How You Spend the First Three Minutes of the Day Can Change Everything
Time truly is a teacher. There are a number of lessons I have learned over my 30 years of professional life. First among them - sometimes it is the small things that can make a big difference.
I remember so well the chaos of mornings when my kids were young. Getting them up; breakfast on the table; getting myself organized; making sure everyone had what they needed for the day; and then out the door to get them to school and me to my office, on time. As I sit and write this, I am tired just remembering how intense mornings used to be. In the “wish I knew then, what I know now column” I would place ‘positive morning focus’ as top on the list.
I have never been a morning person. I have worked hard to train myself to be one, but it does not come naturally to me. So, 15 years ago when I was up to my elbows juggling the never possible “balance” of parenting, career building and personal care, had someone suggested I add anything to my morning, I would have thought it impossible.
What I realize now is how you spend the first three minutes in the morning can impact your entire day. Some time ago, I established a morning habit of starting my day by writing down three things that would make my day great. The list must be things I have complete control over. When I first launched this habit, my list closely resembled the same list I found when I logged onto my desktop in the morning. Over time I realized that list is not always where “great” comes from. That is a list of things I do because that is what I do. By forcing myself to think about what would make my day great, I evolved to a place where I purposefully listed the joy I intended to find in my day. By listing it, I made it happen.
Great can come in many forms. Sometimes great comes from calling a friend I have not spoken with in months. Sometimes it comes from remembering to stand up, stretch, and pause at my desk at least three times in the afternoon. And yes, sometimes it comes from finishing that project that has been nagging at me and I am grateful to have it off my list. The difference now is when I get it done, I not only feel accomplished, I feel great. Even on days when all hell breaks loose, and little goes as planned, I will think about those three things on my list and find a way to make at least one of them happen. I will save the day. There will be greatness.
The things that will make your day great do not have to be big things. In fact, they can be as simple as committing to being fully present at a particular moment to savor a simple experience. Making a commitment in the morning to leave my office at 5:30, and making it happen, can turn a tough day into a great day. The point is that starting your day with the intention of greatness – makes the whole thing better. Intending to find joy in your day, creates joy in your day. Being purposeful about not just doing something, but appreciating how doing that makes you feel, makes the doing so much better. Finding greatness in your day is not about the major milestones you accomplish; it is about making something great out of the ordinary.
I often wonder how I might have viewed that morning chaos, 15 years ago, had it launched after I had stolen three minutes to commit to this simple, easy habit. Based on what I know now, I am confident I would have found joy in places where I never saw it before.
Tomorrow morning when I begrudgingly pull myself out of bed, I will sit up, grab a pen and commit to paper where I will find greatness in my day. I will be groggy and yearning for coffee, but my brain will register that no matter what else the day offers, there will be greatness.
That is how I will start my day. How will you start yours?
