In the last two days, I read three mini-ebooks by Laura Vanderkam. The books are from her series, What the Most Successful People Do. The books are good because they are short, practical, and include lots of personal stories and application.
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast is about early morning routines and making the most of the early morning hours. Vanderkam asserts, “learning to use mornings well is … what separates achievement from madness.” Of course, this is certainly much easier to swallow for morning people than night owls!
Thankfully, I’ve always been more of a morning person. In fact, I’ve been working on improving my own morning routine in recent months. Before we had kids, maintaining a strong morning routine was much easier than it has been in the last five years!
This book has also got me thinking about what the most powerful preachers do before breakfast.
Back in college when I was discerning God’s call on my life, I remember reading about powerful preachers from past centuries. There were differences among them, in terms of theology, personality, and preaching style, but one thing they seemed to share was that they prayed during the early morning hours, usually getting up around 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. and spending two, three, or even four hours in prayer!
So, what do the most powerful preachers do before breakfast? Mostly, they pray!
In my morning routine, I try to include prayer, journaling, and Bible reading. I also try to exercise before breakfast. On the treadmill, I may listen to worship songs, read, listen to an audio lesson, or watch a TED talk.
Vanderkam contends, “The best morning rituals are activities that, when practiced regularly, result in long-term benefits.” She says, “When you make over your mornings, you can make over your life. That is what the most successful people know.”
What’s your morning routine? What do you do before breakfast? How can you improve it to make the most of the early morning hours?