Before I even leave my bed in the morning, I do two things that make all the difference in my daily success. The first thing I do is say a few prayers. These prayers are the ones I learned as a child in Catholic School, Our Father and Glory Be. These two prayers are followed by my own personal prayers; prayers that include all I am thankful for, friends and family needs, and lastly, prayers where I need assistance to do better, be a better person or ask for clarity for certain situations.
The second thing that happens before my feet hit the ground, regardless of the day of the week, is I begin to review my to do list. I can actually visualize emails that still require responses, tasks that need to be completed today that can no longer wait.
When my mind is free of all the prayers I need to say and things I want to achieve that day, I begin my day. Because I have learned this morning behavior makes me a better person, I have had to train myself to get up before everyone else in my house. On the days where that plan is derailed by a child who had a nightmare or woke up unexpectedly, I find I flounder throughout the day because I was never able to get centered.
At the end of the day, when I turn the lights out, I begin a similar exercise. This time it starts with a few deep breaths followed by my trusted prayers and then a recap of my day, where I could have done better andwhat I need to improve on. I end the day in prayer for all those family and friends who need prayers and positive vibes.
If you find you have some anxiety when you wake up or if you have found it hard to get through a day, try my morning or evening practice and see if it makes a difference.
