Hello Mornings [book review]

I *almost* didn't bother with this book. I read the title and the description and thought That's nice, but I'm not really that interested. I have a pretty good morning routine already, so what do I need with a whole book about improving my mornings? A few weeks later, I was ready for a new book and not super excited about anything in my current to-be-read stack. I saw the Hello Mornings title again, shrugged, and went for it.

It happens to me quite often: these "impulse decisions" turn out to be the best ones. (God totally orchestrates that, y'all.) Same story here. Hello Mornings (by Kat Lee) is excellent, and the content can be applied to so much more than just a morning routine.

I've already discussed my 2018 goals to some degree, and I'm feeling pretty good about them. But Hello Mornings gave me a good boost of motivation, some clarity about exactly what I'm after, and a few tools to use this year that are going to be super helpful.

Lee does indeed talk about how to craft a truly quality morning routine centered on God. But it's more than that. The most valuable part of her book, in my opinion, is the concept of setting an anchor for whatever routine you're trying to cultivate. An anchor is a small and simple habit you can come back to consistently, even if life is hectic and you're crunched for time or attention/focus. Example: If you don't have an hour to spend in prayer on any given morning, you can still come back to your anchor habit of praying one simple verse. You've still prayed this morning and started your day with God. Of course, the goal is to "scale up" your habits and have a full, rich routine. But life happens and we live through different seasons. If you oversleep or are ill or are woken by a child in need, it can be easy to skip right over our usual routines (prayer in the morning). Anchors allow you to scale back when needed without losing it all. I LOVE this concept and see how it could be extended far beyond a morning routine.

Lee has good insight and a wonderful God-centered perspective. I was fascinated by her discussion of habit cultivation, and I also appreciated her sentiments on planning with God and why exercise is important for our faith. (It's probably not for the reason you're thinking--I know I was caught off guard by her words here.) In short, I didn't expect to like this book nearly as much as I did. I'm glad I read it--and especially that I read it now, just as 2018 is getting rolling and I'm trying to cultivate better habits. If you're in the same boat, I'd highly recommend Hello Mornings.

P.S. I received this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.