5am and how it changed Everything!

My whole life I was the opposite of a morning person.

My mother would struggle every morning getting me out of bed for school, and well into my adult life my family was fully aware that speaking to me before 10am was at their own risk.

I wished that I could be one of those people who could get up at 5am and be cheery and ready for their day,

and not feel like I'd been hit by a truck or want to strangle anyone who looked at me.

I worked my way through so many "how to wake up at 5am" blogs, and vlogs, and read so many websites advice on how to wake up earlier in the morning,

pouring over benefits, and tips and tricks on how to succeed.

And then after many failed attempts over the course of a couple of years,

I moved house, and decided it was the perfect time to try again.

I also upped the stakes and joined a gym, and dedicated myself to the

"it takes 24 days to form a new habit" thing.

Now I'm not saying you need to move or join a gym to become a morning person, but this is just when and how it happened for me.

I do think that starting new habits together with big changes helps me,

because lots of things are new and open to adjustment, so it's not like trying to form new habits within this strict routine that already exists.

Joining the gym was a strategic move, because I know that I'm the kind of person who won't spend money on a membership every month and not use it, that's why I opted for the annual membership option.

Also knowing full well that I don't really have the time to go to the gym other than first thing in the morning.

Oh yes! I meant business this time.

So together with my up in the air routine that was open for adjustment,

and the gym membership looming over me,

I went back to all the blogs and vlogs telling me a million different reasons why this was the right thing to do, and how epic my life would be if I just did it.

I should probably also mention that I roped my husband in to join me.

I think that was another thing that really helped,

getting someone to do it with me.

At least in the beginning.

It's so much nicer to commiserate with someone else.

So really looking back, there were a number of things that did end up making it easier, and ultimately were probably partly responsible for my success.

I also started to get into intuitively doing things,

like eating when I was hungry and going to bed when I was tired -

which turned out to be around 9pm.

So going to bed earlier and reading for a minimum of 10 minutes just to properly wind down definitely also helped.

Then came lots of mental work on myself, really focusing and aligning my thoughts with what I wanted.

I needed to remove those mental obstacles otherwise no matter how sweetly things were set out, I wasn't going to do it.

It's essential to be CLEAR about what you want and not to focus too much on the how you are going to get it,

but rather just putting a lot of energy into WHAT.

Life has a way of setting you on the right path when you know what you want.

Never underestimate the power of thought!

Let's talk about some of the benefits of waking up earlier and getting yourself prepped for a stellar day - because that's what it's all about in the end right?

Now there is no secret that some of the most successful people in the world wake up super early and have mottos like,

"don't sleep when you're tired, sleep when you're done".

I am not going to talk about money and success, because I think it's obvious that adding more hours to your day as a person who is working towards becoming a millionaire, gives you more time to work at it.

And that is not my goal or why I get up at 5am.

I'm going to talk about it from my point of view.

A busy mum, who's goal isn't money or promotions, but rather, keeping a cool head throughout the day.

Being patient, focused, and conscious about what my priorities are, while at the same time trying to get all the chores done.

If you follow my journey you will know that I am an unschooling mum,

I am and active person and like to get outside as often as I can.

I am a very creative person and love to work on my projects.

I am also dedicated to being an ethical and sustainable human being,

which is rewarding, but not convenient.

So there are many things that I like to be able to fit into my days.

And I don't know about you, but having to rush around multitasking every aspect of my life becomes overwhelming and tiresome,

and ultimately ends in a meltdown.

My goals were to have enough time in the day to do all the things I WANTED to do as well as needed to do, and to do it all mindfully.

***

So let's talk benefits!

Waking up at 5am is good for ...

Firstly, to be able to do all the things that I would not get a chance to consistently do otherwise.

No brainer.

To be completely involved in an activity for its own sake.

I know that every mum out there who has ever tried to do some yoga or work on a project at some point in the day, can relate to this one.

To set a positive tone for the day.

By creating my own personal ritual,

that then becomes habit,

and will shape me and make a huge difference over time.

To sit, think and check in with my thoughts,

to make sure that I am on the right trajectory.

To be more conscious and aware of where I am headed,

instead of being dragged through life, letting the day dictate my path and ending up somewhere I never intended.

To have better control over my emotions and reactions,

by doing my most intense tasks in the morning.

