Today is such a special day for KMB. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I have so many women in my life that inspire me daily, that I love learning from. When I met Molly two years ago, she was such a delight to be around. Her light is so bright and makes you feel bright when interacting with her. She has always been so supportive and encouraging when it came to my blog. She mentioned once that she used to blog and that is when my lightbulb moment happened! Molly needs to write a guest post! So, today is the day! I know you all will be so encouraged by Molly’s words. I am so giddy to be sharing her and her wisdom with y’all.
Thank you, Molly, for doing this. You are so busy and the care and love you wrote with is so obvious. You’re just the best! 
Thanks, Kari, for letting me take over today! You inspire me daily, and getting to spend a little time in your sweet corner of the internet is an honor. 
I thought I’d keep it simple to start! It might not sound glamorous or life-changing, but it truly has been for me. It’s simple. Uncomplicated. But the way it’s transformed my days? That part HAS been life changing, honestly. Making my mornings more mindful has changed everything.
As a homeschooling mom of three juggling life, sports, and a never ending to-do list, I needed something that didn’t feel like just another task. What I found instead brought me all the things I actually wanted to start my day with: peace, energy, and joy. It gave me more tools to be the mom I want to be.
Maybe you’re already doing something like this. But just in case you’ve been craving a fresh start to your day that actually feels good mentally… I had to share what’s been working for me!
Mindful Mornings!
The good news? It’s not complicated. At all. It just takes consistency, like all good things in life! And yes, there are days I skip… and boy do I feel it (let’s be honest here, I’m sure my family does too). There are a million ways I could start my day, but these few simple practices help me begin with intention. And when I do them first, everything else flows with more joy and ease.
Here’s the funny part: your body will try to stop you from changing your mornings or any new habit really (even when the change is good). Because your brain loooooves comfort. It loves autopilot. It really likes what’s familiar… even if it’s not what’s best for us. Rude! 
That’s why we think mostly the same thoughts every day. That’s why changing habits feels hard. Like, silly hard. We all know what to do, but the “doing” part? That can be tricky, ya know?
But here’s the good news: God also designed our brains to be rewired. They can change. He made them that way on purpose. 🙂 Thank you, God, for that.
I used to start my days scrolling, scrolling, scrolling… already feeling the weight of everything I needed to do, comparing myself to others, and exhausting my brain before I even gave it a chance.
But when I stopped listening to the noise of the world first and started paying attention to how God designed us to begin the day… everything started to shift.
Of course it was that simple. God designed it that way.
Not with a phone in my face.
Not with a mile-long to-do list.
Not with the weight of everyone else’s opinions and updates.
But with light. Stillness. Gratitude. Peace.
I had been skipping over the basics on my healing journey and chasing every routine, supplement, or mindset trick. But they all became just another checklist. And I still felt anxious.
The truth? God already gave us everything we need to begin the day well.
I just wasn’t using it in a way that created true change.
My Simple Mindful Morning Rhythm
Here are five simple things that have made a huge difference in my mindset, energy, and peace (plus a few bonus ones that help too!):
1. Only natural light in my eyeballs first thing.
I walk straight from my bedroom out to our deck to soak in the sun. It usually takes me a few minutes to fully wake up, but wake me up it does! No lights, no phone, no checking anything. Just me with the birds and the sun. (And usually our dog laying at my feet) If I’m up before the sun, I use red light instead. This was a game changer in the winter! It is wild what this one thing alone can do for our energy and moods!
My Non-Negotiable Rule: no phone for at least 30 minutes after I wake up.
2. Grounding + Prayer.
It might sound woo-woo to some, but there is something powerful about being in nature. I spend a few minutes barefoot on the grass or concrete and take some deep, slow breaths. I just be. I mean how many times in our day do we just let ourselves…be. I have made a statement to my
family I “no longer rush” haha. I don’t think life was meant to be lived so face-paced.
This calms my nervous system before the day begins. Every time I’m in my body instead of in my head, peace washes over me. Nature really is medicine. I don’t think God did that by accident.
