Goodmorning Buddha
With the start of a New Year, I always take a few days to reflect back on the previous year and look forward to the next one. One of the activities that have helped me this year was starting my day with a little morning ritual. Maybe you have your own morning ritual: for some it's coffee, other people meditate, go for a walk/run, write morning pages, ... and it's a good way to start your day. I've tried several things in the previous years and some worked for a while and others were not my cup of tea. But since last year I've found a ritual that works for me - inspired by some workshops of the Creative Consciousness tribe. Feel free to use it as inspiration for your own morning ritual but it's important that you create your own version of it to make sure it resonates with you. (and know that it doesn't have to be perfect - I've adapted & tweaked mine over a period of several months but it feels right for me at this moment).
I get up, take a shower and stand in front of a little Buddha statue in my home (*1). And then take a moment (2-3 minutes clock-time) to be really present in the moment. And then I'll say my little 'prayer':
I am present ...
I am committed ...
I am ready to create ...
I take care of my four bodies: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
I give and receive unconditional love from Liane (my partner).
I am grateful for the time with my friends & family.
I deliver top-quality for my clients by going the extra mile.
This moment ... this place ... is perfect to do my 'work'.
Today is the most important day of my life.
The Universe will take care of me.
And then I greet my Buddha and get into action. I write down the 3 most important tasks/goals for that day and start with the 'deep work' tasks (the ones that would take the most mental effort - eg creating a proposal, planning, ...). I normally do a 5-minute email check to see if there's anything important and urgent but try to postpone emails for at least 60-90 minutes. This is an area where I can still improve a lot. I'm too easily distracted but working on it. the morning ritual helps already.
What's your morning ritual - if you have one?
(*1) I'm now experimenting with bringing a small statue with me on my trips because 30-40% of the time, I'm not in my home).