on March 8 | in LIFEWISE | by | with No Comments
by Denisa Oosthuizen
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin
Simply put, there are two different kinds of people: those who woke up early ready to conquer the world (early birds) and those who find their productivity levels peaking after the sun is long gone (the night owls). What are the benefits of waking up early? Is an early riser a better and faster achiever? What about the old saying “Early bird catches the worm”? We thought of exploring these questions and give you the extra needed help in case you want to become an early morning riser (which hopefully you would want to by the end of reading this article!).
Robin Sharma, the force behind bestseller “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” talks about the “Ritual of Early Awakening” in his writings: “One of the best pieces of advice I learned in that far-off oasis of Sivana was to rise with the sun and to start the day off well…The ten-minute period before you sleep and the ten-minute period after you wake up are profoundly influential on your subconscious mind (…)Think positive thoughts. Give a prayer of thanks for all you have. Work on your gratitude list. Listen to some great music. Watch the sun come up, or perhaps go for a quick walk in natural surroundings if you feel up to it”.
In one of his following releases, “Discover Your Destiny behind The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: The 7 Steps of Awakening”, Sharma includes early rising as its first devotion in “The 5 Daily Devotions” book prologue.“Rise each and every morning at 5am. Those who get early are those who get the best from life”.
His second devotion continues: “Set aside the first sixty minutes of your day as your ‘holy hour’. This is your sacred time to do the inner work (prayer, meditation, journaling, reading from the wisdom literature, reflecting on the state of your life) that will help you live your highest life”.
Eastern philosophy seems to put more emphasize on waking up before sunrise than its western counterpart. Waking up early with the first rays of the sun penetrating the dark horizon or just before the moment itself is a both refreshing and therapeutic experience, requiring much needed discipline and courage to stand up for the new day to come. Although debatable and sometimes viewed as “unhealthy”, since the human body needs at least 7-8 hours to sleep and most of us are late-night sleepers, juggling active work, family and social lives, waking up early does have its wonderful benefits. Here is a morning ritual that could enhance your life for better:
Practice gratitude. Greeting a new day and taking a few moments to express gratitude for your blessings will make a huge difference in your daily activities. The Dalai Lama once said “Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive (…) I am going to expand my heart to others, to have kind thoughts towards others’ (…)”. When you first wake up, don’t think about the problems you have to face or solve that day. Practice gratitude, look for opportunities and replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
Enjoy the silence. The early mornings are peaceful, quiet and deeply rewarding, away from traffic, television or other noises. Now is the time to think about your day ahead, meditate and so on.
Watch the sunrise! It’s one of the most beautiful and therapeutic sights: the rise of the sun.
Eat right. Waking up early gives you extra time for preparing and consuming a healthy breakfast. Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal of the day. Make sure you have enough time for it.
Get exercising. An early morning run helps kick start an active day. If you find yourself often cancelling your post-work exercising, due to other social or family commitments, switch to a morning exercise routine.
Plan your day. Waking up early is a boost for your productivity levels. Use this time to take advantage of the no-distractions and plan your day ahead to make your daily workload easier. This way there’s a big chance you won’t have to work over schedule and dedicate more time to yourself, family and friends.
Work towards your goals. Decide every day the one thing that you have to do in order to move closer to your main goal. Early mornings are the best time to tackle this. See more tips at www.howtowakeupearly.com.
See more tips on how to become an early riser in our March digital magazine only at wealthwisemag.com!
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Great Article!
I wish I can wake up early! Will give it a try and will follow your advice.
Thanks for all the inspirational articles that help me to be WealthWise.
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[...]Eastern philosophy seems to put more emphasize on waking up before sunrise than its western counterpart. Waking up early with the first rays of the sun penetrating the dark horizon or just before the moment itself is a both refreshing and therapeu…
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