How a daily priming routine helped me stay focused in business

In 2017, I attended Tony Robbins' Unleash the Power Within (UPW) event in London with my partner. Although each day started early and finished in the early hours of the following morning, we had an incredible experience. We even completed a firewalk, walking barefoot across hot coals.

The UPW event came into my mind recently while sorting an old storage box. I found the workbook that I completed during the event. It was great to see that most of the goals I had set myself had since become reality.

One of those goals was to create a beautiful mindset every day. My definition of a beautiful mindset is a place where I am in control of my thoughts, rather than being persuaded by events or the actions and comments of others. It's a place where I make up my own mind and manage my emotions rather than overreacting.

One of the first times that having a beautiful mindset really helped me was shortly after UPW, when I met a new customer for the first time. Back then, I was Co-founder and Sales Director of an IT business.

There was a lot of competition to win the customer's IT project, supplying a very large quantity of IT equipment across multiple sites in the UK. It was a fantastic opportunity, and whoever won it would likely become the customer's supplier for several years.

I had a good meeting with the customer, but I was late into the project. Our competitors had already been working with them for a few months. I remember talking to my business partners afterwards. I was genuinely excited about the opportunity.

However, I also remember hearing the comments from my business partners:

• "You're too late in the project to win this."
• "You're wasting your time."
• "I don't think it's worth the effort if you're not going to win."

Initially, I felt deflated. I thought to myself:

• "Maybe they're right?"
• "Perhaps I am too late in the project to win this?"
• "This could be a waste of my time. I'd need to put a lot of effort into this project and still might not win it."

My partners meant well. They didn't want me to waste my time, but they hadn't met the customer.

One of the empowering habits I created during the UPW event was to practise a daily mindset strategy called priming.

During the event, I learnt that if we don't consciously guide our thoughts and nurture our own mindset, it's easy to allow external events or other people's opinions to influence our thinking.

Priming is a recognised concept in psychology where previous experiences or cues can influence the way we think, feel and behave. Priming can also occur without the 'primer' consciously knowing what they are doing. For example, if we respect and value the opinions of the 'primer' (the person you are talking to and, in my case, my business partners), we are often more likely to agree with them and move in the direction they suggest rather than thinking for ourselves and making a conscious decision.

Luckily, we can also choose to 'prime' ourselves.

Tony Robbins' daily priming strategy

Tony Robbins' daily priming strategy is a routine designed to help you start your day with energy, focus and a positive mindset. Here's a breakdown of the key components.

1. Breathwork (approximately two minutes)

Begin with a series of quick, powerful breaths to energise your body and mind. Tony suggests doing a set of 30 quick breaths, repeated three times.

2. Gratitude practice (approximately three minutes)

Think of three things you are grateful for. Relive each moment, feeling the gratitude as vividly as possible. This helps shift your mindset into a more positive state.

3. Visualisation (approximately three minutes)

Visualise light entering your body, rejuvenating and healing you. Then see that light extending out to those you care about. Follow this by visualising what you want to achieve. Picture your goals as if they have already happened, allowing yourself to experience the excitement and satisfaction.

4. Future intentions (approximately four minutes)

Choose three goals you are committed to achieving and visualise them. Imagine the steps you'll take and the positive impact achieving them will have on your life.

The purpose of Tony Robbins' priming strategy is to help condition your mind and body for the day ahead. It combines breathwork, gratitude, visualisation and future intentions to encourage focus, energy and a positive outlook.

Back to my story…

The next morning, while practising priming before work, I decided to include winning that customer project in step four.

Every time I practised priming, I included the customer project in my future intentions. Whatever ideas came into my mind during the exercise, I used to shape my actions and conversations with the customer that day.

One by one, the competing solutions fell away as I refined my approach and strengthened my relationship with the customer.

Three months later, I won the deal and supplied hundreds of rugged mobile computers, managed service contracts and support software to the customer.

It was a great win!

Looking back, I genuinely believe that if I hadn't primed myself back then, I may well have listened to others and decided not to pursue the opportunity. Instead, the process helped me stay focused on what I could control and encouraged me to keep taking positive action.

I still practise priming today. It helps me start each day with greater clarity and allows me to consciously guide my thoughts and actions.

Whether you choose Tony Robbins' approach or develop your own morning routine, taking a few intentional minutes each day to reflect on your goals and mindset may help you approach the day with greater focus and purpose.