Easing Into the Day
My mornings typically begin at 5:30 am with a wakeup reminder from my iPhone alarm or our two-year-old puppy, Charlie. If the first doesn’t get me up, the other will absolutely accomplish the task. After feeding Charlie and our other dog, Newman, I settle into my office with a cup of coffee.
I have always loved reading in the morning. It started as a childhood habit of scanning the cereal boxes as I devoured bowls of Frosted Flakes, Cheerios or Rice Krispies. Eventually, my reading progressed to the comic strips, sports pages and eventually local news. As a working professional and proud father of student-athletes, the business news and high school sports remained vital reading material each morning for two decades. Though our adult children have since graduated from high school and college, I still enjoy keeping up with our Ocean Lakes sports teams—Go Dolphins! A huge “thank you” to our local journalists. You ARE appreciated.
I pour myself another cup of coffee, and Charlie and I head out for our morning walk around the neighborhood. This is my favorite time of the day. The sunrise, the crisp air, the occasional school bus and the one time of day I typically shut out all distractions. It’s the half hour I utilize to simply take in my surroundings, enjoy the current or changing seasons and let my mind rest. No work. No planning. No solving problems. Just me, Charlie, and a mile or two of uninterrupted peace. And yes, there’s the daily pit stop for Charlie. But hey, “---t happens”.
Making the Most of the Commute
My 45-minute commute into the office provides me more time to learn something new each day. I enjoy podcasts and other audio content. Business stories and documentaries have always been a favorite of mine, though my wife will tell you I’m the only person she knows who would watch or listen to documentaries on both the creation of a paper clip and the economic resurgence of Bangladesh. What can I say, I love learning something completely new and unique every day. You never know what or how you will use the knowledge you’ve acquired throughout your life, but it must be worth something if not immediately. At some point in our lives it will all prove valuable—well, maybe not where Taylor Swift ate dinner last night, but you get what I’m saying.
Planning Ahead
Another cup of coffee starts my day at the office, assuming I’m not already attending an early board meeting, program day or regional event. I’ve always enjoyed getting to the office early, typically before most people have arrived. Even a 30 minute head start can make all the difference in the world when it comes to setting and executing a plan, knocking out the must-do tasks or simply focusing on a strong start to the day.
Reflection is Key
I believe a big part of my success and happiness as a husband, father, volunteer and working professional has been my dogged determination to have “me-time” each morning. No matter how busy, how crazy, or how tired I may be when the alarm rings, allowing myself the time to relax, reflect and learn something new has been a vital part of starting my day for over forty years. Like Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” I try not to miss any of it.
Tage S. Counts is the Vice President of Strategic Engagement for CIVIC Leadership Institute, an executive level program that fosters leadership throughout the Hampton Roads community. He is Vice Chair of VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads and partners with the Tidewater Community College Education Foundation to re-energize the T.C.C. Alumni Association after receiving his Associate of Science degree in December, at the “seasoned” age of 53. Tage is a husband, father, lifelong learner and avid kayak fisherman.
