Each day – a new day.  A new opportunity to set the compass of your heart.

It is so so easy for me to wake up and hit the ground running. Some of it is reality and some of it is self-imposed. I love my work! I love writing!  I’ve written before about the one morning habit to claim yourself as CEO of your life.  Even after all these years of meditation and mindfulness, I have to remind myself that I can wake up, pause, put my hand on my heart, take some time out to connect with the divine, and set the compass of my heart before I do anything.

On those mornings when I do this, I remember that I don’t have to be the god to make it all happen! I can call on grace. I can take care of myself. I can make some choices about how I want to see my life and my dear ones around me.

Each day – a new day. A new opportunity to wake up, pause for a moment, and set the compass of your heart for the day.

What could this look like?

I was going through old emails from work at Georgetown University and came across this poem of mine that was published in GUWellness’s Wellness Boost to encourage busy faculty and staff to “set the compass of your heart” with a sweet morning mantra. When I saw it last night, my heart just breathed and smiled reading it again.

“Today is a new day.  I begin this day with my hand on my heart – breathing in kindness, breathing out kindness.  I choose to softly smile.  Relaxing my shoulders, I know God accompanies me wherever i go.  I am loved – deeply, tenderly, completely.  I let this love flow from me as an offering to those I will greet today.  Today is a beautiful day.” – Lisa McCrohan

Before you even roll out of bed, you might make it your morning mantra to repeat these words and set the compass of your heart first thing in the morning. Before you reach for your phone, you might repeat these words to yourself.  As you drink your morning coffee, tea, or smoothie, you might pause to intentionally set the compass of your heart with these sweet words.  And if you’ve already hit the ground running – no problem!  Make this a “meditation in motion” kind of day — put your hand on your heart as you walk, get on the bus, or even pause at a stoplight and repeat these words to yourself.

Set the compass of your heart as you start the day.  And see how it nourishes you to live a life you love.

What about our children?  How can they benefit from “set the compass of your heart”?

I am big on instilling in my children a sense of resilience and supporting them in embodying an inner confidence that is grounded in the spiritual.  For awhile there, we were praying together in the morning.  We got out of that habit.  But lately, I’ve been sharing this idea of how to “set the compass of your heart” with my children.  They love that image. As they pause in the morning – if even for a moment – they tell me how it sets the day in a positive direction.

We can equip our children with the “inner tools” they need to navigate this crazy world and feel resilient and rooted in what matters most. Learning to set the compass of your heart can help support our children in having a sense of purpose.  Purpose is critical, because it is linked to dedication, energy and resilience — “psychological goods,” that can deeply support a child, according to William Damon of the Stanford of Adolescence and author of The Path to Purpose. “Purpose is the number one, long-term motivator in life,” according to Damon. Unlike passion or ambition, which focus on the self, purpose touches on the needs of the wider world.  Purpose comes from believing that the world needs improving and that you can help.

Teaching our children to start their day by pausing and connecting to their hearts can help root our children in their purpose.

In my online, on-demand course, Regarding Our Children, I’ll share with you practices like “set the compass of your heart” with your children so you help them build an inner resolve and resilience.  Our children will encounter difficulties.  We can help them meet these difficulties with an inner fortitude that will help them now and that they will carry into the future – to be men and women of integrity and compassion with purpose and passion to create a more inclusive, compassionate world.

*If you are a parent, a professional, or a person who influences the life of a child, check out Regarding Our Children, my online class.  This is all about setting our children up to thrive.  I bring in my clinical, trauma-informed expertise working with clients; my decades of mindfulness; and my experience being “in the trenches” as a mom to share with you researched-backed ways to instill a sense of resilience in your child, empathy, compassion, a growth mindset, and how to support them to be “leaders of their own lives.”