Oh what a ..?. morning.
Not as beautiful as you’d thought it would be?
Or have you simply not reflected upon it yet.
Good morning
I remember how that sentence irritated me as a teenager. “Good morning” my dad said, with that cheerful voice. He was one of those who were up early. I, on the other hand, would rather stay in bed. The mornings was not my favorite time of day.
Why do you think there has been written so much about the importance of how we start our mornings?
Because it is important.
What you achieve during a day, is often based on your focus in the morning. Not to mention your mental well-being!
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
Hello world
The moment you open your eyes or consciously become aware that you are awake, is the moment you know you are alive!
You made it! A new day. Endless possibilities, if you choose to believe so.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love—then make that day count!” – Steve Maraboli
How many of us will be able to honestly say, on our last day here on this earth; I embraced every morning.
I gave thanks every morning.
For some reason, mornings have become an unpleasant start of the day for so many.
Oh crap… another morning
You notice you’re awake (can someone just turn off that alarm!!!!)
You look at your phone. Scrolling down the Facebook or instagram feed. For no apparent reason (ah… oh…….. I have to hurry)
You get yourself on your feed and stumble into the bathroom (oh crap. I look awful.)
Breakfast? What’s in the fridge? (Oh I don’t have time for that now. Ah , I forgot to do .. yesterday. Oh no.)
You grab your stuff and head off to work.
That was that morning …
and how do you feel?
Stressed!
Disconnected from your own core – your own soul.
If you have read all the way down here, please continue. What I will share with you next is a morning routine that I have used for years.
How to embrace the mornings, even though you have lack of time
As mother of five, and an entrepreneur, I know how crazy life can be. But no matter how crazy, or how much there is to do in my businesses that day, I keep my very simple morning routine sacred.
And I have my reason.
Going back some years I was about to hit the wall, that so many of us do from time to time. (Personally, I believe that hitting the wall is a great wake up call to make a change! To shift focus. No wall is there to put you down. You’re facing it so you can realize you now have the opportunity to create a different way of doing. But that’s a topic for later).
I was having my own business as a web designer and coach, while running a family with four small children. I was very good at serving, and pleasing. And terrible at putting boundaries and saying No.
An endless to-to list
I would start my day checking my emails. There was always something I needed fix, for someone. And I wanted to do it all as fast as possible. My list of to-do just grew and as it did, I thought I had to do more and speed up more in order to get through that list. But the more I did, no matter how efficient I was, the list simply grew.
My customers were happy.
I was exhausted and just about to give it all up.
“Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand”
― Hayley Williams
When we hit rock bottom, there will always be a sign that, if we pay attention, can lead us to a ladder.
One of the good things about hitting the bottom and finding yourself on the floor, is that you notice the small things, the details, that you don’t see when you stand on top of the mountain.
One day I came across a one page planer. One page that I was encouraged to fill out ever single morning to set my intentions.
I still don’t know why or how, but I made a commitment to myself that day to not try to do that, but to do it.
After just a few weeks I had created my own version. And now it has become a book – a monthly planner. Because starting to use my Daily Planner, shifter my whole way of doing. Slowely I regained a sense of control and purpose. From other people’s agenda, to my agenda.
Oh what an exciting morning
An easy and effective morning routine
- Make sure to tuck away your phone as you go to sleep. Put it in flight mode and place it somewhere you can’t reach it from your bed the next morning. Your morning routine actually starts the evening before.
- The moment you wake up, stretch in bed. If you can do a little yoga routine, that is even better, but the impact of simply stretching, while lying in bed, is so good. Be like a cat. Feel how you’re gently walking up your physical body.
- Have your own daily planner or just a simple notebook. Make your relationship with this planner or notebook sacred. Have a pen that you like to write with. Then find the best place in your home. Make yourself a nice cup of coffee (that’s my thing), or cup of tea. Or maybe a glass of juice. What ever makes you happy. And then write down your thoughts and intentions for this day. What are you grateful for today? What are potential distractions you need to be aware of? And what is your main focus for this day?
Remember the endless To-Do list?
What has become the most important part of the morning routine, writing it all down, is to get clear on today’s top three priorities. Not 10! Not whatever comes my way or someone asks of me. Three priorities that I promise myself to finish within the end of the day. Everything else is bonus.
“Oh what a beautiful morning”
It’s not about time (and if you do find yourself endlessly running around with too little time, you might wanna consider waking up 30 min earlier)
It’s about where you put your attention before everyone else’s agenda gets it! Take those few minutes before your day heads off in one direction – and center yourself. What do YOU want from this day. What do YOU want to get done. And who do you want to be, today.
I hope you will open your eyes tomorrow, knowing it is a beautiful new day.
WebMentor, WebDesigner and Co-creator at Wisdom From North.
Mother of 5 and author of “Dagsplan – Fra idé til suksess”.
