The year 2020 was not what I had planned. Well that’s true for many reasons and pretty much everyone I know! But it’s not for the reason you think. In 2019, I took to the task of reading a book a week. Well, by the end of the year I had consumed over 75 books. Some were longer and others shorter. Most were on audio but I still count those.
So as we began 2020 my goal was to keep up the task of diving into a new book every week. Things started pretty good. About 6 weeks in however the wheels fell off and I don’t think I’ve picked up a book to just read for myself since then! That all changed this morning. We’re well into December by now so I know I won’t be reading 50 books this year by any means but I know it’s important to start a good habit with the first step.
The first book I’ve decided to grab is called The Common Rule. And oddly enough it’s about creating daily and weekly habits to guide us through our days. My goal is to share each day’s habit here in a short summary post, so let’s get started.
Daily Frame
Throughout the book author, Justin Earley, shares eight distinct habits that range from daily to weekly things to keep us focused and propel us forward in life. The first habit is to frame our day with a moment of prayer.
Now before you dismiss this as irrelevant or not applicable, give me a minute to explain. When we frame our day in moments of prayer we’re setting the stage for a new perspective. Even if you’re not a believer in the power of prayer, just pausing three times a day to focus on the things you have in your life for which you can be thankful or the things with which you need help can be immensely beneficial!
Practical Steps
First thing in the morning, before you grab your phone or check any social media, before you talk to anyone else or really do much of anything find a quiet place to just speak a moment of thanks for the start of a new day or make your request known for the day ahead. This can be a super short one line sentence or a short story, that’s up to you. Just start here.
At that afternoon slump, or whenever that happens in your daily schedule, stop what you’re doing and reset your mind. Show your thanks by saying another prayer, or take this time to ask for focus. Whatever you need to do to reframe your afternoon.
Then before your body goes to full on rest mode at the end of your day, do this one more time. A short prayer to give thanks that today was so great! Or to just be thankful it’s all over.
A simple habit like framing your day in prayer can really help calm the waters of life in which you’re swimming. Be well! Tomorrow we’ll pick up another habit to look put into practice.
Mondays are great days to look back and to look ahead. When we look back, we reflect on where we’ve been. We see the good and the bad. We, at times, relive the mistakes we’ve made. We feel regret over our failures. Shame often takes over and brings us to our knees in what we believe to be a pile of nothingness. But other days when we look back we can smile because we know that through all of it, God was always by our side. 
love Thanksgiving. It’s a great holiday and a wonderful chance to get together with family to give thanks for life’s many blessings. One tradition we have when my wife’s family gets together is to answer the question, What are you thankful for?