I usually tell people I started writing when I was 23.

But I really started when I was 10.

Before the time of phones and iPads, we had to get creative with how we entertained ourselves

1 form of entertainment I found was writing "Family Time Magazine" -

an 18-page word document made with WordArt font, printed out, hole punched, and tied with yarn (gosh my poor parents color printer).

It was collection of what was playing in the movie theatre, the weather report, and whatever my 10 year old self thought was noteworthy.

Fast forward to 23 -

I would commute 1 hour round trip to my first corporate job, pondering ways I could entertain myself or do more than just work.

When I finished my drive and got to my desk, I found myself writing on sticky notes blog ideas and podcast scripts for things I wanted to talk about.

I even started using my morning before work to journal and experiment with blogging and podcasting.

Over the next 6 years - those ideas turned into writing…

40 podcasts
128 blog posts
191 newsletters
1900+ journal entries
A Morning Routine Workshop
A Morning Routine Workbook

(limited colored printing this time)

Kind of ironic how what entertained me as a kid is entertaining me as an adult…

Or is it?

When people say they want to have hobbies and make it part of their morning routine, but aren't really sure what they would do, there a few questions that can help:

What did you like to do as a kid that you could now do the "adult version" of now?
What intrigues you from what you see on social media or tv?
What do you want to do after work that you're usually too tired to do?

While this is a great brainstorming activity, it didn't always help them find "the thing" they wanted to do.

I didn't sit down 1 time and know what I wanted to do…

It was 3 steps done over and over again…

1) Slow down enough to notice what you want (and more than once)

It was my drive to work each day that allowed me to slow down and think about what I want

2) Journal about it

Organizing my thoughts and getting it down on paper so I didn't forget and can build on them

3) Take action & experiment to get clarity on what it is

I could plan all I want, but taking action is when you get clear on what you want to do

Simply:

Notice the thoughts

Wrestle with the thoughts

Take action on the thoughts

So if you aren't sure what your next move is, maybe use your morning routine to notice, wrestle, and take action on your thoughts.

Because I'm starting to think that what we want to do has always been inside of us, but have we slowed down enough to listen to what that is?