Do you know the first step you need to take to be successful? No, it’s not having a goal or an action plan or all those things you may have read. Of course it is all of those and more, but the first step of the journey is really simple: WAKE UP EARLY! If there is one question that I have been asked over years by my clients, it is this: “ Why do I need to wake up early? I sleep so late!”
Hoping to give them a well-researched answer, I began reading up on the various habits of successful people. Do you know, there is not a single successful person whose day begins at noon!! That’s right; the first habit of highly successful people is waking up early in the morning. Like everything in life, success is a habit…and this habit needs to be built by a series of routines, the first being wake up at 5 am. ( I know I am repeating this, but it’s really important:)). Indian culture takes it a step forward (or backward) and says waking up at 4 am is when you really soak in the energies of the Brahma Muhurtam and that can change your life!
So how do you wake up at 5 am when all your life you have been getting up at 8 or 10 or 11 am? And, like I am often asked, What do you do after you get up so early! If you have been waking up at 8 am or later, you have to get your mind into the habit of early waking up…don’t shock it into an instant 5 am wake up…it won’t work in the long term. Instead set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier than your usual time and gradually trick it in to the 5 am slot.
And how do you prevent the mattress from winning your mind? Try these tricks, they worked for me!
Trick 1: DON’T TOUCH THAT SNOOZE BUTTON. If you snooze, you lose! Keep your alarm really far away so that you have to walk to shut up its cacophony…and yes, use the most discordant, loudest ring tone that you can find! (Mine is a fire alarm that wakes up the entire house!!)
Trick 2: Keep a towel and bowl of water next to you. As soon as the alarm rings, wet the towel and wipe your face. The colder the water, the quicker the wake up!
Trick 3: Jump out of bed and do a series of 15-20 jumping jacks…it fills your body with the endorphins that will really drive away the sleep.
Trick 4: Brush your teeth and wash your face with the best facewash you have! The flouride and mint in the toothpaste will jolt you awake. And to retain all this , drink atleast 2 glasses of water…you are ready to face the day!
“What will I do after I wake up so early?” Let’s tackle that in the next blog! Now waking up early may seem difficult at first, but it is a LIFE-CHANGING habit. What are the challenges you face in following this habit? Write in to us…we would love to hear from you:)
