My alarm goes off at 5:00 am each morning, weekends excluded. I then stumble my way to the coffee maker to jumpstart my morning routine – usually some stretching exercise or a brief walk to the park and back, but never both. Depending on what activity I selected, I may grab a seat in the recliner to relax & complete the cup of coffee or head to the shower – the second attempt at jumpstarting my day. After the shower I drink a nutritional supplement (Zeal Wellness) and catch up on the latest sport scores and news on my phone. The remainder of the morning is spent preparing breakfast, coffee (yes again) and a lunch for work.
Sounds pretty enjoyable, doesn’t it? The reality of the situation, is that lately, it really hasn’t been. But why?
I blame the clock!
In my mind I have the non-stop feeling that I am running “behind schedule” so I am frequently checking to see how much time I have left “to complete this” or before I can “start that”. I felt stressed & anxious over time! Total nonsense!
My solution?
Simply stop looking at the clock. I have begun taking whatever amount of time “I feel I need” for my morning routine(s). The move has been paying dividends ever since.
My day now starts with less stress & anxiety; which in turn makes my workday more enjoyable and relaxed. I have also found I’m not stressing about getting “x amount of work done by such and such a time” because I know the task will be completed when it’s completed. Why assign a “deadline” to everything in my life? That’s just more stuff to worry about, right? Oh and let’s not forget the sense of failure that comes with every missed “deadline”. Who needs it?
Maybe all I’ve really discovered is a way of giving myself a break, kinda like giving myself a little grace. And I think that’s important. I’m far from perfect and so are you. Why do we expect perfection from ourselves? Why do we beat ourselves up when we fall short?
Sprinkle some grace into your life. Sprinkle some grace into the lives of others. What have you got to lose?
Dan’s View 