Create a New Morning Practice: The "To Be" List
Posted on September 22, 2016 by Christopher Shuff, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Create a powerful morning practice that will help you place deep focus, attention, & energy on your goals & on the person you want to be in the world.
During my life coaching certification, my teacher, Mary Morrissey, said something that stuck with me (the truth is, she said countless “somethings” that stuck, but this one is on my mind today). Many of us have morning rituals, whether it be drinking coffee from the same mug, meditating, watching the Today show, or making your “To Do” list for the day.
I am not a morning person, so the idea of doing anything beyond getting myself up and out of the apartment is a daunting task. I am a fan of the daily “To Do” list, though. I love being organized, so a list keeps me on track, and I feel very accomplished at the end of the day when I’ve crossed all or most of the things off. Here’s where Mary comes in. She is a morning practice enthusiast, and one of her rituals is this. When she wakes up, she makes a “To Be” list. I’m not sure of her specific technique, but I liked the idea, put my own spin on it, and began my own morning ritual. Now, I create a daily “To Be” list at the top of my “To Do” list.
Each day, in 3 areas of my life, I think of who I want to be for that day: For my work in the world (e.g: my life coaching business, my volunteer commitments, or just specific projects or chores); For people I encounter during the day; and For the universe. For instance, today for my work in the world: I want to be diligent, focused, and productive; for individuals: I want to be insightful and thoughtful; and for the universe: I want to be grateful.
This morning practice makes me hyper-conscious of how I’m interacting with others, how I’m working towards my goals, and yes, who I’m being in the world. Obviously, this doesn’t mean my attention is only on being 3 things in a day, rather, this practice helps me place deep focus, attention, and energy on traits that will define and redefine me as I continue on my life journey.
It’s been said, “where you put your attention, the universe hears as your intention.” So, I may be all of the attributes each and every day, but on that particular day—I’m very clear of my attention, because that IS my intention.