Be A Hero Every day, No Cape Needed

I woke up a hero this morning! I jumped out of bed on the first alarm and left my room so my bed could tempt me no longer. Thank you Lord for waking me up this morning and getting me out of bed. I am not a morning person; my coworkers and family will be the first to attest to this. However, I’ve always been just a tad jealous of those people that wake up in a good mood and waste none of their day being a grump. Recently, I’ve embarked on a mission to rediscover and better myself, so I thought what better place to start than the beginning of every day.

This all started when I was listening to my normal Patrick Madrid morning show. He talked about the seven ways to start your day right. (Click here for the original article) It just seemed like the perfect way to begin a new year the right way, happier! One of these morning habits is making use of the “heroic minute”; the moment your alarm goes off (the first of many alarms if you’re me) and you have the choice to either get up and start your day, or hit the snooze. This morning, I was a hero for the first time in my recent memory and it made my day! Imagine getting to call yourself a hero before 8:00 AM; it changed my outlook the rest of the day and I walked with a pep in my step.

If you are like me and mornings are not necessarily welcomed, I recommend trying the seven habits:

1. Don’t hit the snooze
2. Refrain from looking at your phone first thing
3. Plan your day the night before
4. Drink a glass of water before coffee to re-hydrate your body
5. Don’t feel guilty about coffee, it’s good for you
6. Don’t just eat breakfast, eat a healthy breakfast
7. Be an early riser

I will make just a few suggestions to add to the list based on my experiences. First, it is much easier to trick your body into waking up, if you immediately turn a light on when your alarm goes off; your body is programmed to wake up with the sun. Second, I still try not to look at my phone, but instead pray; it’s hard to have a bad morning when you begin by spending some time with Jesus. Lastly, I’m not the best about planning my day the night before but setting the coffee maker to start brewing at the same time my alarm goes off is the only encouragement I need to get out of bed.

This is just one of many things I plan to try this year to challenge myself and make life more of an adventure. Sunrise hikes at the Red River Gorge, snowboarding, and going to the batting cage are just a taste of some things on my list of new adventures this year. Some of them are bigger than others and require more planning, but each one is something I have never done and will cause me to get out of my comfort zone. I challenge you to make a list of your own adventures you want to have, big or small, then DO THEM! You might be surprised by a side of yourself you’ve never before explored.

Here’s a video of my first attempt at snowboarding last weekend…in case you need encouragement:)