Picture this: You arise from bed on Monday morning to the tune of an alarm you set the night before, optimistic that you’d be able to pop up from bed ready to take on a new week with fresh perspective. Yet, when the alarm goes off you feel groggy and decide to hit snooze. When you are finally able to wrestle yourself from bed, you realize that you are now 30 minutes behind schedule. In a complete frenzy, you rush to shower, get dressed, and down a protein bar as you commute to work.
On a morning such as this, did you have a minute to check in with yourself? Did you have time to ask, “How do I want to show up for this day? How do I want to be in my relationships? At my job? How can I bring meaning to this day and use it as an opportunity to progress my life forward?” I am assuming that there was little time, between your shower and eventual departure from home, for much self reflection.
When I have a morning that unfolds in this way, I feel a bit flustered for the entirety of the day…it becomes exceedingly hard for me to find steady ground upon which to calm my system and focus my mind.
So, with that, what kind of routine best prepares you for the day ahead?
I have been pondering what an ideal morning looks like for me; how to set myself up for a day I can be proud of. How can I develop clarity and a plan for what I want to accomplish, while also allowing myself freedom to move at my own pace and leave room for spontaneity around what I choose to do with my time? When it comes to creating space for reflection upon my desires, dreams and intentions, I find that the purity of mornings provides me with the greatest capacity to do so.
I love, and have always loved, the early hours. Even when it is hard to pull myself from the warmth and comfort of bed, I know that gifting myself the time to sit in my own company is a key ingredient in bringing purpose and joy to my day. Mornings are soft and quiet, inviting one to find stillness and contemplation within. They are chance to start again, to do better than the day before, an opportunity to move closer towards the life one hungers for.
I am often the first one awake, but on the off chance that I am not, I tiptoe around, careful not to make anyone else aware of my presence, lest they want to talk. I am not yet ready for the calm of my mind to be disturbed by the chatter or inquiries of others. I am not yet ready to be pulled from my own center and into the orbit of another.
I turn on the kettle, preparing water for the french press. As the water boils, I close my eyes and tune into my breath. Still sleepy, I fall easily into a moment of meditation which encourages visualization of how my higher self – the self I seek to be – would move through this day. Through this I am cultivating an awareness of how I want to show up for my life.
Once the coffee has steeped, I pour myself a generous mug, which I top with steamed milk, and retreat to a private corner of the world. Sometimes it is outside, wrapped in a blanket if the air is biting and cold. Being outside in the crisp, morning air, watching and listening to the birds as they dart from tree to tree, my body and soul begin to awaken. Other times, I find myself nestled into a chair where I can gaze out a window at the golden sun beginning to cut through the branches of the Junipers. And now, I sit. I work to embrace stillness (which doesn’t come easily to me) and simply watch the natural world as it awakens. Gleaning inspiration from it’s modesty.
From here, I pull out my journal and I begin to write. What I write upon is different each day. I check in with my heart and listen to what it is that I need to get out and onto paper.
There are some days where I awaken feeling energized and upbeat; on these days I tend to gravitate towards writing about my intentions and goals for the day ahead, painting a vivid picture of how I’d most like to show up for the events and people in my life. I write on my goal of practicing patience, presence and grace – for myself and others.
Then, there are days where I awaken distraught, still holding on to emotions from the previous night. I may have scribbled words down in a huff before going to sleep, but the fatigue of a day can leave me feeling off kilter, unable to accurately process what is going on for me. On the mornings that follow nights such as these, I use the page to sort through anger, insecurity, despair, or frustration…sifting through the chaos to find a way forward.
I find that when I write in the morning, as opposed to other times of the day, the words flow organically; there is more truth and vulnerability behind them. My mind is rested and has not yet been muddled from the events and noise of the day. I am better able to differentiate what rings true for me, versus what I believe others expect. No one has asked anything of me, my time hasn’t yet been infringed upon, I can still hear my own voice clearly.
This year, this time, is meant to bring me closer to myself. The mornings – a symbol of a new beginning – are an opening for me to do this. Through putting pen to paper, I learn more about myself. When I have finished writing, it is as though I have released what was collected overnight, reached a deeper level of honesty within, and have gained greater insight around what I want for the day in front of me. I then am able to enter my life feeling lighter and more confident.
I am a morning person. I understand that mornings are not for everyone, and what we need from our mornings differs from person to person. For the last several years, my morning routine has stayed relatively consistent. There are days though where my mornings become rushed, and I forgo time spent writing. When traveling in the van, some mornings consisted of an attempt at journaling while trying to avoid becoming car-sick. I also have been known to enjoy starting a day with a sunrise hike up Smith Rock. Straying from a rigid routine is perfectly acceptable, encouraged even, as, for me atleast, it is a good practice in flexibility and non-attachment.
We, as a human race, are experiencing a period of great uncertainty and turmoil in our world. I find that having a routine to fall back on is steadying. Starting my day with a ritual that involves a warm beverage, a moment with nature and time to write, roots me. It is a practice that I can engage in (for the most part) regardless of my environment. And when I do, I am better able to hold strong in the face of challenge or opposition. I am more trusting and receptive.
I believe that we all need a constant – a routine, or structure, to fall back on. For me, this comes in the way I spend the first moments of my day. Mornings invite a clean slate, another chance to show up for your life in the way that is most authentic to you.
I implore you to find an anchor upon which you can stall your world and bring it back to focus, before you get lost in the obligations and events of your day. For in this we bring greater clarity to our life, more intention to our actions, a deeper understanding of our individuality, and therefore become a being of continued evolution.
You may already have your anchor, and if so, that is wonderful! But if you don’t and are wondering what this anchor could look like for you, some questions you may want to ask yourself include:
- What would your ideal morning look like?
- What practices, rituals, or routines allow you to best show up for yourself, your family, and your community?
- What nourishes you? Where can you add moments of nourishment, not just into your morning, but throughout your day?
Be willing to experiment. You may try on a routine, or ritual, and realize that it doesn’t quite fit you. If you are not a morning person, then by all means, apply these questions to your evenings, use them to consider what you want for the day to follow. What you need in one phase of your life will likely be different from another. Be flexible, be open to change, and listen to what serves you. Show yourself grace, and know that you can always come back to your routine after taking a period away from it. Pay attention to how you feel on the days where you allow more time for your routine, your “constant” – whatever this is for you – as your state of being is the best indication of what works as opposed to what needs to be adjusted.
A future is built upon daily routine. If you seek to create a bright future, it only follows that it is worth carefully considering how you go about the routines of each day. I welcome you to mindfully craft a morning, or an evening, that puts you in a position to move ever closer to the future you aspire to.
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