We all have morning routines and habits that get us started every day. My mornings include coffee, but only after I drink a glass of water, now. Yesterday we discovered some things about our marvelous brain and it's ability to form habits. Our goal over the next 28 days is to establish a habit of hearing God in order to uncover more of the marvelous you. I started this journey by asking myself these question, "How do I discover that marvelous person God created?" and "What I need to do to become that person?"
Out of curiosity, I did some research on what successful people do each morning, After all, part of being marvelous is being successful, right? In reading lots of article on this subject, I discovered one thing they all had in common: They wake up early. Every article I read stated successful people got up early. Early means something different to every person. My early is 6:00 am which would be late for my husband (he starts work at 5) The basic goal here was to get up at least 1 hour before you need to start for the day. King David agreed with this declaring " Early will I seek thee" Psalm 63:1
Hour of Power: start off marvelous
The first hour of your day is your Hour of Power. What we do in that hour not only sets the tone for our day but those morning routines affect the way we live our life. So what should we do in this hour of power? Here are a few things all the articles I read agreed on.
- Start by drinking water. Experts say drinking water (not Coffee! Insert sad face) in the morning helps you feel more alert, rehydrates your body, and kick-starts your metabolism. Don't panic, you can have your coffee, tea, or cola after you drink your water.
- Make your bed. When I read this, I thought my mother had somehow hacked into those articles. But after seeing it repeated over and over, I actually paid attention to what they were saying instead of skipping over it as nonsense. Making your bed is said to make you happier and more productive all day long. That one simple habit helps form other good habits and gives a person a greater sense of well-being. Who knew? I thought Mom just didn't want to look at our unmade beds when all along she was training us to be happy and have a sense of well-being.
- Write down some things you are grateful for. One executive stated that expressing gratitude, asking for guidance, and being open to inspiration was one of the keys to their success. For more on this check out these:
- Pray or meditation Take time to clear your mind and find the focus for the day. Everyone, Christian or not, said this time was an important part of their day.
- Plan and strategize your day Set your priorities for the day, be sure to include some time to do at least one thing you enjoy. The ideal woman in Proverbs 31 got up early and planned her day. Look what she accomplished!
I found other habits that were mentioned but were not included in every list. Some of them were exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, check social media, watch the news, read a book, and check your emails. It is easy to fill that hour of power with lots of things that are good. But remember, you are already marvelous, God made you that way. The main habit we want to form is to practice listening and living with Him, day by day so we will fulfill every marvelous thing he has planned for us. The rest is between you and Him.
What routines are included in your Hour of Power? Let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me. If you enjoyed today's post you can click here to find all the posts in this series.
Journal Prompt:
What is God saying to me about my Hour of Power?
Is there something I need to adjust so I have more time to listen to what He is saying?
Ask for inspiration, listen for it, and write it down.
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5 comments
Not a morning person, but I always make my bed and my future self thanks my past self every day for doing it when I walk into the bedroom and it looks so orderly and inviting :-)
Spot on. My morning routine also includes what you have here — love meditating on the Word of God and hearing it come alive in my spirit. #Write28Days
I’m stopping by from#write28days. I love your post, it is so true getting up early sets a better tone to the entire day.
I’m not exactly an early person anymore, a little tidying up is good, and I love looking out the window at the sun, or even enjoying the rain.
The mid-day meditation is something new I’m adding in. When I have time, I like to do a 20-minute meditation. But often I skip it because it seems too long. So I’ve recently decided that 5 minutes is better than 0 minutes. :) Thanks for these tips. Time spent with the Lord is the best time.