What I Learned From Rising Early

Wouldn’t it be so nice to have a fast track to be more successful each and every day?

Unfortunately there isn’t one. But going through the change process in order to become an early riser is well worth the effort. I have developed myself in so many ways since I started dedicating the best time of the day to myself. Let me tell you how.

Many of these realizations might seem simple when initially stated, but with the corresponding internal self-knowledge, they have transformed my ability to succeed with whatever I do.

So let’s take a look at it from the beginning, shall we?

How Urgency Got Me Started

The main thing that made develop the habit of starting my days earlier at 4 a.m. (instead of my usual 8 a.m. wake up time) was not a new shiny alarm clock. No, it was much more primitive motivator. I am talking about urgency.

I truly felt the urgency to have that extra time to get more accomplished in my days but was running out of time. I knew something had to give, that’s when I started changing my sleeping patterns.

I wanted to have more time for 3 things – to learn Chinese, to exercise and to create websites.

The feeling of being one day older without moving one single step towards my goals was incredibly dreadful for me. It was time to let go of that feeling and take action, and it worked. I now realize that for whatever I want to accomplish in life, I will need to manifest urgency for my goals. Right now!

One of the best methods to create that feeling is to simply ask yourself – How would I feel if I kept doing the same thing, with the same little success and results in life a year from now?

The answer to this question is usually enough to get me started immediately…

How Inspiration Kept Me Going

The real challenge was to maintain this practice and new allocation of time with rising early. How would I keep going? The answer for me was inspiration. I was so inspired to succeed and build more momentum with my days, a new target to follow in life. Just like Bruce Lee said:

“A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim at.”

If you really want to rise early in the morning, then you’d better do it for a reason that is so vivid in your heart that you can use it to refuel your motivation in down times. The same approach is applicable for all life goals, if you are striving for excellent results, you must have that core emotionally charged reason.

This is important to recognize before starting a big project that you might not really care about 100%. Always try to find your inner inspiration first. Let that guide you and you will grow yourself in more ways than you can begin to imagine.

How Taking Responsibility For My Days Made Me Accomplish More

After seeing the amazing results and momentum I was building from the extra hours in the morning, now speaking Chinese, in top physical form and operating multiple websites, I have realized that my excuses kept me sick and unproductive. If I really want to accomplish something I need to drop the excuses and pull upon another solution that no will be created from within, and not from the guidance of someone else.

If I choose to sleep in late one morning, I basically waste 4 hours of highly productive time that may drastically influence my week. Then if I choose to follow that lazy attitude every day that week it that adds up to 28 hours. Over a month it then becomes 100+ hours, the equivalent of two and a half working weeks! Enough is enough! Time to take some responsibility for my life, and yours too!

So skip the blame game. It’s your life. If you want something in life, go get it!

Now get out there and use that inner energy to create something fantastic!

Matthew M. McEwan is founder and writer of Early-Riser.com. His blog is loaded with great tips, tricks and strategies for how to wake up early. He also recently launched another interesting site: 80Words.com .