How a Morning Routine Changed My Mindset
How do you like to start your day? A quiet cup of coffee in a favourite chair? A cup of tea while listening to the radio? Sitting silently and just giving your mind, body, and soul a few minutes to wake up and enjoy the morning? Or do you drag yourself out of bed at the alarm, rush to check your phone for the latest news, social media posts, emails, and scramble to get ready for work?
I used to rush and scramble every morning, but since I started a new morning routine in December 2022, I’ve been much more productive and pleasant in the morning — at least on the days I don’t miss the alarm clock.
What happened to change these things? I took a Shelley Hitz workshop on finding time to write, “Outline to Finish Line” where she talked about starting a regular habit of writing 15 minutes each day, or if you couldn’t do that to carve out 1.5 hours one day a week.
I’m more of a habit person (both good and bad, sadly) so the 15 minutes a day option appealed to me. I started writing devotions in the morning based on either the Bible verse of the day, or a verse in a chapter I read that inspired me.
Not long after that a woman in the Created to Thrive mentorship group meeting I was in mentioned the “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. She described the Life SAVERS (Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing) and how adopting them really changed her mindset and helped her be more productive, so of course I ordered the book. I decided to adopt that practice, as I’d already started writing each morning (aka scribing) and found that helpful, so it didn’t seem like too much to adopt the rest of them. Although admittedly, I was daunted by the “exercise” portion. Turns out yoga is a great way to start the day!
And wow, has my mindset changed.
On the outset, my life doesn’t really look different. I live in the same house, have the same amazing husband, work the same job. But inside, my mindset has become much more positive.
I feel very different on the days when I don’t get my SAVERS in, or when I use the truncated version because I slept in. When I do my morning routine, I am much more calm, positive, and joyful. Since December 2022, I have written and self-published three devotionals: 30 Days of Joy (October 2023), 40 Days of Healing (April 2024), and 21 Days of Encouragement (September 2024).
These may not be amazing pieces of literature that will sit forever beside Shakespeare and JK Rowling, but they are books out in the world that wouldn’t have been there before. I’ve also got the material for at least 3 more devotionals (working on more each day) and a book on creativity I hope to release in the fall of 2025. I’ve also taken to reading books in the evening for fun. In 2023 I finished about 50 books; this year I’ve already read 60!
I am not a magician. I’m often described as efficient, which some may consider “lazy.” I love observing things rather than participating; helping rather than leading. But by adopting these positive habits in the morning, my health (physical, mental, emotional) has improved, I’ve become more productive, and I like to think also kinder to others. Most days, anyway. There’s still the odd day when the alarm goes off and I’m rushing around after falling back asleep. Sigh!
Think about it; is there anything you would like to learn or become? Is there anything you want to try?
I recommend starting with a morning habit, like the one I adopted with the LifeSAVERS. Here’s a link to the miraclemorning.com check out the different editions of the Miracle Morning that might suit you. If you’re a writer and looking for encouragement and resources, I also highly recommend the Christian Book Academy christianbookacademy.com (affiliate link) For artists, check out Created to Thrive matttommeymentoring.com
Do you have any tips or tricks that have helped you start a new habit? I’d love to hear about it.