7 Awesome Things You Should Do Before Breakfast

I share this series of habits with you because I've found them life-giving and SO much better as a way of life... Who knows, they may be exactly what you need!

And once habits become habitual, they flow. They're easy!

Too many days dawn in a whirlwind to get somewhere... do something...

Even worse, reply to someone else's e-mails or watch news that pretty much guarantees an "ugh" feeling in the gut. Kind of like starting each day by eating last night's leftover cake.

After years of struggling with depression and life that pretty much ran day into day, I felt like something had to change.

Admittedly, I came “kicking and screaming" into having hardly any prescribed habits or routines. On the Myers-Briggs Scale, I'm a P (“Play it by ear") type. And I tend to run from things with “should" by them.

HOWEVER, I share this series of habits with you because I've found them life-giving and SO much better as a way of life... Who knows, they may be exactly what you need!

And once habits become habitual, they flow. They're easy!

Even if you've never experienced anything approaching diagnosable depression, experiencing life on a higher plane makes adding habits a small price to pay.

And the reason before breakfast - because there's just no getting away from it, how we start a day has a huge impact on our ability to create positive productivity, be present, grow better relationships, and better outcomes all day.

l notice, for memory's sake, they spell out the word A-R-R-I-V-E-D.

1. Appreciation

Simply, start the day sitting quietly, tuning out all negatives, or fear and listing gratitude, miracles start right away. Start by just quieting the buzzing mind, (Admittedly with a cup of coffee in hand for some of us sure helps.)

Tony Robbins said, "Trade your expectations for appreciation, and your whole world changes in an instant!"

I now list them in my appreciations in a list I keep on Evernote. But paper journals work great. I used to just journal whatever came to mind... I now find that intentionally noticing the good replaces the negative and fearful gunk that accumulates overnight. So good!

I also use this time as meditation time and just thank God for all that's good. Again, having spent far too long immersed in negative gunk, this cleanses the dirt.

2. Read for Your Soul

The next habit involves reading devotionally powerful and positive words of wisdom. For me, the Bible is always my first go-to..... and for whatever reason, I never regret reading the Bible.

But, wisdom seems to wake up cells of our brain and begin creativity devoid of fear. So, the reading material needs to encourage, remind of truth and bring hope.

Some people also like listening for their soul. So, listening to books or great podcasts can also serve us.

3. Reflect on What's Important About the Day

Instead of just speeding through the day, this offers space to be intentional.

Best case, write down the answer to some super questions.

If I were to live today over again, what would I do? (Kind of a Begin with the end in mind)

What's important about today?

What must be done today?

What will I enjoy today?

4. Invite God to Show Where He's at work.

Yep, there's always the temptation to force, "My will be done." Or we can intentionally ask God to open our eyes to "Thy will be done."

A life-changing paradigm for me came from Henry Blackaby's teaching in a book called Experiencing God where he taught that we should pray.. but then open our eyes to see where God is at work around us.

Catholic author Henri Nouwen once described true prayer as "moving from clenched fists to open hands." (With Open Hands). It's both about acceptance - which then leads to awareness.

Invite spiritual awareness during a day as a habit and watch for much more signs of the miraculous and open doors.

5. Vigorous Exercise

I realize that "vigorous" and "exercise" may mean different things to us. For me, it involves getting outside (Colorado trails help!), breaking a sweat, and in this season doing at least 30 pushups and 30 situps before breakfast.

No need to go into depth on the positive benefits of starting a day with exercise (less stress, lower cholesterol, less "YUK!")... but whoever regrets a regiment of biking, swimming, running, walking, or hiking??

6. Express Love

Whether it's a kind "good morning Love," a "Let me get you some coffee," a note of appreciation, or even a text, good things come when we wake up our love muscle.

Truly, those of us who've used the excuse of "I'm not a morning person" as a way to justify being grumpy and irritable can benefit from this. So can our relationships!

7. Drink Water (8/8)

After 8 or so hours of not drinking water all night, our bodies need a heavy dose of water. Experts recommend 16 ounces first thing.

Then make it a constant habit to have at least 8 8-ounce glasses throughout the day.

In a great post called Killer Morning Habit, Chris Bailey writes, "Water fires up your metabolism, hydrates you, helps your body flush out toxins, gives your brain fuel, and may even make you eat less."

Benefits of starting with water from medical studies.

It fires up your metabolism.

Rehydrates us when you wake up.

Helps your body flush out toxins.

Brings health to brain tissue, which is 75% water.

Helps us eat less.

So, why haven't we been doing this???

OK, so those are my seven.

One more thing. Keep Track! A great way to track progress is an app called Habit List. Simple. Doable. Even tracks your progress.

OK... One More. Would you like to stay connected to the growing network of others making a difference with their lives and work and receive a copy of PassionFinder 2.0?

Use this LINK.

ae170.infusionsoft.com/app/page/passionfinder20

Always love to hear your thoughts and what works for you