While I’m doing this is usually when I say a little prayer to get my day started off right, even if it’s just a simple “God please get into my mind before the world does.” Or some days I have a whole lot to say ;).
3. Gratitude + Joy.
After I’ve let my body ease into the day, I grab my journal. I write down what I’m grateful for, and I look for tiny sparks of joy. Not just “I’m grateful for my house,” but “I’m grateful for the way my daughter laughs at breakfast.” Joy is contagious and what you look for, you’ll find. So I make sure it’s what I want to find :).
After I do this I think of a few things that are stealing my peace and turn it into gratitude if I can. I learned this from a podcast I listened to. Groans to Gratitude is what they call it! I write the groan and then to the side how I can be thankful for it.
(Example: Groan: My house is a mess. Gratitude: Thank you God for a house filled with people to Iove and that we have more than enough of what we need.) If it isn’t something that I can feel gratitude towards, I pray as if God has already answered the prayer. (Example: Thank you God for your healing of…x,y,z.)
4. See Her. Be Her.
Okay, hear me out… I know this might sound a little wild at first. But one of the most powerful things I’ve learned (after diving deep into the nervous system, mindset, and all the brain science stuff) is this:
Your brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what you repeatedly tell it.
That means when I take a few minutes each morning to picture the mom/wife/woman I want to become… the one who’s grounded, joyful, aligned, and full of peace then my brain starts to believe that’s who I already am.
And the more I believe it, the more I act like her.
It’s called the “Be. Do. Have” model. BE it. Then you’ll DO it. So you can HAVE it.
It’s about renewing my mind like Romans 12:2 talks about and choosing to live from the identity God has already given me.
Not who the world says I am.
Not who I was yesterday.
But who He’s calling me to become…today.
So I ask myself:
What would she do next?
Then I do one small thing that lines up with her.
Over time, it becomes more natural.
(For example…I write it out or just visualize it. What does the person I want to become act like? What routines does she have? What is her morning routine like? I visualize it and let myself feel what it feels like to be that person. How does she greet her kids when they wake up? How doesshe feel? How does she talk to her husband? Etc. I feel what it feels like to be full of joy,present, patient, and everything else I want to be. )
It’s not about pretending, it’s about practicing. My brain doesn’t know the difference… it just follows my lead.
(Can you tell this may be one of my favorites on the list?!)
5. Declare what kind of day I am going to have. (Regardless of circumstances)
Before anything else can hit me, I say:
“I’m going to live with joy today.”
“Today is a gift. I’m thankful to be alive.”
“No matter what, God’s got my back.”
“God, get in my head before I do and let me live with Your light.”
I don’t wait to see what kind of day it’s going to be.
I decide. I declare.
Because no matter what comes my way, I’ve already chosen how I’m going to show up in it. We can’t choose what happens to us in this life, but we can choose how we respond and how we act. And that is pretty darn powerful!
I know God is already ahead of me, paving the way.
And that helps me show up with confidence, even when things feel uncertain. I don’t always get it right, and sometimes life gets the best of me. However, this has helped me focus on what I can control and let God handle the rest.
Bonus points:
Starting the day with a nutrient-dense breakfast
Electrolytes before coffee
Worship music to get the vibes high
And a little movement to get the energy flowin’
But for me? Taking care of my mind comes first. What works for everyone is different, so find your rhythm and what works the best for you!
A Thought to Tuck in Your Pocket
The more I do this, the more I feel:
Grounded instead of rushed.
Joy instead of anxious.
Present & Peaceful
It doesn’t have to be perfect. You’ll miss days, that’s okay. Just keep remembering how you want to feel when you start your day. Over time, your body will crave this fresh start.
I can’t wait to hear how your mornings transform, especially before the busy season of school and new sports begins. You’ve got this.
WOW! How good was that?
The “see her, be her” is incredible. Let’s convince ourselves that we are her! Let’s give ourselves space to groan, followed by gratitude.
Thank you, again, Molly, for sharing your passion and wisdom with us. I’ll be contacting you real soon to do this again! 
Love y’all! See you tomorrow for TGIF!
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