Foolproof Your Mornings
“I gotta get up! I gotta get going! Gonna meet some friends of mine…” Winnie the Pooh sung a time-tested anthem for really rocking the morning.
Mornings at their core are a tricky subject.
It is human nature to want to be immediately productive, to really set the mood for the day.
However it is also human nature to want to sleep for just ten more minutes. Then maybe ten more. Will an extra half hour really matter that much? My mind spins tantalizing tales. If I just sleep for that extra little chunk, everyone will be so much more happy to see me. I will be so much more eager to deal with the day ahead of me…but then suddenly it is 7:00 and ohhhhhhh…I am so dreadfully behind.
In order to foolproof each morning, the question must be asked: “What do I want first thing in the morning?” It’s a complex, two-fold answer.
The first thing I actually want in the morning is to wake up, look out the window, and enjoy the misty sky and the drippy tree branches. Then, what I want is to snuggle back into the billowy piles of feather down and fall back asleep. No pressure to be anywhere or make breakfast for hungry armies of people, to catalyze the movements and requirements of those hungry people.
Now the first thing I want to want in the morning is an entirely different set of desires. I want to wake up, refreshed and clear in the mind. Ambition seeping out my ears. A well-rounded breakfast for everyone, made in a fluffy white robe that never drags into the bacon grease. Showers that don’t run cold, no matter how long little Bobby dawdles. Schedules so airtight that every movement out the door is like a metal punch machine. “Bye!” Click. “See you later!” Click. Click.
So what do I really want first thing in the morning? Intentionality. Purpose. Whether that is because I am being purposeful in snuggling back in for a Saturday morning snooze, or intentionally jumping out of bed before my alarm even has a chance to ring.
Begin with purpose and you’ve automatically fool-proofed your day.