The importance of a morning routine

Pick something and do it!

I have struggled for years with rhythm and routine. Between the daily grind of getting children up and out the door to school in the morning and the inevitable pressure of the seemingly endless to do list, it can be so easy for me to neglect my own self-care.

I know that I always feel better if I make time for a morning routine. A few weeks ago, I made a commitment to get up with the sun every morning and go for a walk. I made this commitment in front of a group of other men and asked them each to hold me accountable through daily phone calls. Everyday, when the alarm went off, no matter how tired I felt, I hauled my self out of bed threw on some footwear, and headed out the door.

The impact on my mental and physical health has been incredible. I get out and greet the sun, the mountains, the lake, and the trees, connect with my body, heart (soul), and mind (spirit), and remember how good it feels to be alive and engaged with the elements. I get back from these walks feeling inspired and invigorated, ready to tackle the day with vigor and gusto. It has been remarkable to notice how much more alive I feel just from taking this time. How much inspiration can come through in these moments of quiet connection.

Having an accountability pod has been a huge support for me in achieving this goal. I don’t think I would have done it without them. And now, 5 weeks later, I am noticing that almost a week has passed in which I haven’t gotten up for an early morning walk. I feel my old patterns starting to take hold and weigh me down. I am starting to wonder if I will just lose this sight of this routine entirely, just like the countless others that have come before. Even though a part of me remembers just how good it feels to get up and out in the morning, another part of me forgets, or can’t be bothered.

I find that this has been my biggest personal challenge with healthy rhythms in my life. I am good at initiating and getting things moving, but following through and sticking with them for the long haul, that’s the tough part!

My biggest challenge in those moments, when I realize I’ve fallen off the bandwagon, is how to get myself back on track. My self judgement can be crippling in a way that really impacts my motivation to keep going. I have often had the experience of not even realizing I have fallen out of the routine until a few months later. It can be a major blind spot for me. This is why I am celebrating the fact that, within a week of falling out of accountability with the morning practice I committed myself to, I am noticing what has happened. I could be down on myself, for not following through, but instead I’m celebrating my success. I noticed! I saw my shadow! And now I can do something about it. I can re-commit to the practice I’ve devoted myself to and remember just how important it is to me to follow through.

This has value for me not just because now I get to keep enjoying beautiful experiences of the early morning, but because I am finding the strength and resiliency to create a new way of structuring my day. I am becoming more free to choose the life I want for myself, less impeded by ways of going about my day that really aren’t serving me as well as they could. I am becoming an artist and designer of my own life - and that is something worth celebrating!