How do you start your morning? Does it have an effect on how the rest of your day goes?
 
Everyone knows how important it is that kids get off to a good start in life. How a horse comes out of the starting gate can often make its career, and a sprinter's ability to come out of the blocks often determines who wins a foot race. Your first experience with something will often color what comes afterward. The way you start your morning is no exception.
 
Do you leap out of bed before your eyes are really open, begin a mad rush to leave for work on time, and spend your whole day trying to get ahead of a schedule that always seems too busy?
 
Why not try setting your clock a few minutes early for a week? Spend those first few waking moments giving some thought to the way you want the rest of your day to go. Then, as you proceed through preparing for the day, try to bring your full awareness to each activity: showering, brushing your teeth, and selecting your clothes. Do each thing thoughtfully and deliberately, paying complete attention to just that one thing.
 
Keep your thoughts on the present, and don't let them leap ahead into the future, or slip back into the past. Just try to be fully present in the moment. This approach is similar to the Buddhist art of mindfulness, and if you practice it for a while, it will change the pace and the feeling of your day!