8 Things To Tell Yourself Every Morning
Episode
66 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Productivity, Software Development, Psychology & Behavior
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Morning brain programming: Your brain enters a highly suggestible state upon waking with elevated cortisol and clear prefrontal cortex. The first thoughts you input echo throughout the day, making morning the optimal time to deliberately program your mind before external inputs take over.
- ✓Reticular Activating System (RAS): Your brain's filtering system only allows four types of information into conscious awareness: your name, threats, romantic interest, and whatever you deem important. Repeating positive sentences for 30-60 days trains this filter to seek opportunities instead of threats.
- ✓Cortisol Awakening Response: Cortisol surges 30-45 minutes after waking to create alertness, but for chronic worriers this feels like panic. Counteract this physiological response by immediately stating you can handle whatever happens, which signals your brain to stop scanning for disasters.
- ✓Developing positive attitude as skill: Most people default to negativity and bad moods without cause. Training yourself to maintain a good attitude for no reason is a learnable skill that changes how you filter experiences, handle stress, and spot opportunities throughout your day.
- ✓Effort acknowledgment practice: Constantly focusing on the one undone task among 115 completed ones programs negativity. Daily affirming you deserve credit for trying hard rewrites this pattern, fueling continued effort and preventing burnout from invisible work that only you can validate.
What It Covers
Mel Robbins presents eight research-backed sentences to say every morning that reprogram your brain for positivity and resilience. She explains the neuroscience behind morning affirmations and how deliberate mental programming creates lasting behavioral change.
Key Questions Answered
- •Morning brain programming: Your brain enters a highly suggestible state upon waking with elevated cortisol and clear prefrontal cortex. The first thoughts you input echo throughout the day, making morning the optimal time to deliberately program your mind before external inputs take over.
- •Reticular Activating System (RAS): Your brain's filtering system only allows four types of information into conscious awareness: your name, threats, romantic interest, and whatever you deem important. Repeating positive sentences for 30-60 days trains this filter to seek opportunities instead of threats.
- •Cortisol Awakening Response: Cortisol surges 30-45 minutes after waking to create alertness, but for chronic worriers this feels like panic. Counteract this physiological response by immediately stating you can handle whatever happens, which signals your brain to stop scanning for disasters.
- •Developing positive attitude as skill: Most people default to negativity and bad moods without cause. Training yourself to maintain a good attitude for no reason is a learnable skill that changes how you filter experiences, handle stress, and spot opportunities throughout your day.
- •Effort acknowledgment practice: Constantly focusing on the one undone task among 115 completed ones programs negativity. Daily affirming you deserve credit for trying hard rewrites this pattern, fueling continued effort and preventing burnout from invisible work that only you can validate.
Notable Moment
Robbins reveals that psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, who has scanned nearly 300,000 brains, starts every morning by saying today will be a great day. His decades of brain research confirm that simple repeated sentences physically rewire neural pathways and change how you experience reality.
Episode Transcript
Hey. It's your friend, Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. What if I told you the only thing keeping you from waking up tomorrow and feeling incredible is eight simple sentences. I'm serious about this. There are eight tiny phrases that you can say to yourself based on the research. They are so short, takes less than thirty seconds, and they program your mind for more positivity, more energy. They're gonna make you feel instantly excited for the day ahead. And here's what I love about these eight simple sentences. They're so short. You have no excuse not to use them. They're backed by science. They're ridiculously easy, and they work. And you can start using them tomorrow to change the way you feel the second you wake up, and I'm gonna teach them to you today. Because I want you to feel empowered when you open your eyes. I want you to feel excited about the day ahead. I want you to feel like no matter what happens, you are capable of taking it on because you know what? You are. And so today, I'm going to share eight things to tell yourself in the morning that will reprogram your mind, boost your mood, and help you have a great day. And then I'm gonna show you exactly how to use them. So let's get into it. Hey. It's your friend, Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. It's always such an honor to be together and to get to spend this time with you. And if you're a new listener or you're here because somebody shared this episode with you, well, first of all, I just wanted to take a moment and personally welcome you to the Mel Robbins podcast family. I'm so glad that you're here and that you chose to listen to this episode because today, I am gonna share the eight things you should tell yourself every morning. And the first one is you need to tell yourself today is going to be a great day. And this is something you should say the moment you wake up. Today is gonna be a great day. And you should say that even if things have been going bad, even if you got a lot going on today, Because you can still make it a great day based on your attitude, no matter what it is that's gonna happen. And I promise you, even when you're going through a challenging time, starting your day by saying, well, today is gonna be a great day. I'm gonna make it a great day today. I promise you that when you start your day with this first sentence, today is gonna be a great day, that there will be something great that can happen. And I wanted to start with this one as the first one because just this morning, for example, we were getting ready to tape this episode and to talk to you today, and …
Get the full transcript (12,422 words) + summary by email — free
One-time email with the complete transcript and AI summary of this episode. No account needed.
One email, no spam. We’ll also show you what SignalCast does.
You just read a 3-minute summary of a 63-minute episode.
Get The Mel Robbins Podcast summarized like this every Monday — plus up to 2 more podcasts, free.
Pick Your Podcasts — FreeKeep Reading
More from The Mel Robbins Podcast
Stanford Psychologist: 7 Small Things You Can Do Right Now to Enjoy Life More
Sep 10 · 75 min
The Diary of a CEO
Likeability Expert: Stop Doing This, It’s Why People Quietly Avoid You! | Vanessa Van Edwards
Sep 10
More from The Mel Robbins Podcast
Stop Making Excuses: How to Change Your Life Right Now
Sep 7 · 76 min
The Diary of a CEO
The Scientist Who Scans Fathers' Brains: Parenthood Shrinks Your Brain, And Drops Testosterone 25%!
Aug 24
More from The Mel Robbins Podcast
We summarize every new episode. Want them in your inbox?
Stanford Psychologist: 7 Small Things You Can Do Right Now to Enjoy Life More
Stop Making Excuses: How to Change Your Life Right Now
How to Eliminate Self-Doubt, Overcome Failure, & Reset Your Mind for Success
Heal Your Gut: A Doctor’s 4-Part Protocol to Stop Bloating, Boost Energy, & Feel Better Now
Stop Wasting Your Energy: How to Deal With People Who Won’t Change & What to Do Instead
Similar Episodes
Related episodes from other podcasts
The Diary of a CEO
Sep 10
Likeability Expert: Stop Doing This, It’s Why People Quietly Avoid You! | Vanessa Van Edwards
The Diary of a CEO
Aug 24
The Scientist Who Scans Fathers' Brains: Parenthood Shrinks Your Brain, And Drops Testosterone 25%!
In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen
Jul 24
वेंकी रामाकृष्णन: लंबी उम्र जीने का विज्ञान और उसका हाइप (Hindi version)
10% Happier with Dan Harris
Jul 13
Perfectionism, Burnout, and Self-Doubt: Break the Loop with the Science of Mattering | Gordon Flett
Hidden Brain
Jun 22
Stepping Out of the Shadows
Explore Related Topics
This podcast is featured in Best Mindset Podcasts (2026) — ranked and reviewed with AI summaries.
Read this week's Software Engineering Podcast Insights — cross-podcast analysis updated weekly.
You're clearly into The Mel Robbins Podcast.
Every Monday, we deliver AI summaries of the latest episodes from The Mel Robbins Podcast and 192+ other podcasts. Free for one show.
Start My Monday DigestNo credit card · Unsubscribe anytime