Think of your will power as a battery that gets depleted throughout the day,

it's at its fullest in the morning, so it makes sense to get your most difficult things done during that time.

And of course for that - Sacred Alone Time.

To claim the morning for myself and enjoy the solitude.

So I get up at 5am and brush my teeth,

I meditate for 10-30 minutes,

I boil the kettle and get into my gym clothes,

I make a tea and sit down with my journals,

I journal for 20-40 minutes

( monkey-mind, to-do list and gratefulness )

I go to the gym for about an hour,

Sometimes I walk home from the gym ( 1.5 hours )

At home I stretch or do yoga,

I make myself and my family a fresh pressed juice.

And that takes me to about 9:30am.

So as you can see, I accomplish so many good things within that time,

having nurtured my body and mind in all the best ways possible,

benefitting not only me, but everyone around me.

I don't walk around for the day feeling resentful about the things I don't get to do,

and I can start the day feeling like the best version of myself.

The journaling has become a real game changer.

I have journaled throughout my life and have always known that getting your thoughts down on paper can be a good thing,

but making it a daily ritual has honestly been amazing.

The monkey mind is basically just to scribble down all my random thoughts, to empty my mind and make space.

It's not intended to be read by me or anyone else so it doesn't even have to be legible - it's there for all the noise in my head.

Then I do my to-do list, which is beneficial because it helps to just give me a clear idea of what I want to accomplish that day, instead of having it all running through my mind constantly,

always worried that I'll forget something.

I also like to set a goal to complete at least 3 of my tasks,

that way even if I don't do them all,

I still feel like I've been productive and am getting closer to my goals.

Then I move on to my gratitude journaling,

which is where I write three things I'm grateful for.

I try to go into more depth than just one liners,

so that I can really conjure up emotion and feel the gratefulness.

I cannot express how beneficial it is to start my day with a clear head, organised goals, a heart full of gratitude and a healthy strong body.

I have so much more confidence in myself, I am a better person to be around, my relationships are stronger, and my overall outlook on life in general is more positive and appreciative.

Yes it does take some effort those first couple of months I'm not gonna lie.

And you might have to try and fail many times before you succeed.

And yes it really does all come down to just forcing yourself to get up with that alarm.

There really is no way around that part.

But I found it helpful to give myself a simple task for first thing in the morning, it could be washing your face, or drinking a glass of water,

just something to get you out of bed.

My alarm goes off and I try to keep my mind blank,

because I have been known to persuade myself back into dream land in the past LOL,

so I try not to think about anything, and just get up straight away,

even if I have to keep my eyes closed and stumble to the bathroom to brush my teeth, that is what I do.

You can even tell yourself "All I have to do is brush my teeth, that's it".

Whatever gets you up!

I had to get stern with myself and realise that sometimes a person has to do what's right and not what's easy.

I couldn't keep going on day after day thinking about how much I wanted to be more fit and healthy and mindful and confident etc and just never do anything about it, blaming the world around me.

A quote my family get from me all too often is -

" You can do the same thing over and over and expect different results"

Last week I was talking to Maddie about how junk food is just as addictive as any recreational/prescription drug or alcohol, and that instead of going down that path, you are better off getting addicted to health.

So that instead of doing what is easy and feels good in the moment but ultimately ruins your life and takes so much time and effort to recover from, you can flip it on it's head, and put in that two months of effort in, in the beginning, for a lifetime of pleasure.

I never got what they meant by "natural high" until I took charge of my life this way.

And I can honestly say that after that initial effort,

you don't do it because you have to or because you know you should,

you do it because it's awesome and you love it and because it feels amazing.

If someone said to you, "If you could have mental clarity, physical health, more confidence, better relationships, and achieve all your goals, but you have to wake up earlier for a couple of months."

Would you do it?

This was my journey, and everyones is going to look different depending on what is important to them.

Everyone has different goals and wants and needs,

so focus on that and just keep trying.

When you really think about it it's such a simple thing for so many benefits,

it would be insane not to give it a try.

It's not easy to break routines and form new habits, but it 100% can be done, and if you want something badly enough you'll get there in the end.

Just keep reminding yourself that it'll all be so worth it in the end, the only regret you'll ever have is not doing it sooner.

Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck with YOUR early morning routine.

#SelfGrowth #Connection #Mindfulness #DayintheLife #Lifelearning #health #MorningRoutine #MentalHealth