I knew I was getting closer to my Kentucky home when I started to notice the limestone shouldering the edges of the relatively lonely highway. I was there to visit friends and family and be social but one of the first things I did every morning was to go to the Common Grounds quiet cafe and spend a little samurai hour, writing, studying, and spending a little time re-creating myself.
One of the best things you can do for yourself, your loved ones, and the earth in general is to find time for your samurai self to create. Spending some time brainstorming, writing, playing, studying, or even walking or running in the morning works on several levels. In one way it is like hitting the reset button. It’s a fresh start to create and imagine. Or it’s a chance to put another brick in whatever fun project you are up to in your mad labs.
What I’ve also discovered that this time is also good for the other people around me. They may never be exposed to anything that I’ve written or studied, but they are exposed to the real me. (In a non-creepy way. 🙂 ) If I’ve taken even just a few minutes to create, I am more present. I am more pleasant. It may seem selfish to spend some time away by yourself but the best thing that you can do for your friends and family is spend a little time re-creating yourself.
Back when I was doing an Japanese immersion service called Silverspoon, I did suggested morning “sprints” that included an affirmation (in a non-new-agey non-creepy way) and a pretty intense burst of Japanese study/play. There’s something great about waking and baking in the freshness of a new skill or just heading in a new direction with brainstorming or writing.
Whatever you do, don’t get caught up in how this morning time is supposed to look. Don’t wait for the perfect office space to get started. Head to the cafe. Head to the quiet hallway. If you don’t have an hour take fifteen minutes. If you don’t have fifteen minutes, take five.
Do it for yourself. Do it for the children. Spend a little morning time in your mad labs and power your day.