Guess what Jack Welch, Gordon Brown, Adi Godrej and Dr Manmohan Singh have in common?
They are all early risers. In fact, if you read about the lives of successful people, you will most likely find a common thread: they get up early. It's a habit that's worked wonderfully well for all of them. And it could work like magic for you too.If there was one habit - one single habit - that could make a huge impact on your life, it would have to be this. Wake up early!
You've probably heard how every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed. And every morning, a lion wakes up knowing it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or else it will starve to death. The moral of the story is simple. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be up and running!
If you are serious about achieving something meaningful in your life, take the first step. Get up early. Starting tomorrow, wake up one hour earlier than your usual time.Imagine. If you got up one hour earlier than you currently do, it would give you an extra 365 productive hours in a year. That's like getting nine extra weeks at work. You could read a book, work on your fitness, or spend time by yourself or with a loved one. What difference would that make to your career, your health, your life?
The benefits of joining the Early Risers Club are many. And it's not only about the extra time you create for yourself. The real power is in the message it sends out to your mind. By waking up early, you are telling yourself that you are serious about achieving your goals. And that you are willing to pay the price.Getting up early gives you the confidence to go after all your other goals. You have both the physical energy and the mental strength to chase your dreams. The discipline and the will power that help you get up early will also help you achieve a lot else in life.
When the alarm bell rings, do you find your arm stretching out to hit the snooze button? You probably justify it by telling yourself 'just ten more minutes...' That's the loser's mindset, the comfort zone. If you value the comfort of the bed more than the opportunity to get ahead, don't complain when you get left behind. When the alarm bell rings, it's actually opportunity that's knocking at your door. And by not getting up, you are telling him to come later. And opportunity seldom knocks twice.Do I hear you say that you know it's a good habit but you just can't wake up early? Relax. Here's a simple 30-day plan to help you get up early, every morning.Set the alarm clock to ring 15 minutes before your regular wake up hour. If you usually get up at say 7 a.m., set it for 6.45. Fifteen minutes won't really make any difference. Keep the alarm clock out of arm's reach. So when it rings, you can't hit the snooze button.
Every ten days, advance the alarm by another 15 minutes, until you get to your target wake up time. And every day, jump off the bed when the alarm rings. In 30 days, you will be getting up at 6a.m. After a while, you will probably find that you don't need the alarm clock at all!
Remember, your ability to wake up early is not a function of what time you go to bed, or how much sleep your body needs. It depends only on your mind. On your commitment to your own success. To achieve something in this lifetime, get up early. Make that a habit for the rest of your life. After all, you can always catch up on your sleep once you are dead!