I get up at 4:30 am every morning.
The first time I woke up at 4:30 am I thought the world was coming to an end. I felt like death, did not want to get up, and wondered what the heck was I was doing.
I promptly decided that no one in their right mind would be awake at this god-forsaken hour and went back to bed.
After all, I am TOTALLY sane…or not….
Luckily I tried again and again and AGAIN. I finally devised a plan that involved putting my iPhone across the room. After lurching across my bedroom in the pitch black and awkwardly fumbling to turn off the most annoying noise imaginable, I was awake.
The only cognizant thought at this point in the morning is COFFEE.
I used to have the worst habits on the planet.
- Pressing snooze 8 to 12 times a morning
- Filling my grocery cart with ‘easy’ food that was less than real
- Thinking lazy thoughts
- Shoving 6 cookies into my mouth before I even thought about it
- Grabbing a bottle of wine on the way home and consuming most of it in one evening
- Seeing only what is and never what is possible
- Working out only when forced to by social situations
- Avoiding all scenarios that stretched me
I don’t even know who that woman is anymore.
Nearly a whole year after my first early morning attempt, I wake up at 4:30 every single day quite painlessly. In fact, if I don’t wake up at 4:30 and start my day with coffee, planning my day, setting goals, and tweeting with some of the best people on the planet, my whole day is completely amiss.
I have become a habitual early bird.
People constantly ask me how I do what I do. How I eat clean 95% of the time, get up early, go to bed at a decent time, train on days when I am less than motivated, and choose a positive attitude.
I wish there was some fancy answer, but the honest answer is ‘It’s just habit.’
Habits aren’t bad, its just the kind of habits you have that make a difference.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
I want to be excellent!
Curious what time do you go to bed most nights to wake up at that time?
I love that you can wake up so early! I need to find a way to do it without feeling like death.
I am usually in bed by 9:00. 😀
I accomplish more between 4:30 and 7:00am most days than most people do all day. Not just exercise either, though that takes up a lot of that time. It’s when I do my best writing, organizing, and even just mindful preparation for the day ahead. If I sleep past 5:00am, I always feel as though I have wasted the meat of the day. My stair-stepper and treadmill are the guardians of the hour…
I can think about you when I get up at 4:30am now, as I used to wonder…”is anyone else getting up at this hour??” lol! I train clients starting at 5:30am and then have to find energy to train myself in the afternoon….BUT, I love what I can accomplish when I get up and get going!!
I am up with you!! 🙂 What happens first thing in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day.