Ok, I admit it. I used to love my snooze button, even though I knew it was an unhealthy problem. I actually moved my alarm clock across the room at one point, but still managed to hit the snooze and land a perfect 180 back in bed. It was a vicious cycle and I’m glad I broke out of it. Oh.. The struggle. Here is why.
I Wasn’t Committed And I Didn’t Want It Bad Enough.
Hitting the snooze button made me feel like I could escape from the dreaded workday for 5-10 more minutes. It was even worse when I finally decided to get up because I felt like a bullet coming out of a gun. It was a fast shower, no breakfast, sick to my stomach, no time to pack lunch, almost late kinda feeling. Who wants to be rushed every morning? How does that make your workday go any better? By the time you get to work you just want to breathe.
Here’s another thing that I’ve noticed. We hit the snooze button on other things in life too.
We say to ourselves: I’ll just watch TV for 10 more minutes. I can eat whatever I want. Someday I’m going to start something. Someday.
Do you find yourself doing this in other areas of your life? It’s important to catch ourselves falling into these traps. They are hindering us and we don’t even notice or seem to care. This is because we’ve built such a bad habit of putting things off and quitting too easily. We feel entitled to everything.
How Can I Wake Up?
I bet you’re wondering how I managed to finally get myself out of bed. To be honest – it took discipline.
I had to literally think to myself:
“Am I going to do this everyday? Is 5-10 more minutes in this bed worth more than all my dreams and aspirations?”
I tell you what. That got me out of bed quicker than anything. It didn’t matter any longer about a few minutes of extra sleep. What mattered was focusing on a brand new day and improving life. If I can’t get out of bed on time how will I ever do anything successful in life? It doesn’t have to be dreary! Stay positive!
Try waking up with a smile in the morning. It helps! 
But What’s The Point?
Let me throw this out there first. I know we are all different, but don’t say you’re not a morning person. That is your choice. You make the decision of when to wake up and when to sleep. I find that I have more “willpower” in the morning because I’m drained by the end of the workday. How many of us make it home and feel like we had the tar beaten out of us? It sucks. No wonder we never accomplish anything. Willpower is key.
The great thing about waking up early before your workday is that you get to work on your dream or passion. I doubt your wife and kids are going to want to be up with you. It’s all about achieving your life goals. It also frees up time with your family and friends during your evenings! I find exercise is fulfilling in the morning. It gets you excited about the rest of the day and wakes your body up. I like to work on all facets of my life in the morning. You may be different.
My Current Morning Routine:
Let me run you though my current morning routine. (fact: I’m always changing/improving it)
- Wake up at 5:00am.
- Drink a tall glass of water
- 1-2 mile run around town
- Drink another tall glass of water
- Read and Pray
- Eat Breakfast
- Get ready for the day
I hope this inspires you to get up earlier and have a morning routine. This can truly transform your life. It’s the beginning of creating the life you’ve always wanted.
“Life is too short,” she panicked, “I want more.” He nodded slowly, “Wake up earlier.” -Dr. SunWolf
Photo credit, Anthony Armijo, Don McCullough