(Photo above by Helen Lopes / Pexels)
Can a daily routine really improve my quality of life? According to Psychology Today, “Researchers have also found that everyday routines can build resilience and afford a way to cope with stressors. Routines can foster well-being under adverse situations or prolonged stress and provide protection during periods of challenge.”
Now, imagine if that everyday routine included chanting the name of your Buddha nature, or the limitless capacity for courage, wisdom and compassion. How would that impact how you experience your life?
Listen to Clark Harrell, of Seattle, talk about how challenging perfectionism helped him enjoy his Buddhist practice, musical pursuits and everyday life.
Small things matter. Right or wrong, small things accumulate and lead to a major difference in the results. That’s why the best way to achieve your important future goals is to pay careful attention to your minor daily challenges and triumph in each one of them.
The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 226
4 Things You Can Do to Have a Winning Morning Routine
1. A great morning starts the night before.
Going to bed early can sometimes feel impossible, and getting a good night’s rest is a whole other story. But sleeping well and winning in the morning go hand in hand.
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and reciting gongyo before bed helps us do just that. With chanting, you can tap into the wisdom to know when to turn off your phone to go to bed. Or, develop the self-control to not binge-watch your favorite show into the wee morning hours.
2. Try to set a consistent time to wake up and switch it up if needed.
The New York Times journalist Benjamin Spall interviewed over 300 successful people about their morning routines. In reflection, he wrote:
While the majority of the people I’ve interviewed tend to get up early—the average wake-up time for everyone I’ve talked to is 6:27 a.m.—successful people like to experiment to find the sweet spot that works for them.
So, try experimenting with a time that works for you. Everyone’s lives are different so there’s no magic time.
3. Make time to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and recite gongyo.
Daisaku Ikeda shares why making time to chant can dramatically change how our day, and even lives, will go:
Our lives are created from what we do, how we live, every day. For that reason, we should strive to live each day so as to continually improve ourselves. The driving force for this is our morning and evening practice.
4. Every morning is a new opportunity to win.
If you had a bad morning today, don’t be too hard on yourself. You can try again tomorrow! Never giving up is what winning means in Buddhism.