The “440 A” was the note Mrs. Bickford sounded prior to beginning orchestra practice. She would hold up and strike the “tone bar” signaling time to start. The screeches of violins, violas, cellos and basses were soon replacing the noise of our conversations. Tuning our instruments occurred in the same, consistent manner each time the orchestra gathered to practice or before we performed. Over the years it became a “comfortable ritual” we all came to love & respect. It was our sign to “stop what we were doing” and to “start doing something else”.
More importantly, though, how awful would the orchestra have sounded if we had not all tuned to the same note?
Time to think about your day. Do you have any morning rituals, routines, or habits that assist in starting your day off correctly and consistently? I know many people (me included) who like to wake up over a fresh cup of coffee. I’ve even gone as far as to tell my family & co-workers “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee! GO AWAY!!”
But coffee only wakes me up. It doesn’t help get me get in a positive mood or “mindset”. It doesn’t assist with focusing on the “big picture”, planning my day or finding my purpose in life.
What does help with all that?
Morning devotions. Morning inspirational reading. Morning meditation. These energize my body and soul so that I can survive another day of trials and tribulations. It helps get my day started on the right note, facing the right direction.
What happens on days I skip my morning activities?
The entire day just seems kinda “off”, like something is missing, but I don’t know what…that is, until I take the time to stop and re-think my morning activities. It usually hits me over the head like a ton of bricks, or maybe an anvil if you’re a Looney Toons fan. “Oh, you didn’t do your morning devotions, fool.”
Anyway, all I’m trying to say is:
- Discover what it takes for you to start your day on the right note
- Do whatever that is consistently
- Enjoy the beautiful things that grow from that activity
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Addendum:
One additional activity I try to fit into my morning routine is dialing into Zurvita’s Wake-Up call. It’s offerings vary from inspirational to humorous to motivational and all points in between. The best part is you don’t have to be part of the company to listen! The call happens early – 6:15am PST, so usually I have my coffee during the call. Here’s the phone number and PIN if you want to listen in: (712) 432-7589 PIN: 46579.
Enjoy! 🙂
Dan’s View 
Good post Dan! Great reminder to start the day off on the right note. I like to spend time in our War Room starting the day with prayer and hearing God’s instructions for the day. Like you, I also listen in to the Wake Up call. Great items to add to a Daily Launch Sequence.
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