Anticipating Becoming an Early Riser
I'm not a morning person...never have been. It could be my DNA but both my parents were early risers, so I don't know from whom I would have inherited this trait.
However, I believe humans have an enormous capability to change almost anything about their habits, IF, they're willing to.
Therein lies the rub of becoming an early riser...am I willing? What is my motivation for rising early?
I say I like to sleep but that's antithetical because if I liked to sleep, wouldn't I go to bed as early as possible and still sleep as late as possible? But I don't go to sleep early. I like to stay awake until midnight and rise when the sun is bright and high in the sky around 8:00 - 8:30 in the morning.
Even on a cloudy day, say on a Saturday morning like today, I still rise naturally around 8:00-8:30 after having gone to bed around midnight last night.
So, does that mean I have a natural circadian rhythm? I think so. Take for instance the weather here in Texas in February. Traditionally it is cloudy, cold and gray for most, if not all, of that month. I admit this year, 2019, was a bit of an exception to the rule. Still, by the end of February most years, I'm depressed and longing for the spring sunshine. Had I the expendable income, I'd arrange a mid-month trip to some sunny, beach location every February. For now, I can go in mind, hardly the same though when it's 30-40 degrees outside. I think you get the picture...I like the sunshine. My son lives in northern Washington state...ugh...I don't know how he manages that cloudy, cold weather but he swears he likes it. If I visit, it's in the summer, when by my Texas body thermometer it's still too cool to go swimming, but at least I escape the scorching July heat here for a couple of weeks. But I digress, but you get the picture. I like sunshine and I think I may have a touch of S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder).
I mention all this to make the point, that I do not like rising in the dark.
So, I slap snooze after snooze, rise at the latest minute, rush to get ready for work and out the door. It's self-inflicted stress. I'm so done with being stressed out. So, I want to change my habits. Plus, I plan to retire in five or six years, and given current habits...I'll get nothing accomplished because I'll sleep so late that my rhythms will go awry and not even my natural circadian rhythms will be able to combat it.
In my usual analytical fashion, I did some research and read a few articles, but the two linked here stood out to me most.
At this point in time, I related most to Habits 2 and 7, Begin with the End in Mind, and Sharpen the Saw, respectively. I am prepared to do what I can now to take better care of my physical, emotional, and spiritual health so I can be purposefully active and productive when I retire.
I loved the Dalai Lama quote in the 10 Benefits article about greeting the day recounting your blessings. It feeds right into Brene Brown's research and philosophy of living with the courage to be vulnerable, for those who are able to are those who live life with an attitude of gratitude. If you get a chance, check out her Ted Talk or better yet her Netflix special.
So, here I sit at 12:28 p.m. on a cloudy, rainy Saturday morning contemplating my quest to change a habit as ingrained as a fossil preserved in amber.
It's going to take commitment, just to take the first step, well, I guess I sort of have, haven't I?
After all, I'm practicing Habit 1 - Be Proactive. I guess that is the first step in Habit 3 - Put First Things First. The next first thing, I suppose, is to decide what's comes next. Get up earlier or go to bed earlier, or both.
See, this is the part that stumps me. I'm a great thinker...it's the doing that takes some time, but watch out, once I make a decision to start a thing, I'm tenacious about seeing it to fruition. So really, the next first thing? Making the decision to commitment to the change. Whatever I choose is fine. Just Nike the SOB...and just do it.
To be continued...
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