How we start the morning often sets
the stage for how the rest of the day unfolds. Life can throw us challenges in
the middle of the day. Maybe you get a stressful email. Someone rear ends you
with their car.
You lost that deal that you were
looking forward to. Anything can happen in the present moment. How we start our
day can often affect how we greet those challenges. Here are four tips to start
your day that will help you with whatever you get handed.
1.
Careful Investigation
- It’s good to begin the day realizing where you are starting the day from. How
is your body? What emotions are present? Is your mind calm or frantic? As you
are resting in bed, do you feel comfortable or tense? What is on your mind?
2.
Think Positive Thoughts - After a brief intellectual check-in, one way of mentally opening
up to the good of the day is to consider a calculated gratitude practice. What good
in your life right now do you have to be thankful for?
Philippians 4:8 (GNT) provides this timely counsel: “In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds
with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true,
noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”
3.
Bring Presence to the Morning Activities - When you’re in the shower, be present and not solving
problems at work already. When you’re making breakfast, consider the intention
of that being to take care of yourself and others through the day. Before you
leave, make sure to say an intentional goodbye (looking into their eyes).
4.
Red Light Practice
- As you drive to work use red lights as an opportunity to press the reset
button (when you get aggravated). You can make the choice to listen to your
favorite calming music (or entertaining audio book).Intentionally plan the day
out in your mind. If you take public transportation you can do the same thing
every time the bus, train, or subway stops.
If you work from home, try this before turning on your
computer. Expose yourself to good choices. Act on them. It feels good. Prime
your mind for the rest of the day. Now that you have choices; you can respond
appropriately to life’s situations. Each morning these four hints can
revolutionize your life.[i]
“Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental
awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention,
intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over
time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as
it is unfolding.”
(Jon Kabat-Zinn) 
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