My 4:30 am Exercise
Early every morning, with few exceptions, I wake before anyone else in the house, sit at my desk and, with half-awake eyes, tug my journal from the row of reference books. In that journal, I date and recap the prior day. Just two or three terse sentences each morning offer enough insight on how well I remain true to my goals.
Sometimes it’s embarrassing to write that I didn’t accomplish what I had hoped to achieve. That I bowed to distractions or chose to do something else because I found it easier to do the insignificant rather than write.
Most daily journal entries take less than five minutes, but that may well be the best time spent during the day.
Like walking through snow, those entries leave a trail behind me. It’s possible to see where I deviated and roamed off course. I can see the hills I’ve climbed, the obstacles I overcame, the distance I’ve gained. In a few words, I can capture conversations, commitments and concerns. Progress is clear. My weaknesses lie exposed.
We all know that a series of small, completed steps eventually leads to the fulfillment of a large goal. My daily review points me toward the next small step I need to bring me closer to my destination. That next small step, then, becomes the priority on my to-do list.
As a jogger would first stretch before going for a run, the act of capturing thoughts in a journal each morning primes my head for what I truly want to do that day – write at my best level.
This small exercise is so valuable. I’ve been making journal entries each morning for over a decade. It’s just one of the small things that encourages me to write each day. After all, no one can ever claim to be a writer unless they write. Right?
If you have a dream to be a published author, if you’ve always wanted to write that story that loiters in the back of your head, find your best path, the one that keeps you writing each day. Whether you write for two or three hours or choose to only to write a paragraph, the truth is you must develop a routine for writing something each day.
Your passion for writing and dedication will eventually lift you toward success.
