When cold water hits your body, your heart rate immediately increases. Simultaneously, the release of a hormone called norepinephrine occurs. This process elevates your focus, attention, mood, and overall mental state to higher levels.
Moreover, taking a cold shower first thing in the morning increases your ability to face the small difficulties that arise throughout your day. Why? Because after you’ve conquered the first challenge of your morning, the subsequent challenges that come your way become easier to face.
An important health precaution: If you suffer from chronic illness or are taking medication, do not attempt this activity without consulting your doctor first. This activity is suitable for healthy individuals. The only small illness that prevents healthy people from doing this is laziness.
There’s another interesting fact worth noting. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter (currently known as X social media platform), reportedly sits in an ice bath every morning as part of his routine.
Habit 2: No Phone for the First Hour – Protecting Your Golden Hour
Do you typically reach for your phone immediately upon waking? Do you check WhatsApp, Facebook, and notifications first thing? If so, you’ve lost control of your day. The reason is that successful people like Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey refer to the first hour of the day as the hour of faith, or the golden hour.
They believe this time should be dedicated to themselves. During this period, they don’t check any emails, WhatsApp messages, or social media notifications immediately after waking up during that first hour.
There’s a scientific reason behind this practice. When you expose yourself to a digital screen immediately upon waking, your brain goes into reactive mode. This means control of your day is handed over to someone else’s agenda. You’re responding to a notification, answering someone’s question, or viewing someone’s post. At that point, you don’t have control. You’re giving the first hours of your day to someone else’s control.
Successful people, upon waking, clarify their goals. They dedicate time to meditation, exercise, and planning their day. The special thing here is that they start their day by preparing their minds, not by answering other people’s questions.
Habit 3: Brain Dump Journaling – Clearing Mental Clutter for Success
The third habit that successful people practice every morning is journal writing or keeping a daily journal. You might be surprised to hear that journaling directly impacts people’s success, but it’s a reality in today’s world. This isn’t an ordinary diary. This is called a brain dumping technique.
Let me give you an example. Super entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos write down the ideas in their minds, things that have changed, and their to-do lists on clean paper. This is also known as morning pages or a gratitude journal.
There’s a scientific aspect here. Recording your thoughts on paper first thing in the morning clears your mind. Specifically, a gratitude journal where you can write down three blessings you’ve received activates the production of positive chemicals in your brain. You gain the ability to maintain a positive attitude throughout the entire day.
The special thing here is that you don’t read back what you’ve written. The purpose is to release what’s in your mind outward.
Habit 4: Backward Exercise – Activating New Neural Pathways
The fourth habit practiced immediately upon waking is somewhat different, but anyone can do it. It’s exercising backward. Exercising in general is a common thing, something any individual should do in the morning. Successful people do something slightly unusual during their exercises.
An example of this is Richard Branson. Richard Branson runs, does yoga, and similar activities in the morning. However, he and some famous trainers and entrepreneurs practice backward running or are accustomed to walking in shallow water.
The scientific aspect here is that backward running isn’t something you normally do. It’s a slightly different activity. This activates new neural pathways in the brain. Your creativity develops, and your problem-solving ability improves. Several special factors occur here.
Exercise also increases blood circulation in your body and provides more oxygen to the brain. You get the opportunity to work with very high productivity for the rest of the day.
Another example is Elon Musk. Elon Musk is accustomed to solving very complex business problems while showering in the morning. He dedicates that calm time, the best time of the day, to the most difficult task, achieving success through it.
Habit 5: Salt Water Hydration – Optimal Cellular Absorption
The fifth habit is drinking salt-mixed water. Generally, anyone wakes up in the morning and drinks a glass of water. Successful people add a small amount of salt to this glass of water and consume it.
Let me explain the scientific reasoning here. The scientific background is that we typically sleep for about six, seven, or eight hours at night. During that time, our body becomes somewhat dehydrated. Drinking water in the morning is good, but with this salt addition, the water is instantly absorbed into the cells more easily.
You know that brain function is extremely important to us. About 80% of the brain is made up of water. Therefore, to prevent dehydration from affecting decision-making ability, this water is consumed with a small amount of salt.
Conclusion: Taking Control of Your Morning, Taking Control of Your Life
These are the five habits that the world’s wealthy people, company owners, innovators, billionaires, and successful individuals practice. They do these habits because of the benefits they bring to their brains, mental levels, and bodies. Through these practices, it becomes possible to make the first hours of the day your own.
By claiming those first hours, the golden hour or the hour of faith, you can gain very high benefits from it. Taking an ice water bath, staying away from digital screens, writing something to empty your mind, exercising creatively, and drinking salt water are not difficult things.
If you want to become a successful person, the first thing you need to do is take control of your day. Therefore, we invite you to start doing this work from tomorrow. You can quickly start any of these five habits mentioned. Please share your results with us as a comment. Then someone else can develop the desire and willingness to do it. If you’re already doing these things, don’t forget to comment on the results.
The Brain Booster Program we mentioned earlier contains 30 activities for 30 days, designed to boost your brain in five different ways. This comprehensive program can help you develop these morning habits systematically and track your progress effectively.
Remember, successful people don’t have special powers or secret advantages. They simply understand that how you spend your first hour determines how you spend your entire day. The choice is yours. Will you continue to let your morning slip away in reactive mode, or will you claim your golden hour and transform your life one morning at a time?
Start tomorrow. Choose one habit. Master it. Then add another. Your future self will thank you for the decision you make today.
