Artist's Way Morning Pages

    One of my goal's this year was to take time to think my own thoughts.  This could come in the form of meditation, long solo hikes or stream of conscious writing.  Actually and preferably, it would take the form of all three. 
    Over the last three weeks, I have been consistent about writing in a stream of conscious style every morning.  You can read more about the whats and whys here, but the basics are as follows:

• Write until you have completed 3 pages, long-hand.  Even if you just write "I don't know what to say" over and over again, get all 3 pages.
• Write as soon as possible after waking.  For me, I hit the power button on the coffee maker and start writing immediately.  I want as little outside influence as possible.  Waiting for a few hours allows your brain to get bombarded by commercials, work stress, and whatever the hell else you got going in life.
• Don't feel like the writing has to make sense, or follow any kind of formatting rules, or follow any kind of rules really.  Just write.

    While I usually mock such excercises as being a bit too "hippy-dippy," this has actually helped quite a bit just in the short time that I have been doing it.  Since it allows my mind to wander, I tend to circle back to the things in my life that actually matter and are important to me.  Problems in my life find natural solutions, and I come up with a lot of good ideas during these sessions.  In fact, I have taken to keep my dayplanner close at hand, because I almost always come up with 3-4 things that I want to make sure that I follow-up with.
    More than anything, this practice has given me the mindset that I am "starting the day off right," and everything else is better because of it.