Three Benefits of a Great Start!

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I know, I know, you don’t have time! You got to go, you’ve got to get to work, take the kids to school, feed the dog, start chores, and on and on. But we make time, almost always for what we want and even what isn’t productive (think Instagram, TikTok, Netflix, Facebook, Amazon shopping, and on and on). So the question is what do you REALLY want? A great start is what you need! A morning habit/ritual will help with that and most especially, it is one that helps enhance soul and enhance life!
 
In my book, “Life Sucks, Seek God,” I talk about in chapter 7, “Take Five,” literally, a plan to take 5 minutes to dedicate to a spiritual practice or ritual. I know it makes a difference from experience but books like The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and Mini Habits by Stephen Guise, back me up on this. If we are honest with ourselves, of all the parts of us we neglect most, it is our soul - the inner core of our being.


More Productive

Taking a few moments at the beginning of the day to organize your thoughts and plan your day can go a long way when it comes to productivity. Going into work groggy, grumpy, and unprepared can leave you feeling unfulfilled and unaccomplished. Having a productive day is not just about making a to-do list either. Having a morning ritual that makes you feel good about yourself and start the day off in a relaxed mood will also help you be more productive. Instead of rushing into all of the tasks you have to complete with a scrambled mind.


Less Stress

Stress is a normal human reaction to having too much to do in too little time. There are a lot of physical and mental ways that stress can affect you over time. This includes increased anxiety, developing depression, fatigue, headaches, and even body pains from tension. One of the ways that having a morning ritual benefits you is that you know what to expect every morning and so your brain has less to worry about. Self-care rituals like exercise, journaling, or meditation can reduce your stress levels throughout the day because you can approach challenges from a calmer, relaxed point of view.


Renewed Mind

Having a morning ritual to focus our heart and soul on the Divine, on our souls, taps a deeper part of who we are. We find our passion, our mission, our mantra, when we are still and silent and reflect on our purpose and what matters most. The ancient writer of Lamentations, a book from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament states: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (3:22-23). The ancient spiritual writers knew long before social sciences figured it out that starting the day in the presence of the Divine, renews us and changes the course of our life and each day.