Intentional, Non-Negotiable Mornings

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to fill a piece of paper with thoughts, doodles, inspiration, lyrics, hopes, and dreams. The story of my life is literally written by me and most recently, for me. From teenage love stories to breakups and frustrations, wedding days and divorces, new births and deaths, my journals are the memories trapped on paper that remind me of how far I've come. Journaling has been my outlet and will continue to be that for as long as possible. The physical act of writing creates solid memories, solid plans, and helps to shape the future that I long for. And over time, I realized that my intentional daily thoughts could be helpful to others, so I've written and shared many different epiphanies, struggles, and daydreams with other women in the hopes of inspiring them to live their best life.

Today is one of the inspiring, and hopefully empowering, messages written just for you.

What is an intentional morning routine?

When you wake up in the morning, what's the first thing you do? Is it intentional? Usually it is. Most women wake up and go straight to the bathroom where they can have a few moments of quiet. Most of the time, you're able to wake up and start thinking about what your plans for the day look like. If you have children, that might not always be possible. I remember the days of the little fingers under the door, looking for mommy to get breakfast ready.

That's why the first things you do in the morning are so important because they set your day into motion. An intentional morning puts your mindset into action and if your mornings aren't intentional, your day becomes unintentional. And if you are negotiating, especially with tiny humans, your aren't going to do the things you want to do, or need to do for your sanity.

My mornings used to be this chaotic, frustrating, and sometimes just awful. There would always be a last minute rush, nothing was ever where it was supposed to be, and my kids were always tired and cranky. We fought to get out the door on time every morning. This chaos, disorganization, and anger was how I was setting up my day, every single day.

When I started working on becoming intentional each morning and having non-negotiable habits put in place, my days became brighter and more productive.

What do you mean by non-negotiable?

I'm glad you asked. Non-negotiable is something you do for YOU that you won't budge on. These aren't things that you have to do, like brush your teeth or take a shower. These are things like having a warm cup of coffee or tea before anyone asks you a question. Reading in silence for 15 minutes.  Doing your Bible study before the outside world comes in. Non-negotiable habits stick. Intentional habits stick. And they last longer than ones you're willing to sacrifice.