Another Lesson in Changing What I Think

Living wholeheartedly means paying attention when stress builds up and making adjustments. Sometimes this issue has to knock on the door a few times to get my attention.

For a while I’ve been going on about interruptions to my morning routine. I keep telling myself to go with the flow, but I feel it’s taking longer and longer to get the routine done. I feel the morning passes too fast and I feel guilty for not sitting down to write sooner.

But there’s also been a niggling in my mind. What does it matter if I stick to a strict routine? It’s not like I have to go anywhere. I work from home and outside of the weekly deadline for the newspaper, there are no time constraints, and deviating from my routine doesn’t mean I still won’t do regular morning duties.

Dr. Wayne Dyer always says to change how you think, and once more the lesson comes home. A simple word change can make a big difference – or change what the word means to me.

Routine, for example, doesn’t necessarily mean following steps 1, 2, 3 in exact order, which was what I’ve been trying to do. Then, if I did something else between two and three, I’d feel bad because it would take longer to sit down with my coffee.

Maybe I could think of routine as simply “doing what I do in the morning in however long it takes.” Who said if I get up at 4:50 a.m., I need to be sitting at the table writing by 6:30? Why did I think morning routine was only certain steps? The only person I have to answer to is myself.

It’s important to note stressors and find ways to bring peace to your wellbeing. A simple change in how you think can make a big difference. Sometimes it’s changing one word; finding a word that has more meaning for you.

568. Dear Divine Presence, Thank you for showing me I need to change my thinking about the interruptions in my morning routine. Instead of seeing interruptions, just go with the flow of the moment. I do so during the day … after my morning routine ... why should I think the morning has to be a strict routine? Perhaps it’s time to give up the concept of a morning routine and just do what I do. I’ll still do those normal routine steps, but I now accept that I may do other things, too. And that’s OK.