Would you believe me if I told you that the catalyst for my success, the variable in my life that allows me to be a successful entrepreneur, is smoking a joint each morning with my coffee?

You should see the looks I get when I tell people that I use cannabis in the morning and throughout the day. In general, people don’t understand and ask me, “How do you get anything done? Aren’t you just sleepy and stoned all day?”

Many people don’t know that there are certain types and strains of weed that give you energy and heighten concentration. In my life, cannabis functions as a cognitive and performance enhancer. Much like buying ginseng for energy or valerian root for sleep at The Vitamin Shoppee, I buy Jack Herer for energy and Coma OG for sleep at my local dispensary.

It may come as a surprise, but cannabis and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. Not only do the strains I choose help me focus and be more productive, they make me more open to new, and sometimes crazy, ideas, some of which have launched my career.

Being an entrepreneur is hard. In fact, failure is such an everyday occurrence it would be easier to work for someone else. But entrepreneurship is about knowing exactly what you want out of life, following your dreams and making them a reality. My goal is to change the stigma around cannabis and help people live their best, most authentic lives by using the right kind of cannabis for them.

Not only can entrepreneurs not be afraid to fail, they have to love and embrace failures. Any successful entrepreneur knows you hear one million ‘No’s’ before you get that magical ‘Yes.’ Furthermore, you can’t take those rejections personally, if things don’t go your way, it’s part of the job, not a personal defeat that you can beat yourself up over. Learning to love failure and never letting it shake you up enough to put you off track is a huge part of being a successful entrepreneur.

Cannabis fits in by creating an openness, allowing me to connect ideas that don’t necessarily go together. It helps me step back and reflect when things go wrong, enabling me to improve things rather than get upset or take anything personally. I can roll with the punches, act quickly and make important decisions on the spot. From a practical standpoint, cannabis also increases my appetite in the morning, something I need or I won’t eat and have enough energy to perform at my cognitive best for the rest of the day.

The type, strain and dosage of weed are crucial to getting these positive, productive results.

There are three main types of weed—sativa, indica and hybrid—that produce different effects in the user. I only consume sativa-dominant strains when I’m working for their cheerful, alert, creative and sociable high. Sativa-dominant strains like Jack Herer, Green Crack and Tangie, are my go-to morning buds for their clear-headed and invigorating effects that make me want to keep moving. It’s important not to overdo it. I have to keep my dose low to produce this healthy and constructive cannabis routine.

Cannabis is at the center of an eight-step method to success I’ve been refining and have written about. The other steps include: meditation, clean eating, exercise, journaling, practicing gratitude, listening to music and playing.

These things empower me and make me feel fabulous, and cannabis makes all of them effortless. I move through the day with ease and grace, and never feel tired or defeated when I stay true to my eight steps of success. Life flows toward me without resistance, making it easy to design the reality I want.

There’s an unhappiness epidemic in the U.S., and most people believe there’s no way to change, that it’s normal to hate your job and be dissatisfied on a regular basis. Especially after the election, our country seems to be falling into a depression. If we want to make a lasting change, we have to start with ourselves, and my eight steps to success can help. If that sounds good, keep your eyes out for my new book, Eight Surprising Habits of Highly Successful People, expected to come out early 2017.

I’m not the only successful business owner that uses cannabis as part of a healthy routine. Check out how these entrepreneurs manage their work, happiness and cannabis consumption:

Jane West, Founder of Women Grow, now CEO at Shop Jane West

“Drop kids at school, eat egg whites, sometimes covered with crushed cheez-its, drink coffee, smoke sativa with my vaporizer, power clean house for 45 minutes straight listening to Beyoncé, drink large water, sit at desk and answer incoming emails for 30 minutes, do proactive outgoing work building the company until yoga, then time to pick up kiddos.”

Molly Peckler, CEO & Head Coach at Highly Devoted

“I start my mornings with 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation, and I’ll often compliment my practice with a puff or two of a sativa-dominant vape cartridge, such as Sour Diesel or Berry White. Meditation acts as a daily shower for my brain, and cannabis amplifies my awareness of my thoughts and emotions and how they affect me.”

Andrew Mieure, Owner of Top Shelf Budtending

“With anxiety, the standard ‘sativa for mornings’ regimen simply does not work. As far as cannabinoid ratios are concerned, I like to start out with a 2:1 or 1:1 (CBD/THC) ratio variety. If I can find it, although pretty rare, I look for higher levels of CBC (which is an even more potent anti-anxiety cannabinoid than CBD). After I am out of bed, I prefer to use a low-dose vaporizer. This allows me to microdose, taste the terpenes and flavonoids, and have an easy, less smelly morning. I select bud that has a calming terpene profile like linalool or beta-carphyolene, as citrus terpenes are prone to setting my anxiety off. Microdosing is essential for my morning routine, I get the anti-anxiety effects without any of the chest pressure, racing heart or racing thoughts associated with consuming too much. Anxiety disorders can make some mornings tremendously stressful, but with the correct dosage, cannabinoids and terpenes, my morning tends to go quite a bit smoother.”

Bradley Banaszek, Owner of Medicate Every Meal

“I start the day with something smokeable, to kill any lingering morning nausea. Once my stomach is settled, I like to add cannabis to as many meals as possible throughout the day. I’ll make medicated yogurt, peanut butter and cream cheese from scratch. It’s even simple to medicate a gallon of skim milk to add to smoothies. Medicating in the morning is tricky. You don’t want to smell like bud, or walk around in a daze. Edibles can provide a different experience. Once you have an idea of your correct dosing, it’s very easy to maintain a clear head and relaxed body. My day is more productive when I start out with cannabis. I spend less time managing the complications of my diabetes. I used to take a handful of pills throughout the day that would have their own side effects.”

Katina Morales, Founder and CEO of Betty Khronic

“As a distance runner, cannabis helped me heal and recover from long runs the healthy and natural way. How you consume cannabis is key for successful use and results. I like to eat a Betty Khronic energy bar before hikes, strength training workouts, yoga, and before I go on runs. For me, cannabis helps me focus on the task at hand, allowing me to give 100 percent of myself into my workout. Cannabis infused with superfoods, gives me the natural energy and euphoria that I need to push through strenuous activities and keeps me going!”

Julian Marley, Musician & Owner of Ju Ju Royal

“When I wake in the morning, I go for the best herb I have available, so I go straight for my JuJu Royal Sour Diesel, as well as the the JuJu Royal OG Kush vape pen. This starts my day off irie.”

Do you use cannabis in the morning? Do you get crazy looks if you share this info with your friends and family? I want to hear about it! Leave a comment below. Let’s change the stigma together!

This piece was created by Michelle Janikian and Catherine Goldberg. Curious about the Cannabis Industry? Download their free ebook to learn more. www.BrainBuzz.co

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