Why I Get Up At 7 am Everyday
Initially, let’s just say I wasn’t as upbeat about it.
So, I am watching this beautiful high-resolution video. This bald, clean shaved gentleman with seemingly boundless energy is talking about getting up early and how it can change your life.
Yeah, Right!
That gentleman was none other than ‘Robin Sharma,’ the bestselling author of the world renowned ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.’ He was extolling the virtues of being a morning person with a concept he called the 5 am club.
The concept: Get up at 5 am, By doing so you get more hours to get stuff done, This, in turn, leads to your becoming an elite performer who lands up in the top 5% of people.
My innocent 21-year-old self-thought, “How tough could this be?”
My Experience
The first few days were easy, the next few not so easy and the couple after that tough. But it was fun having some extra time to do whatever, even if it was just whiling away time on Youtube.
So, I continued to keep waking up early. Then I noticed something interesting. The next couple of days were a bit easy, those after that a lot easier and the days succeeding them were a breeze to sail through.
Funny how life comes full circle.
What Did I Do With The Extra Time?
Good question. Initially, Even I had no clue as to what I was doing. I was forcing myself to stay awake but for what?
There were no kids to make breakfast for, no meditative practice I wanted to learn and physical fitness was something I was anyways indulging in through sports.
It was almost like this invisible voice yelling “Go back to sleep you, confused soul.”
I hate following orders, So I didn’t follow that voice.
And that made all the difference.
Growth
When you have extra time and you have extra desires, you will start to build extra habits
That’s pretty much in summary what I started doing. First, I tried meditation for shits and giggles, turned out it was really calming. Though doing it for more than a minute was torturous at first.
Then I thought: “Well since I am up why don’t I go to the gym.”
So I started to do that as well. One habit started stacking on top of another and by remaining consistent, I was able to build a daily routine that helps me constantly grow. That’s all that I want.
Point being, you may have different goals and desires. And you should too, life would be monotonous if we were all the same.
But what we can do is follow and replicate systems that have universal validity and application. What I love about the internet and powerful platforms like this one is the ability to learn everything others have discovered by expending less than 1% of the effort they did.
Phew, I know right!
All you bargain hunters out there, It doesn’t get better than that.
Guide to Overcoming the Challenges
(a) Inconsistency: Being consistent can be a chore, I totally get that and here’s my hack that may work for you. Write down your to-do list the night before and make sure to have a couple of rows which are highlighted.
These are your non-negotiables. No matter when, where or at what time of the day. Before you sleep, get it done. Period. Tick mark what you have completed. Celebrating the small wins, as my friend Gillian Sisley says, is really important.
(b) Distractions: Your friends will call you to that party, or that birthday celebration where your absence cannot be explained whatsoever. Here is the key:
Indulge in leisure time and things that may not be as productive for you but never compromise on the non-negotiables.
© Judgement: People may judge you, ridicule you and even crack jokes at your expense. For that there are 2 roads to take :
(a) Don’t tell people what they don’t understand or need to know.
(b) Understand that they’ll find something to do regardless of whether you wake up at 7 or 11 am. They need outlets for their insecurities and you are just one of many.
Let the darkness of others make your own light shine brighter
The Uncommon Impact On My Life?
(a) I feel in control of my actions and my destiny.
(b) Every morning being able to get up and look at nature fills me with so much gratitude and abundance.
© I am able to finish most of my work plus my non-negotiables by dinner time and am free to do whatever I want, without any guilt post dinner.
(d) Most importantly, I recognize now that every second is precious and hence do not take life for granted. Even if this world should cease to exist today, I would have no regrets whatsoever.
Getting up early will not change your life. Getting up early and using it as a catalyst for changing your life will change your life.
Take care and have a joyous, amazing day!
