Energy First: The Morning Practice That Builds a Healthy, Rich and Happy Life

Why mastering your mornings can transform your energy, mindset and daily momentum and open the door to a life you genuinely want to live.

TL;DR

• A powerful morning practice is the foundation for clarity, energy and long-term change.

• Meditation, movement, reflection and breath work create a state that makes better decisions easier.

• You must understand your “why” or habits won’t stick.

• Real success starts with inner alignment before chasing goals or wealth.

• You can start tomorrow with a simple, 15-20 minute morning routine.

Watch me on YouTube https://youtu.be/zdX4PWdzPEQ
Listen to the True From Podcast https://trueform.buzzsprout.com 

Introduction

Most people try to change their life from the outside in. They chase motivation. They chase willpower. They chase the next program, system or opportunity that will finally produce the breakthrough.

But as this week’s guest Jacopo Iasiello reminds us, there’s a better way and it starts before breakfast.

Jacopo is an entrepreneur and author of Healthy, Rich and Happy, whose life changed when he stopped relying on hustle and started building his days on a foundation of energy, clarity and personal alignment. Growing up in Napoli, he learned early that discipline, sport and structure could shape a life. Later, through heartbreak, reinvention and business, he discovered that a powerful morning routine was the anchor that kept him moving forward.

Today, his MPBE method; Meditation, Prayer (or reflection), Biohacking and Exercise, is the system he credits for his focus, resilience and success.

This article breaks down the key lessons from our conversation and shows you how to apply them. If you’ve ever felt stuck, scattered or exhausted or you’ve tried to change your habits and slipped back, these ideas can give you a more grounded path forward.

Lesson 1: You Must Build Your Foundation First

What It Is: Your physical and mental state set the tone for everything you do. If your nervous system is stressed, your emotions overloaded or your body depleted, no strategy will stick.

Why It Matters: Most people fight themselves all day. They try to chase goals with a flat battery, then blame their discipline when they crash. The truth is simpler: it’s easier to make good decisions when you feel good. Energy, clarity and emotional stability are prerequisites for lasting change.

How To Apply It:

1. Prioritise sleep with a consistent bedtime.

2. Start your morning before you check your phone.

3. Give your body sunlight, water and breathwork early.

4. Move daily, even if only for 10 minutes.

5. Protect the first 1–2 hours of the day from distraction.

Pro Tip: Success is about rhythm, not intensity. You don’t need a “perfect” routine. You need a repeatable one.

Try This Today: Before bed, decide the first three things you’ll do tomorrow morning - no negotiation.

Lesson 2: Master Your Morning with the MPBE Method

What It Is: Jacopo’s MPBE routine; Meditation, Prayer/Reflection, Biohacking and Exercise - is his daily anchor for energy and intention.

Why It Matters: A morning ritual creates a state that makes positive behaviour more automatic. Meditation calms the noise. Reflection reconnects you to your values. Biohacking techniques like breath work or cold exposure wake up the nervous system. Movement raises dopamine and endorphins, making you feel capable and motivated.

How To Apply It:

1. Meditate (3-10 minutes): Sit, breathe slowly and notice your thoughts without chasing them.

2. Reflect or Pray (3 minutes): Ask yourself: What would make today meaningful?

3. Bio hack (2-5 minutes): Finish your shower cold or do 10–20 deep breaths (Wim Hof style).

4. Exercise (6-20 minutes): Walk, strength train, stretch or do bodyweight circuits, just move.

Pro Tip: If your routine is too long, you won’t do it. Keep it short and winnable.

Try This Today: Set a 15-minute morning timer and do one minute of each step. Win the morning in micro-form.

Lesson 3: Find Your Why or You’ll Fall Back into Old Habits

What It Is: Your why is your emotional anchor, the reason your actions matter to you.

Why It Matters: People think they lack discipline. In reality, they lack clarity. Without a compelling why, motivation fades, resistance rises, and old habits take over. With a strong why, even discomfort has meaning.

How To Apply It:

1. Ask yourself “Why do I want this?”

2. When you answer, ask “Why is that important?”

3. Repeat 3–5 times until you reach something emotional, personal and real.

4. Write it down and visit it each morning.

Pro Tip: “I want to look good” won’t sustain you. “I want to live long and be present for my kids” will.

Try This Today: Write your why on a sticky note and place it where you see it after waking.

Lesson 4: Combine Body and Mind for Faster, Easier Change

What It Is: You don’t have to choose between training the body or the mind first - doing both together accelerates progress.

Why It Matters: Exercise releases endorphins, produces momentum and gives early wins. Mindset practices add direction, meaning and staying power. Together, they reduce friction and help habits stick.

How To Apply It:

1. Pair movement with breath work or reflection.

2. After training, journal for 2 minutes on what you’re proud of.

3. Use morning exercise as your “first win” of the day.

4. When life gets messy, scale down your routine, don’t stop it.

Pro Tip: Consistency beats intensity. A 10-minute workout always beats a 60-minute workout you skip.

Try This Today: Go for a 5-minute walk after reading this, pair it with slow breathing.

Lesson 5: Let Energy Lead Before Chasing Wealth or Goals

What It Is: Real success flows from inner alignment, not constant effort. Wealth, growth and achievement are outputs, not starting points.

Why It Matters: If you skip the inner work, the result, even if you get it, feels empty or unsustainable. But when you create energy, purpose and emotional grounding, you make clearer decisions, take smarter risks and recover faster from setbacks.

How To Apply It:

1. Build your morning practice first.

2. Use your best energy early in the day for your most meaningful work.

3. Delay external goals until your habits have roots.

4. Reassess your direction monthly, not yearly.

Pro Tip: Don’t chase goals from depletion. Build energy, then act.

Try This Today: Choose one meaningful task to complete before 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mini Case/Example

“I live because I want to create, because I am in joy, because I will work every day for what I want.” - Jacopo Iasiello
“One thing every human should do daily? Meditate.” - Jacopo Iasiello

Quick Wins Checklist (Do These in the Next 24 Hours)

• Set your alarm 15-30 minutes earlier than usual

• Meditate for 3 minutes upon waking

• Finish your shower cold

• Move your body for 10 minutes

• Decide one important task to finish before 9 a.m. tomorrow

Closing Insight

You don’t need more willpower. You don’t need the perfect plan. You don’t need to wait for motivation to strike. What you need is energy, the kind that comes from showing up for yourself before you show up for the world.

Master your morning, and you master your direction. Build your foundation, and everything built upon it becomes easier, your habits, your confidence, your relationships, even your wealth. Small, repeatable actions done early will change your life more than sporadic bursts of effort ever will.

Start tomorrow. Start tiny. Start on your terms.

Watch me on YouTube https://youtu.be/zdX4PWdzPEQ
Listen to the True From Podcast https://trueform.buzzsprout.com