Let's Start From The Very Beginning, A Very Good Place To Start! WHAT GETS YOU GOING?

 

Do you ever wake up with so many things to do that you just don’t know where to begin? You may look at your list or start a new list, wander (or run/dance/jog) to the kitchen or bathroom while your mind spins and does double turns contemplating all you must accomplish. The words Where do I begin? play over and over in your head.

This experience seems so common that it may not seem worth reading about—or talking or writing about, for that matter.

To which I say: The common cold. Think about it. So there.

Now what was I saying?

Oh yes. That old question, “Where do I begin?”

I’m asking you now, Joy in the City readers. Where do you begin?

Of course, we all begin somewhere because somehow we all get started. But how? What do you do? Yes, you. Personally.

If you don’t know how to answer that question, maybe it’s time that you bring more awareness to your beginning of the day routine. Find out what works for you and stick to it. What is it that gets you going? What inspires you in the morning and gets you focused for the day?

These things should sustain you for the entire day. This is not to say that a good morning routine will ensure that you always have the best day, but I do believe that it does ensure that you won’t have your worst. Even when things aren’t going the way you hoped, a good morning routine is something that you can touch back on throughout the day, that reminds you of your overall goal, settles your stomach, and keeps you moving with some semblance of brightness.

If you are of the kind that does something different every morning, there is still a way for you to bring awareness to your morning activity. Find the elements of what you currently do that are true no matter the form that your activity takes. For instance, if some mornings you notice that you listen to music and dance while you make breakfast and some mornings you like to run, one of the basic elements that helps you get started may be movement. This may sound basic but, trust me, naming it helps! There will be that day that you just can’t get it going and you can’t figure out what’s off. On that day, you’ll be able to say, “Oh! I need to get moving! Motion in the morning helps me get started!” And even if you can’t get it together to move in your usual ways, perhaps by just knowing that moving is something that works for you, you’ll be able to find a more creative and gentle way of easing into something that you love.

I guess now would be the appropriate time to tell you what I do to get started. I actually only have a few constant elements in the beginning of my day. I begin each day with 10-20 minutes of meditation, then I chant Om and Om mani pad me hum, and read a Rumi poem.

I usually also follow it with some kind of stretching; then I have a peaceful breakfast with my man; blog or paint or whatever other creative thing I want to do (it’s important to me to do exactly what I want during this time); and then start the day’s business.

That’s it. It sounds very simple because it is. It does not guarantee that everything I want will be mine, but it does help me remain mostly at peace throughout the day. During meditation, I am also able to get a clearer idea of the tasks that need to be accomplished, and my brain functions more fluidly as I work because of it.

And that’s what I do.

So where do you begin? How do you get started? Whatever you do should ground you, help you stay connected to your joy, and get you going! Negativity, in any form, has no place. If you haven’t already, identify how you best begin your day. Consider it a treat to yourself. After all, it is.

The day’s joy awaits you!