The Daybreak: Make an Important Goal Happen with a Morning Habit

Rainy days in the empty forest.

Smoke rises late as I steam greens

And boil millet to take to the paddies.

Above the foggy waterfields

Fly white egrets

And an oriole sings in

Dense shade of summer trees.

In the mountain I practice silence,

Contemplating morning hibiscus.

I pick hollyhock beneath a pine,

A vegetarian now,

No longer looking for position,

An old man living in the wilds;

Why should seagulls still be wary of me?

- Wang Wei (699-759)  

The sun begins to come up, and the first rays of light begin to shine upon this fresh day.
.
What do you do with this time?

The most important thing.
.
If you have a project you want to happen (let’s say you want to write a book), this is the time to form a habit that will make that project happen. A morning writing habit will get the book done. Simply wishing for the book to get written, or saying you’ll do it “someday,” doesn’t make it happen.
If it’s important, you’ll make a morning habit of it:

• If you want to lose weight, create a morning walking habit. Or morning strength training. Or a healthy breakfast with fruits and veggies.
• If you want to start a new business, create a morning session where you work on it every morning.
• If you want to become more mindful during your day, create a morning meditation habit.
• If you want to work on your relationship with your spouse, have a morning habit of talking about your relationship over coffee.
• If you want to journal, make it a morning habit.

Why is morning a better time for important habits? Why not afternoons or evenings? Well, I’m biased, because I really love the mornings. I’ve found the time to be quieter, less chaotic, better for reflection and focus.  Nature is at her best early in the morning, showing off her beauty as the sun rises on another perfect day. Some people will work better in the late nights, but I’m usually tired by then. So figure out what time is your magic time — I think for most people that will be mornings, but not all.
.
There are great habits you can create in the afternoons and evenings too, but I recommend trying a morning habit if you have something important you want to get done.
 .
Make it a habit, and do it first.

.