Wake Up and Take Control of Your Life – Literally

 

What is the one habit?

I’m almost hesitant to tell you about the one habit that changed my life. Why? Because the first time I heard it, it was not what I wanted to hear. I had heard this claim many times before but had written it off because I just knew it wouldn’t work for me. I had even tried it before with no luck! Ok, I’m just going to tell you, but first just promise me you will read the rest of the post. Ok, here it goes… The one habit that changed my life was WAKING UP EARLY!

Please don’t stop reading now, I’m begging. I’m begging because the rewards far outweigh the small sacrifice and it doesn’t take long for you to start seeing life-changing results. It’s how I have gotten to this moment right here, creating a purposeful blog to help others while also working a full-time job, finding gratefulness in everyday life, and realizing my potential.

Wake Up early

Let me paint a funny little picture for you of my “halfway” mornings. After my dance with sleep, alarm clock, snooze, kind of sleep, snooze, I’m kind of awake, snooze, to the deepest 8 minutes of I feel like I could sleep forever. The last alarm was the hardest. I would peel myself out of bed wondering if I could possibly cut out one more step in my “morning routine” that might land me another 4 minutes of sleep, who needs to wear mascara!

From there I would rush around like a crazy person and somehow get myself out the door. I would arrive to work frazzled, hungry, and annoyed that I had to be there. Oh and I still needed to put on mascara because people at work ask if I’m sick when I don’t have it on, please tell me I’m not the only person who gets that?

My days were a reflection of my morning

I literally feel tired and stressed out for myself after writing about what my mornings looked like for so many years. No wonder I was living day-to-day, tried, and unexcited about what I was doing. My days were a reflection of how I was getting up in the morning, rushed, unorganized, and stressful. I had never really realized how my mornings set the tone for my day.

By starting my day with this sort of chaos not only was I NOT becoming the person I needed to be to create the life I wanted, but it was also blocking my ability to feel grateful. Can any of you relate to starting your days like this? Can you see how years of this behavior could lead to a life of regret? Those seemingly long days turn into fast years. So that’s why I choose to start waking up earlier.

 
Getting my mind right in the morning has changed how I approach my day all together. It has also helped me discover things about myself I never knew and ultimately it’s shaping me into the person I need to become to create the life I want. “If you want your life to be different, you have to be willing to do something different first” – Hal Elrod. The “halfway” me said I wanted my life to be one way but changed nothing about how I was living. It was the moment that I was willing to do something different (wake up early) that I started to see a change.

Two Reasons why I had not been able to stick with it before

 

1.) My purpose for waking up early had not been clearly defined.
I mentioned a little bit in my about me section about having purpose behind what you are doing. I honestly believe if we don’t have a great purpose for what we are trying to accomplish then we will never really excel in that endeavor. When I clearly defined WHY I was willing to give waking up early a chance it helped me stay focused when I wanted to give up.

My purpose for waking up early

My reason was simple: I, Jenna, want to wake up early so that I develop myself into the person who can create the life I want. I want to become the best version of myself so that I can be that for the people in my life. I want to discover what I’m capable of and stop doing things halfway. I want to be grateful for each day and never take for granted this life I have the privilege of living. I want to create a life of freedom from my 9-5 job. I want to develop my talents and share them with other people.

 

Your purpose may look different than mine; it may even be as simple as, you want to be more grateful, or approach each day with a good attitude. Or it can be as dramatic as you want to wake up early to discover your life’s purpose. There is no wrong answer here, it is your purpose and the driving force that will get you out of bed earlier. The most important thing is that you clearly define WHY you want to do this. I’m telling you; this is powerful and something that can change your life.

 

2.) I didn’t have a plan for what I would do when I woke up early
Not having a plan for my morning was a huge issue for me when I had tried to wake up earlier in the past. Often I would crawl back to bed feeling defeated. My dear husband often says “have a plan, or plan to fail” and in this case, I was failing because I had no plan.

 

The book that changed it all

When I read a book called The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) it gave me all the tools to design a thoughtful, purposeful morning routine. I can’t recommend this book to you enough! I promise it’s one of the best things you will do for yourself if you read it.

There are a lot of suggestions out there on how to have a productive morning or wake up early, but this book gave me actionable steps and ways to tailor a morning routine to my individual desires. The author even talks about a 10 minute routine in the morning that can be very effective.

 

His latest release The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families: How to Bring Out the Best in Your KIDS and Your SELF would be a great option if you have kids. I don’t have children myself; however, I have two nieces and three nephews so I have seen how hectic life can be (especially in the morning). From what I’ve heard about this book it teaches how to get your kids involved! The stories sound pretty incredible about how this morning routine can have a significant impact on children as well. So if you’re worried that you couldn’t possibly do something like this because of your family, I encourage you to shift your mind and think about how you can involve them with this too!

Getting up Grateful

I call my customized method, Getting Up Grateful. The best part about creating your morning routine is that it is yours and the more thought that goes into it; the more successful you will be at it.

I found that it was easier to stick to my morning routine with a checklist of all the things I wanted to do. I created a document for myself where wrote my purpose for waking up early, what would happen if I achieved this goal, and what would it ultimately cost me if I didn’t. It also includes an actionable checklist of activities.

This document has been so valuable to me and I want to share it with you! Use this sheet to design your grand morning plan of action! And remember to read the purpose of why you are doing it on mornings your bed is calling your name. You can do this, you have the ability to choose the direction of your life, and will succeed at what you put your mind to!

 

Here is the free link to print out the guide! I have mine hanging in my home office where I can see it every morning!

Morning Checklist

Take Away

Now that I have clearly defined why I want to get up earlier, I link pleasure to that feeling. It brings me great pleasure to know I’m working towards what I want. I link pain to not waking up early because it holds me back from achieving my goals.
Although the short-term pain of waking up early seemed unbearable, the long-term pain of not living out my values was much worse. Tony Robbins discusses a lot about how our behavior is determined by what brings us pain and pleasure.

Once we can recognize that, we can begin to make real, lasting change in our behavior. Remember, we don’t have the figure out everything about our life in one day! Waking up early is a small step, but it’s a step that’s taking us to something bigger!

 
Take one small step today,

 
Xo -Jenna