Not a Morning Person?

If you haven’t learned by now, each day is so precious.

To be here writing this right now is a miracle. It’s such an incredible gift to be alive at any given moment.

Because of this, how you spend the day that you’ve been given is all the more important. Each hour, minute, and second of your day shapes how your life is being lived.

What About Mornings?

Throughout my life I have used my time in a variety of ways.

Some seasons of life I am proud of. Others were very unproductive. But the times that I’ve woken up early always stand out.

There is just something about starting your day off on the right foot. You can get a “head start” on your time.

For example:

(a) Jim wakes up at 5:00am each morning. He goes for a run, cooks himself breakfast, and reads a book. Let’s assume Jim uses his morning wisely.

(b) Bob wakes up at 9:00am each morning. Bob wakes up and scrolls his phone for 15-30 minutes. At 9:30am, Bob doesn’t have time or freedom to relax in the morning nor soak up the day. It’s go-time right away.

Which of these examples sounds more relatable to your life? …Which one would you rather be?

The difference between these two examples might only be one small change:

Bedtime.

Jim likely goes to bed around 9:00-10:00pm.

Bob likely goes to bed at 12:00-1:00am. During the last few hours of the night, he plays video games, binges TV shows, and eats his favorite snacks.

Mornings Are Productive

I’ve heard it said before, “Don’t stay up late doing something you wouldn’t do in the morning.” Since hearing this it’s always in my mind.

This is a powerful message because it puts your actions into perspective. More often than not, the activities that happen after 10:00pm are not productive. Meanwhile, the activities that happen before 8:00am are typically very productive.

Research shows that after waking up, our quality of work and focus is the best it will be during the day. Choosing to use this important block of time is going to benefit you more than the block of time after 9:00pm.

Mornings are usually the most quiet time of the day. This provides a distraction-free environment with little-to-no effort. (Unless you have kids… this might be a different story 😅)

In what ways could you use this opportunity in the morning?

Using This Time for Good

Many claim to never have the time to work on their goals or hobbies. Yet their schedules expose their shortcomings.

I must say – this is something I have struggled with throughout my life. This is the most fitting newsletter to write at the moment. February has been a huge struggle to wake up early for me.

If you’re relating more to the example (b) with Bob, don’t be discouraged. I have been there time and time again. It’s an every day battle.

There have been days that I’ve felt the power of waking up early, only to fall victim to my warm cozy bed the next morning.

There have been years that getting out of bed earlier than necessary felt impossible. Not one ounce of me wanted to be awake any earlier than needed.

I was completely fine without waking up early to work on my dreams because I had no willingness to better myself. I had zero mental capacity to fuel that growth.

Looking back now, this showed that something needed to change!

It’s Not Too Late

Being stuck at a certain job, going through a tough change in life, and many other circumstances can spark this mindset. When you have nothing to strive towards or look forward to – why would you want to push yourself?

I was robbing myself of the opportunity to grow into someone who could serve others.

Being stuck in this way of life was actually selfish of me. It dragged the people around me down, instead of lifting them up as we are called to do.

Although I’m still not great at it – my eagerness to use this time for good has been revived.

Your purpose can be rekindled. That excitement can come back.

Don’t lose hope for your mornings!

–Eric P

This is issue #007 from my weekly newsletter, The Stoke Seminar. To receive these emails directly to your inbox, sign up for free.

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