HOW TO BECOME A MORNING PERSON
How To Become A Morning Person
There are lots of skills you’ll need to develop when first embarking on your career as a forex trader and you are likely to find that you’ll need to make quite a few lifestyle changes at the very beginning if you’re to drive serious success your way.
Working on your analytical skills is a must, of course, as is developing patience, mental resilience and emotional fortitude, anger management, motivation, determination, focus, discipline… the list goes on and on, and you’ll also likely find that the list grows the more you trade.
New and inexperienced traders learn a huge amount about themselves while trading and being able to identify your weaknesses and vulnerable areas, in terms of both your personality and your lifestyle, is important so you know where to focus your attention first.
It may well be the case that you need to make a few significant changes here and there if you are to enjoy a lucrative career and make it big as a professional trader – so don’t be shy about asking yourself the difficult questions and being strong enough to enact meaningful and long-lasting change.
When it comes to success, whether that’s as a trader or in some other profession, there’s something that all leaders in their chosen fields seem to have in common… and that’s getting up very early in the morning.
The old adage that the early bird catches the worm certainly does seem to ring true and there’s a growing body of research backing this tidy little cliche up.
It seems that being an early riser is associated with all sorts of positive behavioural traits, everything from being more proactive and more productive to being calmer, more relaxed and healthier overall in general… all of which will really help you on your quest to become one of the top traders in the world.
Interestingly, many of the very best investors out there think the best time to trade is between 8am and midday, because this is when the London and New York exchanges overlap and these are generally the busiest markets for forex trades.
This means that you’ll have to get up pretty early if you’re going to take full advantage of the most lucrative trading times and get ahead of the competition. You probably won’t see the success you’re looking for if you roll out of bed at 07:59.
Winning trades often comes down to state of mind and mental acuity, so getting out of bed far earlier and being proactive with your morning before you even think about trading will likely stand you in excellent stead in your trading career.
So, with that in mind, here are a few strategies you could consider trying out if you are keen to get out of bed at the crack of dawn (or even before that!) without much trouble at all. Which of these will you put into practice first?
Change your inner dialogue
If you’ve been a night owl for a long time, it can be very difficult to change your habits and your way of thinking… and it’s likely that you will find it hard to alter your routine at first.
A good place to begin is with changing how you talk to yourself and switching your internal dialogue around so that you’re not constantly reaffirming your preference for night-time hours to yourself. Instead of saying to yourself that you’re not a morning person, why not try telling yourself that you’re becoming a morning person?
This may sound like it’s too simple to be effective, but mind over matter can be very powerful and you may well find that by changing your thinking and your inner monologue, you find it easier to enact changes externally as well.
Build incrementally
Your system will probably struggle a little if you suddenly start trying to wake up at 5am without giving it any warning. Build it up bit by bit so you can acclimatise yourself to your new schedule gradually, giving yourself more time to get used to the new way of working and maximising your chances of actually being able to stick to it.
Be consistent with your routine
Having a set bedtime and waking up time will make all the difference to how you feel when it is time for you to get up. Shifting your sleep patterns isn’t easy but the first step towards making real inroads in this regard is to maintain the same sleep and wake up times for prolonged periods.
Setting an alarm is very useful, of course, but what you’ll likely find is that after a couple of weeks your body wakes you up naturally a few minutes before you’re due to get up… and this is a surefire sign that you’re on the right track.
Have a morning routine
Routine is so important and there are all sorts of benefits associated with it, everything from better sleep and less anxiety to less stress and better mental health overall. Coming up with your own morning routine can help ease yourself into the day and it’s all about finding out what works for you.
This could be anything from washing your face immediately to making a coffee and hitting the gym, or going for a run first thing. Meditation could be another option, while other traders may want to start with some journaling to get them into the swing of it all before they switch the laptop on.
The key to building up a successful routine, no matter what it is, is to make sure that it’s sustainable and something you enjoy, perhaps even something you look forward to. Then you’ll have no problems leaping out of bed, ready to attack the day!
Get ready for bed
Getting ready for bed helps your body get ready for sleep… and this will increase the quality of rest you get, which will help you wake up in the morning more readily.
Again, your routine will largely depend on who you are as an individual and what you like to do, but it could include drinking a hot beverage and winding down with a book, putting on pyjamas, practising self-care by washing your face and moisturising, staying off your phone and other devices for at least two hours before bed and so on.
Setting boundaries can also be very useful as you don’t want your mind to bounce back to alertness, so perhaps consider putting your phone on Do Not Disturb after 9pm so that you don’t receive any phone calls, texts or other notifications.
Get morning sun
Natural light is incredibly good for us and light exposure can really help you in your quest to become a morning person. Whenever possible, head outside early in the morning and soak up those rays, whether that’s by going for a little stroll with the dog or simply taking your morning cup of coffee outside with bare feet to practise grounding.
Getting a hit of vitamin D early on can help you fight fatigue and boost your mental health, as well as easing any feelings of anxiety and depression you may be experiencing and even helping to improve your sleep patterns and sleep quality.
From a science perspective, morning light has both infrared and blue light wavelengths, which means there is no UV light when you step out first thing in the morning. Think of yourself as a battery and the morning sun as the charger… you can give yourself a big energy surge if you get out and about early in the morning.
What’s more, research suggests that getting rays early in the morning can actually help protect you against UVA and UVB rays later in the day, helping to fortify your skin against potential sun damage… so it’s a real win-win!
Give grounding a go
While you’re out enjoying your morning sun, why don’t you give grounding a try to see if that helps you feel more alert in the early hours? Also known as earthing, the practice involves kicking off your shoes and socks and touching the ground with your feet, something that many believe can have all sorts of positive benefits for the mind, body and soul.
In terms of health, a growing body of research suggests that grounding can help you sleep better, feel less stressed, improve your mood, reduce feelings of depression, boost your heart health, improve circulation… and a whole lot more besides!
What’s great about it is that it can be done wherever you are and you don’t need any specialist equipment to start reaping the benefits. So the next time you’re up early and have a spare 20 minutes, why not give it a go and see if it could make a difference to how you’re feeling at the crack of dawn?
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