Before the World Wakes: My Morning Ritual

Before the phone starts buzzing.

Before the emails flood in.

Before I put on the many hats I wear each day — travel agent, sales rep, business owner, uncle, son, brother, friend — I give myself this: quiet.

It's a routine that begin in a small way many years ago from a conversation I had with a colleague at Holiday World who, like me, cherished the ease of being an early riser. There were times during the year our mornings were rushed and chaotic and hard work began very early. But there were times of the year we were in control of our mornings. And we very much understood the important difference and worked to make our power mornings a priority.

What has evolved for me over the years is a routine that I cherish over any other part of my day. No matter where I am - whether on a business trip for my full time job, on a family trip for leisure, or leading a tour for my travel business - the morning begins the same way at the same 4 0'clock hour. It is my hope in sharing that you too could be inspired to create a powerful morning routine and reap its life-changing rewards.

Every morning begins the same way. I rise early, not by alarm, but by rhythm. The very first thing I do is make a single cup of coffee — one cup that I’ll sip slowly over the next couple of hours like it’s sacred (because it is).

Each morning begins with a stack of books (digital on my Kindle app, of course)— always at least one devotional, always a few chapters in a study Bible, and then usually also one or two self-improvement reads. I'm currently reading Dave Ramsey's "Build a Business that You Love" and Harvey Mackay's "Swim with Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive". According to the Kindle app, I'm on a 354 week reading streak - SEVEN years I've been reading books on my Kindle each morning.

There is always a pup at my side as I sip and read and to this day I have no idea how it is determined between Barry and Blade who gets to snuggle at my side and who sits across the room. I am so thankful for my companions as I ease into the day with intention.

After a good 45 minutes or so of study and reading, I’ll review bank transactions and market conditions - more important now as a business owner than ever before. I'll scan the weather forecast and post an update to my weather page JMart Weather if there is anything hazardous heading our way.

Next, I'll glance through the Wall Street Journal, scroll Apple News, peek at Twitter, and finally dip into Facebook. It’s part ritual, part reconnaissance. A way of checking in with the world — but on my terms.

Once my reading is done, I head to my desk to open my laptop and journal. Some mornings I reflect. Some mornings I plan. Always, I write. I've been writing journal entries every morning for 25 years! Each month, I'll add to my morning reading the journal entries from that same month five, ten, fifteen, twenty and now twenty-five years ago. Oh, the stories!

Lastly, I check emails for any overnight fires at from my job or my business, put out what needs to be put out, and mentally shift into gear.

By now the pups are awake and cheering me along. They know it’s time for the morning dog jog. Every morning without fail no matter the weather we put in one to two miles along the streets of my hometown of Tell City. They sniff and explore while I pray. I offer up the day, the people I love, the work ahead, and the worries I wish I didn’t carry.

Often that morning prayer wraps up just as we return home — but sometimes, it lingers. Either way, I sit outside, coffee cup in hand, birds in chorus, the sun just beginning to stretch across the lawn. This is my moment of stillness. My moment of presence. My moment of knowing — before anything else — that I am already blessed. And it's time to take on the chaos of the day.

Running a growing business while still working full time can be chaotic. But this routine? It roots me. It reminds me who I am and why I do what I do.

Maybe you don’t need my exact routine. But maybe — just maybe — your soul is also craving a few minutes of stillness, too.