Show up ready.

What’s the FIRST thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

For many of us, we take a moment to consider what the day holds, mentally run through our to-do lists, lay out some mental plans for the day. We get up, grab our coffee or tea, we might greet spouses, wake kids up for school, jump on the computer to get a head start on things. We want to show up ready for everything the day holds.

But are you really ready?

My husband has to get up earlier than I do because, while I tend to work from home most days, he has to go into the office and play out the traditional work day. So, I would wake up when he did, head into my closet, and spend some time in spiritual devotion and meditation.

But it wasn't working.

I don’t mean that I didn’t have good intentions, I just mean that it wasn't working out the way I imagined it would. I would sit and kind of stare into space for a while because I was still sleepy. I would pray, but too often it felt like I was talking to myself, babbling about everything that popped into my head--like I was still unpacking old thoughts. Instead of entering into real meditation and devotion, I was already or still circulating through my day in my head.

Also, trying to have quiet, focused meditation rarely works when there is someone getting themselves ready nearby, and kids need waking up (again) for school.

I was consistently distracted by all of this–and the fact that I was being interrupted now and again to answer questions, or to establish a plan for later parts of the day. I also had a nagging FOMO vibe because I felt as though I was missing out on parts of the family morning routine, like I was adding something to my day that was actually in the way of my day.

What a crappy way to think about what should be a sacred time to center myself.

What I realized was that my devotion time wasn’t the problem. The problem was how I was showing up for something I claim is sacred. Let’s back up a bit so I can explain what I mean.

Showing up ready means taking some time to anchor myself. I call it anchoring because it should be an immovable, centering force in my day and space. Every day should include anchored time and space to center ourselves in our priorities. And no one and nothing should have more priority in your day than YOU.

Before you tackle everyone else’s stuff, before you wake the kids up (again), before you get into the work there is to do, and before you jump into helping everyone else, you need to remember that this day was given to you. You are HERE. Anchor yourself on the map of your day. And when you do, center yourself so you can remember, affirm, and locate who you are now and why you’re right here.

Anchoring is best done in a ritual, whether that’s meditation, prayer, yoga, or all of the above. Physically move, put your body into a specific position, and commit a moment to the prioritizing of your internal life.

Prioritizing your internal life will transform how you experience your external reality.

For me, anchoring is about acknowledging the Spirit in the centering rituals of prayer and meditation. It means closing myself off to external things and entering into a quiet, internal place of contemplation and communication with God. It’s absolutely necessary for my growth and spiritual maturity. I want to be focused, listening, and speaking to the most important person in my life.

Wait, so if I already know all that, why wasn't it working? Why wasn’t I feeling centered and anchored? Why wasn’t I coming away from my sacred time more calm, more ready for the day?

The problem was in how I was showing up. Knowing what you want is one thing; doing what it takes to get that requires more than intention.

Here’s what I knew I had to do:

1. Show up on purpose. I was waking up with my husband’s alarm. That already signals that I was not choosing the time; instead, I was doing what was easy and convenient. Doing what is easy and convenient isn’t a great indicator that something is sacred.

2. Show up focused. I was planning a quiet moment during the most raucous moment for my family. Trying to find quiet time and space while everyone is trying to shower, find clothes, get dressed, prep lunches, and eat breakfast, was distracting. (especially if I was the one supposedly helping with all that stuff.) That wasn’t their fault; I needed to make a choice about the environment I needed to promote my own focus.

3. Show up with a plan. This is BIG. Entering into my meditation and devotion without a plan rarely works out. I end up trying to set up a chance encounter rather than an intimate experience. It's like standing outside because you might run into a friend on the street. You aren’t really making an effort or providing what's necessary for a conversation with that friend. You just set up the opportunity to say "what's up!" and move on. That isn't a recipe for building a relationship or intimacy. Really, if I am going to anchor myself, if I’m going to meet God expecting a deep connection that leaves me centered, I need to make the mental and spiritual space for that. I needed a structure, a format to bridge my external self to my internal self.

Well, once I figured out what was going wrong and really examined how I was showing up in ways that pretty much laid the groundwork for things to go wrong, I was able to adjust my efforts accordingly. I needed to remember what it means to regard something as sacred: I had to show myself and my God some respect.

The changes I made were simple and utterly transformational.

Showing up on purpose and with focus meant setting my own alarm and asking myself what I wanted that time to really feel like. So I started getting up an hour earlier (and going to bed earlier!). If I wanted quiet time, I would have to seek it out. I realized that I needed that moment that exists just before everyone else is up and moving around. Getting up an hour earlier meant that, not only was I getting the uninterrupted context I wanted, but I was also more clear-headed and awake (astonishingly!), which made it easier to move into the day and to help everyone else do the same.

Showing up with a plan was also key. I’m a planner in the rest of my life, but for some reason, I imagined that showing up to my prayer and meditation with a plan would be too prescriptive. So, to strike some balance, I plan for guidance, not control. I use a devotional to open my thoughts and heart to wisdom. I also have a prayer journal to give myself a place to jot down what’s on my mind. Doing that helps me to ritualize how I hand things over to God. And it also gives me a way to return to things so that I can record the ways that God has answered my prayers and responded to my thoughts thereafter.

When I say these small changes made all the difference, it's a radical understatement. I’m not only more respectful of my sacred time, I'm also focused and clearer about other things in my day, and I’m not missing the opportunity to be thankful for God’s grace and love and attention. I also get so much wisdom in those moments, so much insight, that my day can’t help but be anchored in the knowledge of my worth, my purpose, and my peace.

I challenge you to anchor your day in a centering ritual for 7 days. Be deliberate, focused, and to have a plan for how you will engage the Spirit daily.

Show up READY.

What does it look like for you to show up ready?