Morning Rituals that Empower

Intentions

My mornings consisted of pushing SNOOZE 2-3 times, throwing on dry shampoo, rushing the boys and I out the door to get to school (and all the lunches, breakfasts, paper signing, homework checking etc… ) By the time the three of us were out of the house, our nerves were on edge and we were all wondering if we were okay.

 Not the best way to send your children off to school or myself.

James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, is my current book that has been guiding me to reevaluate my habits.  When my girlfriends and I got together this year to create our Vision Boards, we started with an activity Clear talks about in one of the chapters.

step 1: We listed our habits/tasks in a ‘typical’ day (I know… who has a typical day).  As I stepped back to examine my list, I noticed that 2/3 of my paper listed habits/tasks I complete before 830AM. Which is probably why by 4 PM, I am DONE and struggle with being present with my family.  

2020 Intention = MINDFULNESS

Step 2: With my intention in mind, our next step was to identify each task or habit as Positive, Negative or Neutral toward your intention.

Final Step: Re-examine the list of negative items and fix the Systems that are creating that negative habit to stick around.

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.- James Clear

You can’t reach a goal if you aren’t willing to change the system that is preventing you from reaching that goal. 

I have dedicated this month to fixing the MORNING SYSTEM. I have read that successful people all have some kind of morning ritual in their daily routine.  It has not been 28 days or even 21 (some say those are the number of days it takes to create a habit), but I am on week 2, and it has already made a big difference in my energy, focus, and evening mindfulness.

Empower your Day with these Simple Morning Habits

1. Wake up Earlier

Stop snoozing!!!!  Make yourself get physically out of bed every morning without Snoozing- Move your alarm into the bathroom, kitchen or on the table on the other side of your bedroom.  Force yourself to get up to snooze!  After just a few days, it will be the time you look forward to.

2.  Practice Gratitude

Feeling gratitude is undoubtedly an empowering ritual. Start your day by being thankful for those positive things that happened the previous day or throughout the week.

• I have my journal in a drawer under my coffee maker, so while the coffee is brewing I jot down 1 thing I am grateful for.

 

3. Affirm your Goals

Writing down your most important tasks in the morning helps you focus your day and life according to what is essential.  These should be tasks (1 to 3) that focus on your long term goals that go along with your intention.

• In the same gratitude journal, I jot these tasks down allowing my focus to stay on what is important to me.

4. Cultivate Energy

Find your Qi, practice pranayama, yoga, meditate or go for a jog/walk- Get fresh air. Whatever provides you with energy — NOT leaving you exhausted— should occur during this ritualistic time.

5. Drink a glass of water

It can be warm and It can have a hint of lemon. This is a great way to flush out toxins in the morning, it balances and maintains the PH levels in the body, reduces pain and inflammation in joints and knees and helps to nourish the brain and nerve cells.

I have not been doing this for 28 days, not even 21(the number of days most researchers believe it takes to create a new habit)-— but I have been doing this for 2 weeks AND it has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the day— that I don’t want to miss.

I’m not rushing around the house to get everything done, but I am also finding that I am empowered to do more with my family in the quiet evenings… pack lunches for the next day, sign papers, check backpacks etc…