My life has recently been all about trying to fit as many different projects into one day as possible.  Because of it I’ve felt extremely stressed and have sometimes been on the computer from sun up to sun down.  I’ve realized that I have inflicted much of this stress on myself, and am focusing on a new way to create more balance, focus, as well as some quality time in solitude.

1. Make your new morning ritual more important than the rest of the day.

By focusing on creating the best morning that I can for myself, I am setting up my day for success.  In order for me to love my mornings, going to bed early is critical so that I can feel well rested.  No more late night movies and frequent evening outings.  I will say that going to sleep early is one thing that I’m still working on since I am writing this much later than I had intended tonight for my midnight publishing.  Regardless, this is still a work in progress and my husband says that 1% better daily is all that matters.

2. Get Enough Sleep and Don’t Ever Press Snooze

I prefer to get at least seven hours a sleep at night, so ideally I’m in bed by 10:30 or 11pm to be up at 6am, yet lately it’s been midnight and up at 7am instead.  Although 7am isn’t my true goal, I will decrease the time weekly by 30 minutes until 5am is the new early.  I also keep my alarm on the other side of my bedroom so that I have to get out of bed to turn it off.  Pressing snooze never helps!

3.  Create a sacred space for yourself so you have something to look forward to every morning.

A cup of tea in the morning always makes me feel amazing and so does some good music to create that perfect atmosphere.  The morning time is so important to me so that I can spend the first few hours of every day on myself doing what I love.  This includes drinking water along with my tea to hydrate me after a long sleep.  I also love journaling, meditating, doing some exercise or yoga, and an hour of stretching makes my body feel open and completely ready for the day.  Afterwards I can get to the work that needs to be done in a much more productive way.

When I can take care of myself in this nurturing way before business hours, dance classes, auditions, etc. I am better able to handle whatever the day will bring.

I find that I feel so much better and at peace when I make myself more important than cleaning my apartment, organizing, blogging, working on Azuha, or running errands.  Yet lately writing first thing is becoming more ritual than work.  Now everything is zen and who doesn’t want to feel zen?

I am finding that taking two hours in the morning to align myself and my day makes me feel centered and is extremely important for my own happiness.  No matter how successful any of my projects are, if I’m down right exhausted or completely burnt out, how can I truly enjoy that prosperity?

I feel that every aspect of our lives should be joyous and filled with all of those things that make us feel good about ourselves and our surroundings.  I think that the most important place for me to start is with myself.  When I am truly happy and centered within myself, everything else falls into place.

What does your morning routine look like?

(Image by D Sharon Pruitt)

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