The Early Bird Gets the Worm — Really?
No eight-step morning routine will change your life.
In the last few weeks I’ve read no less than five articles talking about the wonders of waking up early. Some of these articles have even made it to the Top Readings of Medium, with more than 14k recommendations. Awesome.
I usually wake up very early, between an hour and a half to two hours before my first daily mandatory task: driving my kids to school. I started sleeping fewer hours a long time ago, when I realized I needed these two extra hours to be alone, in silence, to read and write without interruptions. But I’m the type that needs a while to wake up, the kind of person who needs two coffees before becoming a real person. I don’t like to talk to anyone until I’ve had breakfast, and, indeed, I don’t like anyone talking to me until I’m really awake. This is me. Am I less productive or a worse person because of it? Hmm…
That said, I can’t help responding to the last article I’ve read, recommending to everybody a series of things to start a morning routine that will allow you to be superman (or superwoman). I’m sorry to say, some of these things are completely out of this world.
I agree that getting ahead is tough, and it gets tougher as time goes by and you acquire more responsibilities. However, in my experience, moving forward has nothing to do with waking up early or with your morning routine. These things might undoubtedly help some people, but can these people say their forward mobility is a result of this routine?
If you want to rethink your life, you need a catalyst. It might be an inspiring read, but it usually isn’t. Levers that are life changers are usually, let’s say, challenging realities: having a baby, losing a job, the death of a loved one. These are the facts of life that make our worlds rumble, and that make us think whether this life we are living is the one we really want to live.
“You are the designer of your destiny.” — Benjamin Hardy
I can’t agree more with this statement, yet I don’t agree at all with Benjamin’s eight-step process to design that destiny.
Because magic happens at the very moment you decide to change, and it’s not — at all — in the morning routine you decide to follow.
Eating three eggs, running a marathon, or praying (or meditating) might be perfect for some people. Others might get the inspiration by taking a twenty-minute nap after lunch, or giving themselves two hours to wake up.
“What works for you, doesn’t necessarily work for others.” — Cristina Juesas
If I don’t exercise hard and review my life’s vision every single day before 8 a.m., am I a loser? Am I not in charge of my fate? Am I not living the life I want? Do I necessarily need to wake up early? Can’t I pray at night? Or at noon?
Think of your life as a whole. Think about its parts, separately. What do you see? What can you do to improve those areas you want to improve?
I’m not a coach. I’m a person who’s living the life I want to live because one day I decided to quit thinking and imitating others’ life-hacks to success, and started doing. Simply doing. That’s what this is all about, not the amount of proteins I eat every day.
The early bird might get the worm. But there are birds that eat fruits or little rodents. There are nocturnal birds too. Magic depends on you. Now, what do YOU want?
