I’ve never been much of a morning person.  In fact, I usually don’t see a client until 1pm-crazy right?  It’s not like I don’t do any work in the morning, but it does take me a while to find my energy for the day.  Even as a kid, every Christmas my Mom would give me a new alarm clock with a message on it.  The card would politely say, “Maybe this year we can try and not argue in the morning.”

Since moving to sunny California, I have noticed that it’s easier for me to wake up than it was in New York City.  Of course, the Universe’s little joke with me is that I am married to a total morning person.  Let me set the scene for you.  Just about every morning David opens his eyes first.  It’s typically a decent hour around 7:00am.  We have a rule that our dog Bernie isn’t allowed to sleep on the bed, but he knows that around 5:00am he is allowed to hop up for a few hours of “family time”.  Cue eyeroll, I can’t believe I have become that person.

At about 7:02am David will pop out of bed with lightning speed.  As he throws on some clothes I will playfully say, “You know, that coffee isn’t going to make itself.”

I then roll over, and as I hear the door shut, Bernie lifts his head and looks in my direction.

“What is wrong with him?” I say to Bernie.

He looks at me groggily as if to agree, and we proceed to fall back asleep for at least another forty minutes.

Around 8:00am is when I usually decide to face the world.  I don’t pop out of bed,  I muster up the strength to drag myself out of bed.  The moment I shuffle into the living room, David turns on the coffee maker and I hear a loud buzz.  It’s like a small jet engine is grinding my morning coffee in the kitchen.  This to me is a miracle of all miracles.  There is nothing more loving to me than the fact that David who doesn’t even drink coffee, (he’s actually allergic to coffee) makes my coffee on most mornings.

After pouring myself a cup of Joe,  I grab my laptop and immediately start working.  Recently with a new client, I realized that I have been forgetting the importance of beginning my day with intention.  The way that I start my day sets the tone and invokes a certain kind of energy.  Often times I will ask coaching clients how they start their day.  I am assessing what energy they bring to themselves first thing in the morning, and I believe that this energy lingers throughout the entire day.

“How do you start your day, Mark?”  I asked my client.

“Well usually I wake up and greet my wife in the kitchen.  She has been up for at least two hours and will typically launch into ten things she wants me to do.  We often fight if I don’t start working on the list right away.”

Just the other day my client Rebecca said that the first thing she does before even getting out of bed, is to reach for her Blackberry phone and check on any “crisis” that may have happened at work.

Here are two people struggling with feeling passion or a connection to their career.  Mark who isn’t a morning person, starts his day feeling pestered and irritable.  And Rebecca is manifesting drama before she even takes a shower.  This sets a powerfully negative tone for the day.

My advice with Mark was to explain to his wife that he is trying a new morning routine.  The moment he wakes up, he is going to throw on his running shows and jog for 20 minutes around their neighborhood.  We came to the conclusion that Mark likes some alone time before interacting in the morning.  During our followup he was surprised by how much better he felt. More importantly, Mark was available to work on household tasks and stay in a good mood.  He and his wife eat breakfast together after his run, and both of their moods are better throughout the day.

Rebecca hadn’t even realized that her first waking thoughts were of crisis and work. Together we decided that she would take a walk with her dog, who relaxes her and reminds her to be in the present moment.  She has enjoyed the shift in her mood, and decided to add a morning meditation to her routine as well.

My amazing clients often inspire me to improve my own life, so I decided to reassess my current morning routine.  Why do I have to get on the computer so quickly?  In today’s climate, the moment I check my email I am surrounded by an influx of energy.  Wherether it’s news or work issues that need to be handled, it’s like going from zero to 60 without ever setting my intention.

When I envision the kind of morning I want to have, I sip my morning coffee on our patio.  Rocking in our glider for about twenty minutes, I start my day with gratitude.  I might stand up and do some stretching, or listen to the hummingbirds as they dart through the yard.  Most importantly, I ask myself what my intentions are for the day.  Who do I want to be?  What kind of service do I want to provide for the planet?  Rather than blindly taking on the world’s energy, I need to remind myself to create my head and heart space first.  Only then am I really ready to face the world.

This week I ask you to reflect on your morning routine.  Are you a chronic snoozer?  Do you watch the news?  Do you even give yourself a chance for reflection or intention?  I vow this week to start my morning in the garden.  I will set my intention and connect with my heart’s desire before I face the world.  I look forward to the change, as long as I don’t have to make my own coffee!