3 Habits To Start Each Day
Being a morning person was never on my goal list. I loved sleeping in until 10 and lounging around on the weekends. It was actually a wonderful season in my life, but then the season of growth came.
I began saying ‘yes’ to everything, so excited to do new things and meet new people, but then it all became a bit too much. I gave too much of myself and neglected to find time to refuel myself.
After I realized I was at a breaking point, the morning was the best time to make time for myself and refuel so I could show up strong for the wonderful people in my life.
I was blessed to have friends come alongside me as we all needed accountability and encouragement to make new habits. We chose the 90-day challenge from Rachel Hollis that emphasized 5 key steps to building good habits.
I focused on these 3 habits and shaped them to fit me:
Get up early for me-time
Journal - Devotional + Grateful
Yoga
Get up early for me-time
I’m an introvert and need “me-time” to recharge. However, it’s always a struggle to find me-time without feeling like I’m neglecting my job, husband or friends. I’m a people pleaser and giver, and would only realize how empty I was when it was too late. I’d get super grumpy and lash out or neglect the things that mattered to me. I definitely wasn’t at peace.
So, step one was to wake up an hour early when my husband was still sleeping and it was too dark to do any work. Since I’m not naturally a morning person, I eased into it 15 minutes at a time. Eventually, I was getting up at 5 am! having a whole hour of quiet time for myself.
Journal - Devotional + Grateful
Step two has transformed into a whole devotional. I started with just journaling about my dreams, what I was grateful for, and the intent for the day. As time went on, I added a devotional time with devotional books (I love this one) and am now getting online with Proverbs 31 and Joyce Meyer for their devotionals.
After I wake up, I make myself a cup of coffee and get cozy in my sitting room. I read the verse of the day, the interpretation, and grab my Bible so I can read the chapter and get a greater context for the verse. Then I write the verse in my journal and meditate on the verse to see if God has a direction for me and write about it.
Next, I jot down what I’m grateful for even when I’m not feeling super grateful. It totally changes my mindset and outlook on the day.
This practice has brought me so much clarity over the path for my life and has opened my soul to NO FEAR. I’m now open to His direction throughout the day and keep His calm peace within me especially when the stress or fear begin to creep in.
Yoga
Step 3 is to exercise every day. I have chosen to start my day with yoga which fits my energy level, space, and access. I get onto YouTube and pick a video by Yoga with Adriene. She has so many videos that I don’t get bored with the same old thing and can pick depending on my energy level. I have gained muscle, flexibility, focus and it puts me in a motivated place to start the day.
This is now a routine, but it took a lot of commitment to stick with it and I still skip a day here and there.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and need to fill your cup, I want to tell you that you’re worth the time and dedication to make habits that fill your cup.
