Over the years, I’ve developed a morning ritual that has become essential for me having a great day. I like great days a lot, so this ritual is pretty important to me. As in, I have noticed on more than one occasion that when I skip it entirely, I don’t get a great day. The main elements of my ritual are:
- A few select readings to gently settle my busy mind
- Meditating for 20 minutes
- A few minutes of free-form journaling
This morning after meditating, I didn’t “feel like” journaling. Truth be told, I was feeling kind of irritated and annoyed. So like a good advisor, I said to myself: Tough beans. Do it anyway.
So I did.
I often start with something like “Today I am…” and then just write whatever comes to me as a series of bullets. No pressure to make sense, and rarely a linear storyline. Just checking in, touching base and taking note.
This morning my bullets included words like “unsettled,” “anxious,” “uncertain” and “pressure”. If you know me – these are emotions I’m not visited by all that often, and when I am, they usually dissipate pretty quickly. Truth is, I’d been feeling these things for the better part of a few days. Hence my irritation this morning.
When I was finished, I went on with the machinations of getting set up for my day. And wouldn’t you know – about an hour later, I was back to feeling clear-headed, focused and even motivated; sensations I’d released hope of achieving anytime today.
What the advisor in me knew this morning that I didn’t?
When we identify and give voice to emotions that are troublesome, distracting and even downright irritating – we release them from the jail cell of our mind. Until we provide that opening, they are stuck running around like little chickens with their heads cut off in our brain, making a lot of noise and clouding our vision.
What do you need to give voice to now in order to have a great rest of your day?
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