I would like to take a moment . . .

. . . to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Earl Grey. Without him, lucidity and warmth would not be possible this Saturday morning.

It's amazing what a profound effect a habit can have on your life. I've so gotten into the habit of enjoying a cup of Earl Grey tea in the morning at work that I can't quite function normally without it. I get annoyed if a customer interrupts me before I have a chance to drink that first cup of tea. It's a good thing that I technically arrive and enjoy it before our office opens, or I might be in real trouble. This one little cup of tea really helps me to start my day right.

Not to say that all habits have a GOOD effect on your day though. Take, for example, my other habit of surfing the internet in the morning. I often become distracted and then run short on time for my workout in the morning (which is slowly and pathetically re-starting after a break that was way too long). It makes me feel grumpy and angry with myself for allowing myself to be distracted and deprive myself of a healthy habit.

Changing habits is something that I think a lot about. I know that so long as you can create healthy habits, it's relatively easy to maintain an active lifestyle, healthy diet, and positive attitude.

A while ago I stumbled across a wonderful blog post series by Scott H Young about changing your habits. It got me to thinking about my habits and the habits I'd like to have. I haven't had too much success with mastering my own habits. The ones I'd really like to change for myself are . . .

-getting out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off
-working out everyday
-drinking water on my days off work
-washing the dishes before going to bed
-putting away the laundry promptly

There are probably a few more too. The one I'm most passionate and frustrated by is getting out of bed right away. For some reason, I just can't get myself to do this. But, I'm thinking I may be aiming too high right now. I mean, I set my alarm damn early. Plus, with my lifestyle, there are always nights when I can't be in bed by 10. And, I don't really want to sacrifice my small social life right now. So, I'm going to try setting my alarm a little bit later, and then checking if I can fit everything in to less time. Maybe it'll also motivate me to get up from the computer before I get distracted by clicking things!