Would you like to go on a journey to change your morning routine? Would you like to take the first step to develop new possibilities? Let’s create a new morning, a better day and a new you.

Many of us can feel that we are rushing through life. The alarm sounds and immediately we are running steered by our (morning) habits. It’s Monday morning, what is the first thing we think about? What should I wear to the office? Did I prepare enough for the meeting?  Will I have to speak with my boss today? Am I really achieving my company goals? Is this where I thought I would be? and Gosh I’m going to get caught in rush hour traffic again! Between swirling thoughts and emotions, we hastily stuff our face with breakfast and head to work. Does this ever happen to us? Do we fret and then obsess about events projecting what may happen in the given day or week? Deadlines, meetings, family obligations. Fear, stress and anxiety and the icing on the cake, bombardment from social media and a pinging smart phone.

Did you take time to stop and smell the coffee? Do you give yourself 5-10 minutes at any point in the day to quiet the mind, to savor the present moment, to discover who you are, what you have become, or what you would like to be? Research has shown that we can break the old self, our routines to create new possibilities. Take a step back from the constant distractions and the illusion of the stressful future.

Are you one of the 64% of people who drink coffee? Do you wake up to your alarm, robotically trod to the kitchen, half asleep, mind racing of the upcoming events for the day? Do you make the coffee quickly, guzzle it down hoping for the caffeine high to instantly awake you from your morning fog and energize you for your morning?  If so, that is okay. I’ve been there and we’ve been programed to behave this way.

If this is you, now is the time to do something different. It is time to gift yourself at least 5 minutes to make a mindful cup of morning coffee. Coffee is a sensory experience. If you grind your coffee or have ground coffee, take a moment to smell the product. The aroma is beautifully complex. After you have brewed your coffee, take a sip, and taste the combinations of flavors. Take a moment to close your eyes and block out the competing noises cluttering your mind.  Realize that the coffee you are sipping was likely grown many thousands of miles away from where you are sitting. Tucked far away from noisy cities, it was cultivated by farmers who dedicated an entire year to produce the harvest that you are enjoying. Savor the flavors and appreciate of the effort and care that went into your morning brew. Allow yourself to be whisked away to the tranquil mountains and jungles of where the coffee is grown.

As you feel yourself become less distracted by the future, upcoming meetings, or the possibility of traffic, continue to focus your energy on you. With each passing moment continue to quiet your mind. Focus on the flavors that awaken your tongue. As you become more at ease, slowly disconnect from your surroundings. While this sounds easy, it may take multiple efforts to achieve the quiet, the stillness and the peace in your mind. Do not give up if it does not happen the first time you try this. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. It is time to break old habits and to create a new day with endless possibilities.