It’s no secret that life can be unpredictable and even a little erratic. We all wake up with challenges and up-hill battles to fight, and the unknowing of what the day could potentially hold is terrifying. For me, to combat feelings of uncertainty, I find comfort in routine.

My typical morning starts off with five alarms going off, my dog, Gracie, scampering up and down the hallway, a bowl of cereal, and a ten-minute struggle to pull my curly, untamed hair into a bun for school. I start the pot of coffee, sit down at my kitchen table and take some deep breaths before I bolt out the door to drive from my home to FMU. While these tasks may seem mundane to you, I treasure the fact that these silly routines are constant, and I know at least my potentially overwhelming day will always begin with a cup of coffee and Gracie.

What happens when I walk out of my front door is beyond my control. I have found myself overcome with anxiety on many occasions because of the unexpected cards life has dealt me. I wish I could say I bravely marched out my front door and faced the hardships every time. I can’t say this is true because there have been many days I never changed out of my pajama pants because the idea of dealing with anything on the outside of the walls of my home was too much. I think we have all been there, but recently I began to approach my days differently.

I realized while I don’t know what would happen from 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. every day of the week, I do know how my day will start. As I mentioned earlier, I know there will be coffee, cereal and Gracie. I know these things will be there because I make a point every morning to notice, appreciate and experience those things. I used to complain that my life lacked stability or any type of routine. It lacked these things because I allowed my days to be controlled by uncertainties instead of implementing a routine into my day.

I’m not naïve enough to think that all mornings for the rest of my life will start off with cereal and coffee; but in this season of life, I have decided they will.

Life won’t always be on our own terms, and because of this, we need to be aware of the things that are dependable, constant and steadfast; and if there aren’t any of those things in your life, create them.

I used to wake up late every morning for school. I would rush out the door and begin my day driving to school thinking about the 9,000 things I had to do or hadn’t gotten accomplished the day before. Those days all began and ended in the same stressed mindset. I quickly realized I couldn’t keep doing these things to myself. I couldn’t keep pushing without the reassurance that at some point during the day, I would find solace in something. It was during this time I decided how my mornings would begin, and I refuse to waver from that routine. This part of my day is mine, and no situation or circumstance will take that constant from me.

Decide what those things are in your life and make it a priority to experience them every single day of the week. For some, it’s making time to be in the gym. For others, it’s spending time with a loved one. Whatever it is for you, decide you will use it to shape your attitude toward each day.