Wouldn’t it be great to start the day feeling peaceful, focused, and inspired? Every day I start my morning feeling centered and at peace. My secret is having a morning practice. Having a daily set of rituals helps you feel grounded in your body, mind, and soul. Taking time to renew helps you be more creative, productive and energized throughout the day.
I have a meditation tray with all my favorite things that make me feel centered. It has photographs of people I love, a statue of Buddha, a rosary, and other treasured items. I am diligent of meditating every day. I created a special meditation room in my home. Sometimes I light a candle before I begin. There I can pray, meditate, and find my focus for the day.
Here’s some ideas for things to include in your morning practice.
1) Start the day with coffee, tea, or water
2) Exercise – This can be some stretches, yoga, or a morning walk with the dog.
3) Journal – Writing a few notes in your journal is a way to capture what’s on your mind. You can start with a journal prompt, writing about the day to come, what you discovered in prayer, meditation, a daily focus… whatever comes to mind. There are no rules.
4) Prayer/Meditation – Slow down and breath. Take time to reconnect to the Divine within you. Listen to the quiet whispers of your soul. Ask for guidance. You will be surprised how centered and focused you can be with just a few minutes of morning prayer to ground you.
5) Personal Development – Dedicate yourself to be a lifelong learner. Read a chapter from your favorite book. Listen to a podcast. Do a daily devotional. Read a newsletter from industry experts. I have a Library of Love I look to for daily growth. In it are titles like “Simple Abundance” abd “Finding your Own North Star”.
6) Get inspired – Uplift your soul. This can be reading an affirmation like “I am happy, healthy, and free”. It may be a word like “courage” that you want to embrace for the day. Perhaps you found an inspirational quote that sparked your interest. I like to spend 10 minutes internalizing my daily affirmation.
7) Be Grateful – The more your count your blessings, the more blessings you have to count. Take time to recognize what’s wonderful in your world. When you appreciate and take joy in what you have, the universe sends you more.
8) Dream and Visualize your Day – What would you like to have, be do? Take a few moments to close your eyes. Imagine what you’d like to see happen. Feel it in your heart. When you feel excited and focus on what you want, it will attract it. What you think about, you bring about. Create a dream map on the wall. Have a dream chest with items and pictures that inspire you. Start a dream folder with pictures about what you’d like to attract into your life.
9) Make a plan – What three things if you did them would make the biggest impact for you? Tackle the biggest task first while you are sharp and full of energy.
So instead of turning on the computer, hopping into your email, and letting the day control you, setup a morning practice. It gives you a beautiful, centered time just for yourself. By easing into your day, you’ll find more joy and stamina to tackle the day.
