I am participating in a challenge by Andy Traub called Early To Rise. Below is the link to Amazon if you want to check it out. The basic idea is by creating a habit of getting up early, you have a greater opportunity to do what matters. You can take control of your day and seize the opportunities that come with it. You can fill yourself with goodness and make a plan for achieving what is important for the day.
So far, it’s been fantastic! While I would consider myself a “morning person,” I don’t think this is so much a matter of inborn temperament as much as it recognizing that for me, not much productive activity takes place after about 9:30 pm. I have enough on my plate right now that I really can’t afford to invest two hours in vegging on the couch watching television.
The benefit of rising early (5:00-5:30) is that that it gives me ample time to pray, to plan the day, to decide what’s important, and to formulate a strategy. I don’t necessarily get everything accomplished in the daily plan that I hope to. But it does set the stage for living intentionally and being deliberate in my decisions rather than taking the path of least resistance.
It would have been of great benefit to me to take this challenge and approach to life much sooner, like in my twenties. For too long, I’ve made excuses, such as, “I can’t get up early! I have kids!” Or “church meetings last too long to get up early.” What about the people that go to those church meetings and have a job that requires them to be there early? Or what about all the nights that I didn’t have meetings?
However, I’m glad that I made the commitment in the last year to live more deliberately, to be more intentional in my choices, to act instead of reacting. I don’t know what will come of it, but I’m having the time of my life!!!
Half Baked 