I have always been an early riser, even when I was a kid. Now, I don’t mean a 5:00 a.m. early riser but 6:30am – 7:00am — without an alarm clock. You just wake up and your body tells you it’s time to get up. You have had enough sleep and now it’s time to get vertical and do SOMETHING.
This carried through to my college days and certainly now as I am in my middle 40’s, I rarely sleep past 8:00 a.m. even if I go to bed at 1:00 a.m. My inner clock does not allow it.
Today I sit in my casual chair with my computer on my lap at 7:00 am and the rest of the family will not budge until they absolutely have to. My wife will be the first of the sleeping trio to rise as the two sons, 18 and 20 years of age, will not come out of their sleeping slumber until late morning to mid-afternoon. I don’t understand this and I never will. Half, if not more of the day is over by then.
I remember waking up as a kid and teenager and now an adult, excited about the day ahead. What will this day bring? What will I accomplish? How much fun will I have? Who will I meet today? What relationships will I start today? Jim Rohn says it best: Get FROM the day, don’t get through it.
Here are my top 10 reasons to be an early riser:
1. It’s the absolute best time of the day. Everything is fresh, the birds are chirping – you feel alive and at one with nature.
2. You have just extended the day by getting up early, as long as you don’t go to bed at noon.
3. It allows you to take some time to plan your day or get some things done that were left undone the night before.
4. Meditation or just good relaxed thinking and not feeling rushed for at least a half hour before you have to get moving at full throttle.
5. Exercise – Get up early and get a good workout before the day begins.
6. Creativity. I personally am more creative in the morning.
7. Less traffic and less people out in the stores.
8. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals and one that gives you fuel for the day. If you sleep in, you miss this meal.
9. More energy. I feel less energetic when I oversleep. Most people do. I find it amazing that my wife and kids sleep more than I do and they complain about being tired all the time.
10. Join the ranks of the winners. It is a proven fact that some of the most influential people ever to live were early risers.
