Success and the Art of Waking Up at 4:30 AM

The world seems to be divided down the center when it comes to “rising and shining”. Some people are alarm clock setters who rise with the birds. Others are “snoozers” who, if they had it their way, they would sleep until well after noon.

With the rise of adulthood and responsibilities, sleeping past 8AM comes with a heap of consequences including being late for work, causing the children to be late for school, and missing important meetings. Not to mention the compounded lack discipline and unwillingness to chase your dreams! People have the false perception that those who wake up early are just “morning people” and don’t realize that it can be a habit they create with just some sustained habit and discipline!

Closeted Early Birds Come Out

Entrepreneurs and respected businessmen began to come out of the woodworks and declare that their personal secret to getting so much done was waking up at 4:30AM. This made fellow early birds intrigued and made self-proclaimed late sleepers assume that those 4:30’ers must be crazy. 4:30?

Rising early, let’s just say 5:30am or earlier has numerous benefits. Not only does it provide you more time to get things done in the day, but many psychological benefits as well.

Reasons to Wake Up Bright And Early From the Expert Early Risers

1. Kicking off the day with a kind thought.
   Dalai Lama said “Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up. I am alive, I have a precious human life I am not going to waste it…” This varies quite wildly to the words exchanged with the alarm clock of many people who are awakened abruptly from sleep. So, if you think about it, staring your day putting positivity out into the universe rather than negativity has its appeal.
2. Setting yourself up for success
   If you’re like most people, the sound of the alarm, or the 5^th alarm, whichever one it takes you to get out of bed, signifies that you are running late and you have to get up right now. That you are running late and have to throw on something presentable and get out of the house. Notice I continually said “have to”…as if the opportunity to wake up healthy and go about your day is a chore! This is the most important shift you’ll make when waking up early. Instead of coming from a “have to” mindset, you switch to a “I have the opportunity to” mindset which can dramatically impact and improve the performance of you and your day.
3. That Doesn’t Come In Bar Form
   We are all on the go, and those quick all-in-one meal replacement bars seem to be perfect for those in a rush. You are probably so much in a rush that you do not notice all of the sugars that are added to those bars. Getting up early allows you to enjoy a real complete breakfast. When was the last time you did that? Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, so why not get the right foot out the door?
4. Commute Early:
   Instead of being stuck with the other 8AM drivers, why not head over to work a few hours early and enjoy sitting at a café and reading the paper. Or better yet, setting some weekly goals. Use this time as YOU time. Planning your day and getting work done early is one of the most important steps to success and becoming an early riser lets you do exactly that. Additionally you get to impress the boss by being right on time despite that fender bender on Rt. 202. “I had no idea about it sir, I was here at 5am going over these reports.” You’re getting a gold stat today!
5. Knock Some To Do’s Off Your List –
   If you are a list maker, that list will haunt you all day. Once you’re done working, you have to plan out meals for the week, go grocery shopping, send out the mortgage payment, balance the checkbook, get the daughter’s dance gear together…. The list is endless and will pop up at the most inconvenient times throughout the day to remind you that your day isn’t over, even when it is. Try knocking some of these tasks off of your to-do-list before hours. Then the end of your work day, could just be, the end of your work day for once.