How I Changed the Way I Start My Day

I've recently created a guide to help people create a simple morning routine for themselves so they can change the way they start their day. This came out of my own efforts to start my day off with more positivity and intention. I would like to share with you a little bit of my story around it, with the hope that it inspires you to take action in your own life. 

To be honest,  for years I've started and stopped my efforts of personal development through enacting various yoga practices, meditation practices, journaling, and more. But I've never been able to stick with anything for very long, and I had begun to think this was a personal flaw of mine. I found myself having a hard time getting up out of bed in the morning and making time throughout the day for activities that I knew intellectually were good for my body, mind and spirit. I knew that when I kept a consistent yoga and meditation practice I felt better- more grounded, happy, and clear. But somehow these positive feelings weren't enough motivation for me to keep the practices up. I had fallen into a "was there something wrong with me?" kind of funk. (Can you relate?) And to top it off, I was a Wellness Coach for god's sake- so I had piled a bunch of shame on top of the funk, which left me feeling pretty low.

Enter January 2016, and yes, I was feeling the "New Year" inspiration to make a change and make some resolutions. Through a fellow coaching friend I found out about the book "Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod.  The author's "recipe" for a morning routine inspired me to try enacting a morning routine of my own and the results I began experiencing inspired me to share about the benefits with my clients and others. 

What I first noticed when I made the effort to start my day off with more intention by getting up earlier and forcing myself to get out of bed was that I felt so ENERGIZED!  I felt much happier, confident, proud, and like I really accomplished something before the day even started. 

I started my morning routine by following Hal Elrod's recipe of S.A.V.E.R.S-  (Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing.)  I soon found that this was too many activities for me to try to enact at once. It worked better for me to simplify my routine by thinking about activities for BODY, MIND and SPIRIT.  (Which I write about in my guide.) It also helped me to give myself permission to be flexible with how the routine went every day. After all, every day is a new day and a different day, so my routine is never exactly the same. 

​In fact I created a page in my journal to help me plan out what I wanted to do: 

Now, as you can see- this is a 45 + minute routine. Which means I have to get up early to make it happen- cause once my kids get up it's time to make breakfast, get them to school, and life just takes over.  I found that if I don't get it done before breakfast time, it's hard to make it happen. 

And some mornings, I still find it hard to get out of bed- even after my six months of effort and practice.  I still find it challenging to consistently get to bed at a time that allows me to feel rested enough to get up and do my routine.  So, am I doing this routine every day? No. I've been tracking when I do it, and I average hitting it 5 days a week.  And some days I do a shortened version if I am feeling pressed for time. 

Six months in,  let me tell you, I really notice when I don't do it.  I take that as a good sign. That means it's becoming a habit. 

In sharing about habit formation and routines with a client she admitted that it took her 5 years to develop a daily yoga practice.  Phew! What a relief this was to hear as it reassured me that I wasn't alone in my struggle to create healthy habits. 

​If you'd like to check out my guide, I have a link to it on my welcome page.    If you'd like to have some conversations about how you could step into creating some practices for yourself,  email me to schedule a free discovery session with me to find out how coaching can help you.  

Comment below and tell me, how are you starting your day?  What challenges do you face? 

-- Lauren M Hunt