HOW TO USE THE FIRST GOLDEN HOUR OF YOUR MORNING TO MAKE A GREAT DAY
Simple, but powerful ways you can use to make the first hour of your morning your own special and sacred time to open your heart, elevate your mind and start the day with a powerful positive attitude.
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This is SUNDAY EDITION of THE DAWNING LIGHT Magazine # 1458
The premium version of our Daily Journal of 100% Inspirational Writing
Today we are Featuring our SPIRITUAL SOUP KITCHEN Section # 254…
Stories by Chinmayan to inspire you to use all your relationships and the challenges and blessings of daily life as vital opportunities for spiritual growth
THE FIRST HOUR OF EVERY MORNING IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO GET YOURSELF CALM, CENTERED AND CONSCIOUSLY READY TO MAKE A GREAT DAY
One of the most important secrets that I have been learning is how to use the first hour of every morning to prepare myself to have an amazingly good day on purpose.
It turns out that most of the greatest people who made massive contributions to humanity, such as Gandhi to Steve Jobs, used this same secret in their daily life.
It is a fact that.....
How you start your day will determine what kind of day you will have.
The first hour after you get up is absolutely golden because your mind is fresh, your body is rested and there is a wide open opportunity to determine your attitude…which always determines how you feel, how you think, how you view yourself and how you relate to others.
I have been actively working with how to have amazing miraculous mornings which lead to even more amazing and miraculous days for many years.
SURE FIRE WAYS TO START YOUR DAY IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. Here are a few sure fire ways that I know will help you to start your day in the best possible way: Give Yourself This First Hour As Your Own...say to yourself "This is my time out to be with just myself in silence, solitude and serenity Keep Your Attention On Using This Hour For Inner Work By Avoiding Screens Make a promise to yourself that you will not check your phone, social media, email…don’t make or take calls or watch TV. Center Yourself With This Simple Meditation-- Sit still with back straight and eyes closed... bring your attention to being here in the present moment while watching your breath...and gently bringing your attention back to your breath whenever you realize its wandered, letting yourself notice the sounds and smells around you, your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations...while returning to just watching your breath. Meditate for at least 10 minutes. Then, in the silence afterward, Focus your mind on praying through About the key areas of your life You need help with.
Practice Gratitude and Being Thankful... If you do this practice every morning, it will bring about sweeping and permanent benefits...opening your heart to loving and appreciating everyone and everything in your life...Gratitude practice teaches you how to be patient and see your life from an ever higher perspective. Write in your Gratitude Journal 3 to 5 things about your life You are grateful for and Give thanks for them. Be Here Now Bring yourself into the present moment…one way that I love is to use Affirmations such as " I am loving living in this very present moment..." to remind myself to tune into and return to being here now. Be Still and Listen To "The Still Small Voice Within" Once you are present in this moment, after some practice you will be able to simply enter a state of heightened awareness and stillness.... In that stillness, listen for “The still small voice within”, which is The sweet gentle voice of Your own inner guidance which Always has the answers To every question, to all Problems, challenges and relationships. Consciously Choose To Give Your Attention Only to Inspiring Higher Inputs Make sure that whatever you take in through your eyes and ears, such as listening to music or reading is of the highest harmonious vibration Read or listen only to things that inspire you, that touch your heart and help you raise your own consciousness..., For example, I may listen to my favorite kirtan (devotional song for invoking and attaining communion with the Divine) or may read the biographies or teachings of the realized wisdom masters such as "The Autobiography Of A Yogi" by Yogananda. Avoid tuning into the News or any other input that has a stressful lower vibration.
Set The Intention To Have A Great Day Set the intention to have an Amazing day in which you are Loving, patient, accepting of yourself And others, mindful, stay in the present moment And consciously choose to stay free from negative self talk. Consciously Choose to only accept positive thoughts, feelings and beliefs about yourself, your beloveds and the people in your life. this is a practice that may be hard in the beginning, but will get easier and sweeter the more you do it. Instead of allowing the negative thoughts and feelings make you miserable, stressed out and irritable, you will be able to be happy, caring and compassionate with an increasingly invincible positive attitude. Treat Yourself to Your Favorite Thing That Gives You an Uplift.. Maybe it is going outside for a short morning walk, or taking a hot bath or writing in your journal or chanting your mantra or singing along with your uplifting song
I want to encourage you to take the first hour after you get out of bed as your own special time to consciously get ready for the day ahead... I know it may seem hard to do, but I promise you that you will be thanking yourself for the wonderful gifts will flow from it...such as feeling centered, focused, stress free and serene. Using the golden first hour as we are recommending is an act of taking care of and loving yourself...which enhances your marriage and family, your work and your interaction with others and the world. I am very interested in hearing what happens for you if you just try it for a week...let me know in the comments!
Here are three "lightning bolts of wisdom" to help you jump start today—-
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
Every Day is the Best Day
Write it on your heart
That everyday is the best
Day of the year.
He is rich who owns the day,
And no one owns the day
Who allows it to be invaded
With fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities
No doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can,—
Tomorrow is a new day;
Begin it well and serenely,
With too high a spirit to be
Encumbered with your old nonsense.
The day is too dear,
With its hopes and invitations,
To waste a moment on yesterdays.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Make Them Smile
I learned that whenever
I decide something with an open heart,
I usually make the right decision.
I’ve learned that even when
I have pains, I don’t have to be one.
I’ve learned that I still
Have a lot to learn.
I’ve learned that people will
Forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget
How you made them smile.
—Maya Angelou
THE MASTERS SAY THAT EVEN THE SIMPLEST DAILY PRACTICE ON THE PATH WILL PRODUCE PROFOUND AND LASTING RESULTS OVER TIME
As long as you are making consistent and persistent effort in your spiritual practices on a daily basis, you are always evolving even if you may not be aware of the transformation that is happening…you may not notice the gradual growth because it happens incrementally, like a rose growing from a tiny bud into a full blossom.
—Chinmayan
STILL MOUNTAIN DHARMA CENTER/ INNER RESOURCE INSTITUTE
Center For Authentic Meditation Training & Practical Spirituality
Stay Tuned for upcoming programs and trainings for our subscribers and supporters of “The Dawning Light”…including our beloved “Sunday Morning Satsang and Meditation Program” which will be available weekly both in person and online.
We are planning to launch our next “Meditation Training Intensive 101” course in the near future. When we set the dates and open this course for registration, we will announce the details in this newsletter first so that all of our “Dawning Light” friends will get first choice.
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Meanwhile, may this be one of the most wonderful and amazing days of your life!
Chinmayan, I start my day in silence all the time for about a half hour each morning. Namaste