I took this photo of Mt. Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii at sunrise!

This past week I joined the consistency challenge with Mattie James. You have to post a blog every day. I knew this was going to require me to step up my game. Needless to say, it has stretched me. I have had to become more diligent and even more organized. Two days ago I was reminded yet again about what I already knew; mornings make the day. Literally. And if you learn how to make the most of your mornings you can make the most of your day.

Let me tell ya’ll how it went. First of all the only reason, I was up early at 6:30 was because my stomach was hurting ha! But since I couldn’t go back to sleep I decided I should be productive. Well by 10:45 that morning I had completed my quiet time, written a blog, returned several phone calls, paid a couple of bills, and made banana bread.

With the whole day still left I got to thinking “man I could take a nap lol”. It was amazing to know that some of my most important tasks-my priorities were completed and out of the way. Here is my advice to you. Schedule 2-4 hours in the morning where you are hyper-focused. Put your 3 priorities in that time block. You can knock those out all before noon and have the rest of the day to work at accomplishing something else. Additionally, It allows you to be flexible in your day when things pop up and don’t go according to plan. So how do we make the most of the morning? Night before preparation. I call this my turn down service. Here is an example:

• The night before I go to bed at a reasonable time (Usually 10-11)

• I make a to-do list for the next day (tasks, errands, etc)

• I get everything I can together for the next day. Ex. If something needs to be returned/dropped off, it goes in the car the night before

• I place a bottle of water on my nightstand so I can drink it first thing in the morning while I do my quiet time (that way before I get out of bed I have already had close to 16 ounces of water)

• The next morning I awake between 6:30-7 (this time is great because it's easy to stay focused when no one is calling you and there is nothing on tv)

• I begin with quiet time ( priority 1)

• Then I write my blog/content creation (Priority 2)

• Then I do whatever my last big priority is for that day for you this may be exercise, homework, or a project/assignment for work.

Depending on how long this takes you should be done at or before noon. Then you have the rest of the day to get smaller, less draining tasks done. The first two priorities don’t change typically. I decide my last big priority based on what needs to be done/due. What requires the most time/concentration, what, if anything is important. Its a well known fact that you lose willpower throughout the day.

I find that when I get off course with my morning, I usually play catch up the rest of the day.

Don’t miss the morning. Make the most of it!

Every year I plan to read at least three books, from three categories. One book for self help, one book that’s related to my passion/purpose (relationships) and then the third book can be whatever I want.

The book that I’m getting ready to read from my passion category is The Meaning of Marriage. I’m really excited to dig into this book because I love relationships and because I love them want to be as knowledgeable as possible. This led me to create this list that I’m calling my Single Summer Series. ( single ladies this is for you!) This is a list of a few great recommendations on books you can read that will fill your time as well as help prepare you for the marriage you want.

1.     Sacred Marriage- This book was gold and really did a good job of conveying the biblical meaning of marriage. Its really easy for us to see marriage through the lens of the world and completely miss the purpose that God intended it for. This is critical because when you know the purpose behind marriage, you will be better able to pick a spouse that helps you fulfil it.

2.     Lady in Waiting- This one will help you deal with the wait for marriage and help you do the work to prepare for marriage simultaneously. It speaks more to the dating while waiting process. It teaches you not to “defraud” yourself in the area of relationships and marriage.

3.     Sacred Influence- Teaches you how to use your Godly influence to get your husband to do what you want (I say that loosely because its not our job to make men robots) and to use your influence to help them do better. Hopefully, you learn how to do this in a way that doesn’t feel confrontational or alienating to the person you’re with. This book gives practical techniques on how to move your husbands heart and transform behavior.

4.     The Five Love Languages- This is a classic, so I’m guessing most people have read it, but if not, it’s definitely important for you to know your love language so you can both tell/show your spouse how to love you! Additionally, you become better at loving someone else.

If you have already read some of these or have questions about the others drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

It can be so difficult to do something other than what you’ve always done. Your former way of life is likely deeply ingrained in you. So how do we create new habits? I’ve heard a few things. I’ve heard it takes 21 days to make a habit, I’ve heard that you can replace the old behavior with something new and I’ve tried both of those but I still wasn’t satisfied.

My word for this year was order. I knew I needed better daily habits to have more order in my life so when I saw Atomic Habits by James Clear. I knew I needed to read it. Some of the things I found most helpful are listed below:

1. Small daily habits change the course of your life over the years. Make a choice that is 1 percent better each day. There is no good choice that is too small to make a difference over time. Small changes compound.

2. If you want to change the output (outcome) then you should change the input. It's not goals that make you successful, it’s the systems that you put in place to reach those goals that make you successful.

3. You can’t change your habits because they are rooted in your identity. If you change your identity you can change your habits. For example: instead of saying “I’m always late” say “I’m a person that is always on time “and begin to make preparations to be that person.

4. Make the habits you want to change easy. This one was simple yet effective. If you make it too hard you won’t do it because naturally we are wired to be lazy. Our minds to find the easiest most effective way to do something. Work with your mind not against it. This is how I was able to commit to running 30 mins a day. I tell myself even when I don’t want to that its only 30 minutes and by the time I start, it will be halfway over so surely I can commit to that.

5. Get rid of the all or nothing theory. Wanting to show up at the gym and give peak performance is admirable but it’s better to go and do it halfway one day than to skip it altogether. “Lost days hurt you more than successful days help you.” You want to first develop the habit of showing up, then you can perfect performance.

There were so many gems in this book so if you need a habit overhaul this is a great book to jump-start the process. It will give you a clear guide on how to rethink your habits so that you can reshape your life. Additionally, if you have kids there is an addendum on how to teach your kids good habits as well! What habits are you trying to change? Comment below and let me know!