Setting The Tone

I made this short (you’re welcome Uncle Peter) because I want you to read the whole thing. It’ll take no more than a few minutes and here we go.

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It’s all about setting the tone.

I took the picture above in Guatemala during a service trip last summer. It’s a simple picture, but as it goes, a picture says a thousand words. The background is colorful, busy and distracting, much like the fast-paced life that we find ourselves sucked into on a daily basis. On the other hand, the coffee in the middle of the picture represents focus. It represents the here and now. It represents the ability to be intentional and to separate your will from the will of the world around you. The coffee is bold; it has it’s own character, it stands alone and it is strong.

It can be 3:30am on a Monday or 8:00am on a Sunday, but for me, each morning starts with a cup of coffee. It’s become a part of my routine where I drown out the distractions of life and focus in on what’s important to me.

It’s a time where I make an intentional effort to set the tone.

The purpose of this blog is twofold

First, I want to encourage you do set some time aside tomorrow morning to be intentional about the tone that you want to set for the day. Second, I want to provide you with the routine that I use each morning to serve as a blueprint for creating a morning routine that will serve you best.

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Here is what I do every morning.

• drink water and make coffee (2-3 minutes)
• reflect on a quote that was pre-selected the night before (2-3 minutes)
• talk to God and as Him to guide me through the day (2-3 minutes)
• write down three things that I am grateful for (1 minute)
• come up with a tangible goal for the day (1-2 minutes)
• create an actionable plan for that goal (1-2 minutes)
• send an encouraging message to someone (2 minutes)
• read a few pages of a book (5 minutes)
• take a cold shower (3 minutes)

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This whole process takes 15-30 minutes depending on the morning, how much time I have and what kind of tone that I want to set. The routine is structured but flexible. In theory this morning routine sounds simple, but life happens and it doesn’t always happen as planned. However, I make it a point to set aside the time that I need, even if that means getting up before the sun. Much like my time in Guatemala, this routine has helped me slow down focus on what’s important to me. It’s helped me move forward in the pursuit of my vision, become more self-aware and better in all that I do. It’s taken me years to find a routine that works for me and this is a process that will be fluid as life changes for me. This morning routine has served me well and I hope that this. at the very least, can be the start of you finding the routine that works best for you.

“Either run the day or the day runs you.”

Jim Rohn

Thank you reading and have a great night. I hope that you take the time to set the tone tomorrow and please feel free to reach out with anything that you might need!

Joe Rinaldi

IG: @joearinaldi

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