James Wolfe
James Wolfe is an insatiably curious individual from Idaho, who’s peppered the world with questions, oftentimes to the utter annoyance of his poor parents.
What is your morning routine?
When I wake up, I spend the first 30 minutes meditating.
The way I do it is all about visualization. I focus on one of my passions at a time for about thirty days each. During each session I start by feeling genuinely grateful about all the ways I currently have the passion I’m focusing on in my life. Then I imagine my life as if I was living that particular passion at a ten… I try to make sure my visualizations are as detailed as possible; I visualize how I’m feeling, what I’m smelling, what I’m seeing, how people are reacting to me, and anything else that I can think of.
It’s amazing what can happen after doing this for thirty days. Strange and wonderful things occur. I consider this meditation to be practical training for feeling comfortable as a new and growing version of yourself.
After I meditate, I shower. As I am showering (I just adopted this practice last week) I focus on the Ultimate Success Mantra (USM) from Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap. I say it out loud, let my thoughts wander, and then keep saying it again as many times as I can come back to it.
When I’m finished showering, I eat and get ready for my work day. While I’m eating, getting dressed, brushing my teeth, etc, I listen to a personal development podcast.
How long have you stuck with this routine so far?
Except for the USM in the shower, I have been on this routine for almost three years now.
How has your morning routine changed over recent years?
My morning routine has changed immensely in the past six years.
I used to watch the news in the morning as I was getting ready for the day, but it was too negative for me and I had to stop. Then, I watched sports talk shows, which were entertaining and fun but didn’t move me forward in any way.
I finally started listening to personal development podcasts every single morning about four years ago and added the meditation part about three years ago.
What time do you go to sleep?
Between 10:00pm and midnight, almost every night.
Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?
I always set my alarm, but I usually wake up before it goes off.
How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typical have?
I eat breakfast after my meditation and shower, which takes about 30-45 minutes after waking. I eat fat, meat, and fruit: usually a banana with almond butter, a little cream cheese, and bacon.
Do you have a morning workout routine?
I don’t work out in the morning, ever.
On weekends, I go for an hour walk as soon as I finish my morning routine, but I save the high-intensity stuff for later in the day.
Do you see to email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?
I check my email in the morning, but only after I have made a prioritized to-do list for the day. I usually check my phone and social media accounts as I walk to work from my house.
What and when is your first drink in the morning?
I usually have a small amount of cold water when I first wake up in the morning, and a small amount of coffee or tea with breakfast.
On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?
I travel for weeks at a time for my job, and I’ve done so for six years now, so I carry on with this routine regardless of where I am in the world. It’s not difficult for me to adjust to a new location; it’s like brushing your teeth when you’re staying in a hotel – you still just do it.
What do you do if you fail to follow your routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?
On very rare occasions I don’t follow my morning routine.
I don’t worry about it at all, but there is a noticeable effect on the way I interact with people when I don’t do it for myself before I go out into the world. It’s like the dial on my “charm” gets turned down a notch or two. There is also a small but noticeable dip in the way I feel throughout the day when I haven’t meditated.
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