If you told me in college that I’d become a morning person, I'd have handed you my bong, laughed, and said "Please … take another hit."

And yet, it has happened. Morning has become the time when I have my best energy and when I am most elevated, both personally and professionally. I do my clearest thinking in the morning. I feel most energized in the morning. And I sense possibility most tangibly in the morning.

What takes my early hours from good to great is my commitment to my morning rituals. Each serves its own purpose, so I thought I’d share them here as inspiration.

Ritual 1: Brush my teeth. Since I no longer wake up with the sweet smell of baby’s breath, I kick my day into action with a brush and rinse that leaves my mouth minty fresh, which is a fine alternative to breath that could peel paint off a wall (sorry for the overshare, but I’ll bet this is true for most of us).

Ritual 2: Meditate. I won’t get preachy here, but a daily meditation practice can be transformative. Meditation helps me gain awareness of how busy and distracted my mind naturally is. The practice of repeatedly returning to my mantra (or breath, depending on your chosen technique) and being present serves me all day. It makes me aware of how often I give into distractions and temptations. And it helps me stay focused on whatever I'm doing in the moment. Oh, and science shows that the impact of meditating is similar to actually clocking sleep. I find that I am filled with energy after my morning meditation, even if my prior night's sleep was not great.

Ritual 3: Coffee. The subtle buzz I get from a morning cup of coffee is an indispensable part of my day. I love the taste, smell and lift of coffee, and my morning 1.5 cups is all I need to power through the day.

Ritual 4: New York Times. My preferred NYT reading method has changed over the years. Now, I read it on my laptop. I eyeball every headline and right-click any article that seems interesting. Once I've selected everything, I read them one by one. This method gives me a pretty full view of what’s happening, and, upon completion, I'm ready to face the day with a sense of connection to the world around me.

Ritual 5: Wordle. My newest and quickest morning ritual, Wordle, always leaves me feeling good, especially when I’m able to guess the word in three tries or less.

There you have it: David Alport's morning ritual. Ninety minutes that are so foundational to my functioning, I’ll wake up extra early if that’s what it takes to get anchored.