Priming - Ground Yourself & Start Your Day with Intention
Start each day feeling calm, centered and ready to take on whatever comes your way
Starting your day feeling calm, centered, and ready to take on whatever comes your way is easier than you think. It all starts with intention… and if you can’t create time for a lengthy morning meditation, I recommend starting your day with this simple, transformative practice to come from a grounded and aligned place to have have an inspired and productive day.
Tony Robbins swears by priming. He incorporates it into his personal daily routine and teaches it during his seminars, events, and programs, emphasizing priming as a way to intentionally create a peak state—mentally, emotionally, and physically.
If it’s good enough for Tony Robbins, it’s definitely good enough for you and I!
Priming combines elements of mindfulness, visualization, and intentional focus and only takes 10–15 minutes each morning to anchor yourself in the present and cultivate a powerful sense of purpose.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to using priming to start your day on the right foot:
Step 1: Center Your Breath
Begin by sitting in a comfortable position with your feet flat on the ground. Close your eyes and take three deep, intentional breaths:
Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four, expanding your belly.
Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six.
Anytime you have breathwork with a longer exhalation, it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, signaling to your brain that it’s time to shift into rest/digest (relaxation state).
Step 2: Gratitude Visualization
Bring to mind three things you are genuinely grateful for. These can be simple—like the warmth of your bed, the smile of a loved one, or the opportunity to start fresh today.
💡 Pro Tip: To amplify the impact, close your eyes and visualize these moments vividly. Feel the joy, appreciation, and connection in your heart as if it’s happening right now. Gratitude shifts your mindset from scarcity to abundance.
Step 3: Intention Setting
Ask yourself: What’s one thing I want to focus on today?
This could be an emotion you want to embody (like calm or joy), a value you want to live by (such as kindness or curiosity), or a tangible goal (like completing a specific task or showing up fully in your interactions).
Say your intention out loud or write it down. For example:
"Today, I will approach challenges with grace and confidence."
"I choose to see beauty and opportunity in every moment."
Step 4: Visualize Success
Take a moment to visualize your day unfolding in the best possible way. Picture yourself moving through your tasks, conversations, and challenges with ease and positivity. Imagine the feeling of accomplishment, connection, or peace that comes with a successful day.
💡 Bonus Tip: If you anticipate a specific challenge, visualize yourself handling it with confidence and grace. This mental rehearsal boosts your readiness to respond instead of react.
Step 5: Affirm Your Worth
Complete your priming session with an affirmation. Affirmations are powerful statements that align your mind with your highest self. Speak them out loud, with confidence and belief. Examples include:
I am worthy of joy, abundance, love, success (whatever you wish to bring more of into your life).
I am grounded, capable, and ready to embrace this day.
I radiate positive energy and attract amazing opportunities.
Feel the truth of these words in your body as you say them.
Step 6: Anchor with Gratitude Again
Close your practice by silently thanking yourself for taking this time to invest in your well-being. Open your eyes, take one final deep breath, and step into your day with intention and purpose.
Why Priming Works
Priming shifts your focus from autopilot mode to conscious awareness. It helps you ground your energy, break negative thought loops, and start your day with clarity and intention.
From a neuroscience perspective, priming activates our reticular activating system (RAS) (the part of our brain that helps us focus on what’s important). By practicing gratitude, visualizing success, and/or setting an intention, you are essentially programming your brain to look for opportunities, positivity, and solutions instead of problems or negativity. (Without priming, your RAS will likely default to focusing on stress or random distractions - and a brain on autopilot can be a very scary place to live from).
Give it a Try!
Consistency is more important than perfection… so even on the mornings you’re pinched for time, try and gift yourself a minute or two before rushing into the day.
And if sitting down after you get out of bed to do this quick practice still feels a touch unlikely, before you get out of bed, take 2 quick minutes to connect with your breath, identify 3 things you’re grateful for (a comfy bed and pillow in a safe home is a great place to start!) and give yourself one affirmation - ‘today is going to be a good day’.
I suspect you’ll be surprised at how this simple priming supports the way the day unfolds.