This week I took a peek at my daily habits. One of my favorite scriptures about daily habits is, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7, NLT. Many of todays business leaders also speak to the effectiveness of daily habits. “The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.” ~ John C. Maxwell. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Will Durant. “If you have good habits, time becomes your ally. All you need is patience” ~ James Clear. Finally, I am sure you have seen Lao Tzu’s quote before, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” Clearly habits are paramount to following the dreams and goals that we have. Part of my daily routine is what Julia Cameron calls “morning pages”, from her book, “The Artist’s Way”. This weeks video is a summary of chapter one where she talks about morning pages and tells you the “whys” behind it. For me, I do my morning pages early when I get up. I find that journaling and writing down my thoughts is another way to verify what I think I am hearing from the Holy Spirit. It sets my day to a positive and service-orientated attitude as well as inviting the productivity of the Lord into my day. Your time may not be the morning.
Each person has a different optimal time of day. Some people are morning people. They are the ones that have little trouble bouncing out of bed even before the alarm rings. Others do their best work in the evening or at least, not in the morning. It’s likely you already know your optimal time. If you hit the snooze button more than a few times each morning, you can likely rule yourself out as being a morning person. Perhaps you stay up late and feel the most productive during those later hours. The point is to save your most challenging work for optimal time and get as much of your work done during that period. Get your journaling in on a consistent basis whether it is morning or at another time. If you have not tried the concept of “morning pages”, you owe it to yourself to do it. I promise you it will change your studio practice and if you do it consistently for months it is even possible it will change your life.
Have a blessed week!
Tim
