How to Get Up Early?
To me, it means being awake during that part of the time when there are no distractions. It means starting my day well in advance from the Rest who are still snuggling under the covers to dream. And in the evening, use the same time to foster hobbies rather than working late – or to get to sleep early while others are eating out, partying or watching TV.
From Apple's Tim Cook to Cisco's Padmasree Warrior,
Starbucks' Howard Schultz and Pepsi's Indra Nooyi, this is habit is common to
tons of famous leaders. Whether they were born early risers or learned good
sleep habits, they know how to seize the day.
My story
The year 2005-2006 marked a drastic change in my life. I had
lived pretty casually before, and my lifestyle was kind-of irregular one like
anyone of my age. I had a good-paying job, a vibrant social circle and the zeal
to do big, but something was missing. It kept me awake during nights and made me
worry about the possible “Whats, Whys & Whos” – What if I keep on living
like this with no clear path of life (though the job was good and I had a thriving career laid in front, but I wanted more from life). The questions did not stop there. I thought about life, death and more. I wanted to know why do we live? Who’s God? What's there that we can’t see but is right
in front? What happens after one becomes completely contented?
The change process
And then it was the time for the “Change Process” to begin. It
was the time when I got introduced to meditation, the subtle art of
experiencing deep silence and attaining peace & happiness. To be honest, it
was a very slow process, but I am glad that I became a part of it. When I began
practicing it, I wasn’t sure whether I’ll continue because like the other
youngsters of my age, it wasn't possible for anything to remain interesting enough
for me to continue. But the meditation practice surprised me. I just got hooked
to it. Such was the effect that I began getting up early at 4 (& sometimes even
before that), just to get enough time to experience it in solidarity with the nature.
And that’s when I learnt three golden habits to wake up early.
- Fueling the excitement: I began thinking about one thing I’d do after getting up the next morning, and it thrilled me. The thought to sit in meditation and attain an elevated stage of soul while everyone else slept was exciting enough to keep me on my toes. The benefit didn’t stop there. I began taking out time for my other dearest hobby – writing. Getting up early gave me more time to write, and fire up the new projects that I had taken.
- Bed jumping: Yes, I literally jump out of bed. With enthusiasm. I jump, stretch my body and welcome the day. It pumps me, makes me ready to tackle the day with open arms and the passion of a driven maniac. It works. Every time.
- Kept the alarm clock on a distance where I had to get up to put it off: Sometimes I had that moment of weak will-power when I'd hit the snooze button & and go off to sleep again. So, I began to adopt this technique, and needless to say – it worked. So now at that point when the alarm buzzes off, I remind myself about my exciting thing. If I don’t jump out of bed due to laziness on a day, I at least stretch my arms wide and greet the day. It pumps me up and puts me back on the routine.
Comments
Thank u for ur valuable tips. I will surely try to implement some of these tips to make my life wonderful.
It is as if our deepest and drowsy thoughts , get out of your mouth!!!!
Thank you, and a wonderfull and happy Holi.
Always inspired by your new way of looking to live life.Some ways are tried and tested, but it's always good to read your prespective. Your greatest gift of writing is so much stronger :)
Best wishes to everyone…
Please keep the comments flowing.