WAKE UP EARLY

“Wake up early every day so that while others are still dreaming, you can make your dreams come true.” - Hal Elrod

What time do you wake up?

Do you wake up “early”?

If you do, why?

If you don’t, again why?

In my last blog post Do Difficult Shit, I talked about some of the things that I do to help create discipline as well as help myself grow. The next few blog posts will be in-depth explanations of those five things and why they have become non-negotiables in my daily routine. The first one, as you already know, is waking up early.

I know from experience that you have heard a bunch of motivational speakers preach about how you have to wake up early. And though I agree with that sentiment, why don’t they ever explain why?

What is the entire purpose of waking up early? Especially when you need 7-10 hours of sleep per night. Allow me to explain.

Most people start their days between 6 am and 8 am. Starting the day involves you waking up to get ready for work, school, or whatever activity that you do daily. And during that process I imagine you have a morning routine. Brushing teeth, showering, shaving, checking social media, etc….. Though some of these steps are required in order to not smell like shit at work, are you accomplishing anything other than menial tasks? Are you making any progress while doing these simple things before you drag your ass to work or school?

What if you woke up an hour before your normal alarm time? What else could you accomplish?

Maybe you could read 10 pages of a book. You could give thanks to whatever higher power you believe in. You could spend some time thinking alone. You could journal. You could exercise or lift weights.

Those are just some things that I have done or currently do. But let me make this point as simple as I possibly fucking can….

The point of me waking up early is to know that I am putting in the work before the sun rises. I am crushing my fucking goals while most people are dreaming about unicorns while tucked into their warm cozy bed.

As cocky and arrogant as that sounds, it’s the truth. I hate waking up at 3:15 am most mornings. I would much rather spend a few more hours lying under the warm covers next to my wife; especially when it’s below freezing outside. But I still make the choice to turn that alarm off and get the fuck out of bed. Why??? Because the way I feel when I don’t wake up early is much worse than when I do wake up early.

It helps me start my day with a fresh mind knowing that I have already accomplished something that day. Think about the confidence that can provide you. The clarity that it can establish within your brain. The example that it can set for those who look up to you.

That time early in the morning is YOU time. That is the time when you can focus on yourself. Before your kids wake up. Before your job or school has all these demands on you and your energy. While the rest of the world is still fucking snoring, you are focusing on YOU. And in order to become the HERO that you aspire to be, you have to have that capability.

I will provide you with my morning routine (work days) so that you have a guideline to go off of:

3:25 AM: Alarm goes off

3:45 AM: Read a daily passage from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. (Highly recommended)

4:00 AM: I’m at the gym ready to begin my lift.

5:30 AM: Read 5-10 pages of the book I’m currently reading.

6:00 AM: Prayer/Gratitude

6:05 AM: Shower (last 2 minutes turn the water all the way to cold)

6:20 AM: On my way to work.

Note: I don’t allow myself to use social media until after 7 am.

“Cool list Cory!”.... Thanks. I’m actually pretty proud of what I do.

And if you look at that list one more time… look at what I am able to accomplish before I even start my work day. That shit is invigorating! It helps me prepare for whatever life has to throw at me that day.

You know that you can do better. I know that I can do better. In my opinion, the best way to kick start your journey is to begin by waking up early. And not just waking up early to fuck around on your phone, but to actually use that time to do something productive. Even if it’s just one thing, it’s a step in the right direction. I promise if you give it time and stick with it, you will begin to see results.

And let me be perfectly clear that I didn’t just decide to start doing all of these things at once… This has been a process that required commitment and discipline to develop. So I suggest you start with one thing and do that every fucking day.

I’m fucking proud of you for starting. Keep going.