Smells Like Old What do scented candles and being prolific have in common? Everything.

By Kim Walsh Phillips

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Moyo Studio | Getty Images

Cinnamon. Pumpkin. Baked apple streusel ... Not ingredients in a winter festival requiring stretchy pants. Although that does give me an idea for our next themed Friday. Those scents are actually some of my favorite candles to burn in my daily ritual of lighting before writing.

Why? Because as a woman over 40, these are the official scents we must check off as adoring to enter the club of awesome that yours truly is a member of. And they bring back nostalgic feelings of warmth and love from the holiday without the need to gift wrap a thing.

My favorite type are the kind with the wood wick that crackle as they burn. I light one every single morning along with the lazy man's version of a roaring fire (gas) as I brew my first cup of coffee of the day. It's a ritual that signals to my brain that it's time to write; time to pull from my zone of genius and create. And it works.

Every single morning, even on Christmas or my birthday — all of the days — I get up, run through the ritual and write with joy and thanksgiving. In fact, I produce more than 20,000 words a week in this ritual, which allows me to write a daily email, course content, my books, my columns for this website and more.

Related: The Indecent Crete Proposal

This routine has trained my brain that this is the only option in the am. No excuses. No distractions. No alternatives. We produce content with joy every ... single ... day. And the joy part is intentional as well. I never think, "I have to." I always think, "I get to."

Do you have a morning routine? Setting one is like lending a cape to your superpowers, signifying it's time to fly. Start with one set thing you will do before you create. Perhaps it's drink a glass of lemon water or do 10 jumping jacks or something else I imagine people that are tan, buff and taller than me are doing.

Or go to your favorite chair, with your favorite foot stool with your favorite mug brimming with your favorite warm beverage (ahhhh, this is more my jam) to tell your brain it's time to go.

Related: Increase Sales With 'The Dessert Pitch'

It doesn't matter what it is, just that you do it. For one day. And then the next. And the next. And then continuing on for days because big dreams aren't completed in a second, or they wouldn't be big dreams. But setting up your day to first conquer the most important means those things get done. Because where your focus goes, your energy flows.

Remove excuses from your subconscious, and give yourself every advantage to create create a morning routine to remove obstacles and make your next dream come true. Middle-aged crackling candle suggested but not required.

Wavy Line
Kim Walsh Phillips

Entrepreneur Leadership Network Writer

Founder of Powerful Professionals

Kim Walsh Phillips went from 32 clients to over 11,000 in less than a year and founded Powerful Professionals, a business coaching company that has been scaling consulting and coaching businesses. Phillips is the best-selling author of The No BS Guide To Direct Response Social Media Marketing.

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Business News

California Woman Arrested For $60 Million Postal Service Scam

Lijuan "Angela" Chen faces two charges that each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Business News

Apple Just Unveiled Its VR Headset. What You Need to Know.

The Vision Pro is Apple's first major product launch since AirPods.

Marketing

5 Things You Can Do Now to Improve Email Marketing

Abide by these simple tricks to help your campaigns gain more visibility and generate revenue in the process.

Science & Technology

'We Were Sucked In': How to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Phone Scams.

Phone fraudsters are using AI to clone the voices of loved or trusted people to rip them off. Here's how to detect if the phone is real or robot.

Leadership

The Return to Office Movement is Causing a Mental Health Crisis. Employers Are Part of The Problem — But They Can Be Part of The Solution.

Employee mental health substantially worsened with the return to office demands, and it's causing disengagement and low morale. The solution demanded by employees is the answer.