The actual cup of tea for this morning's ritual
It’s 6:15. I’m up early to write to you.
One of the great pleasures of my day is my first cup of tea. Warm and comfy, it gently propels me. If my morning is rushed, and I don’t get that cup of tea, things feel off.
Before you read further, consider the one simple pleasure that establishes your day. That thing you miss when you feel overwhelmed or rushed or out of control. That thing is the beginning of your morning ritual.
The most successful business people, entrepreneurs and spiritual teachers have morning rituals. A morning ritual grounds you in you before the world bombards you with its needs, criticisms, and demands. It’s vital to your productivity, happiness, and leadership.
If you’re wondering what’s involved in a morning ritual and thinking...
...OMG, I don't have time to do this while getting kids to school, showering, ironing (ok – do any of you really iron anymore?), cramming in a piece of toast, and preparing for that big presentation... take a deep breath...
...you have time. You have 10 minutes to ground your energy and set your intention. That presentation will be more successful if you do.
Here’s a list of elements to try. Mix and match 2-3 things into a repeatable pattern to start your day.
- Mindfulness: meditation, prayer, sitting in silence at your kitchen table. (I’ll write more about meditation later because it’s so, so important.)
- Movement: yoga, stretching, exercise, walking in nature, wandering your garden
- Writing: journaling, creative writing
- Reading: a book, the newspaper, an inspirational passage
- Intention setting: choose a word or phrase to guide your day
- For all you rebelicious rule breakers out there who are getting creative, these things do not count: checking email, yelling at your kids, fighting with your partner, ordering things on Amazon, cramming in the work you didn't get done the night before, cleaning, checking Facebook
If you read about people like Deepak Chopra, you’ll see morning rituals that include 2 hours of meditation. Although that’s great, that’s not for mortals like us. On an A+ morning, I run a mile, drink tea and meditate for 15 minutes. On a B morning I run ormediate. A C- morning only has tea.
You can do this, You really can.
Christina