ten starts to a good day

Ten ‘Starts’ to a Good Day

We all know that it is so important how we begin. With parenting, we are told to begin with the end in mind. Know where you’re going, and you’ll get there—wander aimlessly, and you’ll get nowhere. Indeed, it is good advice to start any endeavor with a goal in mind. We must have a plan, be focused, and follow it through to fruition. Well, each day we are given a new chance at completing His plan for our day and we ought to be faithful with each day we are given. To this end, here are the Ten ‘Starts’ to a Good Day:
1.) Start your day early. We all know what early is to us. It is early enough to get a good jump on the day, and to feel really good…but not a moment sooner!
2.) Start your day with God, in prayer to God, and with time in His Word. This is really the most important and powerful ways to begin the day. We need Him to power our day, because we just aren’t good enough on our own! Our family is too important to get second best from us, and God is too important to ignore.
3.) Start your day with your husband and in prayer for your husband. He enjoys a good send-off. Show him what he means to you, and let him know there is someone who is behind him, who loves and appreciates him. If you’ve read the book, you know that there is power in the praying wife!
4.) Start your day with peace and quiet. If we do the first three, assuming we’ve seen our husband off to work, most likely we will get peace and quiet if we are getting up before the kids. This adds a lot to our day; to be able to relax, breath, think, and gather ourselves for the relative storms that may come later.
5.) Start your day with exercise and good hygiene. There is nothing that compares to the way you feel after a good sweat and a warm shower to begin the day. The endorphins released will elevate your mood, energy level, and overall sense of well-being. We all need a good dose of those!
6.) Start your children’s day with a blessing from mom. Greet each child with love in the form of a smile, hug, cheerful word or song, and a prayer in your heart for their day to be rooted in Him.
7.) Start breakfast the night before. This doesn’t have to be elaborate, but just having a plan, the kitchen in order, and, maybe, oatmeal soaking on the stove, is enough to help the morning to go smoother.
8.) Start dinner after breakfast. Again, have a plan, and do the tedious chores like washing and drying greens, chopping vegetables, and getting out the meat to thaw to help get ahead in your day.
9.) Start your ‘to-do’ list. We all have tasks that need to be completed each day, and hopefully, we are off to a good start with the first eight ‘starts’ behind us! Keep ticking away at the list, one-at-a-time, until it is done. Just remember the rules of making lists: prioritize, work in order of importance, be realistic, set a deadline for the task to be completed, and cross off the finished tasks.
10.) When struggling with motivation to do what you know you need to, remember two words…just start! There is a lot of power in just getting started! If that doesn’t seem to help, prayer will! God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble. Even the day-to-day troubles of the multi-tasking mom!