The 40 days of miracle morning

A couple of days ago a friend of mine suggested that we should fast for 40 days by giving up something and by focusing on Jesus Christ.  I thought it was a good idea since I also needed some quality time in my devotionals. So I decided that for the next 40 days I would give up sugar and coffee. I also wanted to get up at 5:30 Am every morning so that I can have my morning devotion. At the beginning, I thought those morning devotions were not going to last because I am not a morning person. Everyone in my family knows how much I love to sleep. 

Since I knew the challenges above ahead of time, I had to prepare my self so I decided to sleep early (meaning 10:30pm) so that I can have enough time to sleep. I also planned to put my phone across the room so that I would have to get out of my bed and turn off the alarm. It has been 40 days now and I wanted to share with you the struggles and the things that I have learned for the last 40 days. 

I have learned that I have a weakness for sugar; it was almost impossible for me to avoid sugar; especially in the morning so that was a failure through out.

I have learned that I can get up early and spend the whole day without coffee and without feeling grumpy. Giving up coffee was not hard because I am not a coffee person but I have my days.

My 5 Am morning devotions have taught me a lot of lessons and I am grateful for them because they have changed my perception about early risers. First of all let me be honest. IT WAS A STRUGGLE. The first 5 minutes of my mornings were a nightmare because every time I would look at my bed and wish to go back. I would ask myself: Why am I doing this? After those 5 minutes of hell, I would usually start my morning devotion. 

I have often labelled myself as not a morning person, but after this journey, I realized that I am a morning person. During those 40 days, I was more productive, more organized, and more active.  I had more time to accomplish all my tasks of the day. My thoughts were clearer in the morning and to know that I didn't need coffee to keep myself awake all day was awesome. 

I am starting to enjoy my morning rituals because I look at the benefits and I am motivated to wake up early every day. I should say that now I look forward every day to wake up early even though the first few minutes of my morning are still a struggle. 

We often label ourselves different things such as: “I’m not a morning person,” “I’m not a gym person,” “I’m not a disciplined person,” “I’m not a reader,” and etc.  I have found that if we keep such mindset, we’ll never make an effort to change our bad habits. It is a good start when we know our weaknesses because it allows us to think about ways that we can change. For instance, I knew waking up early in the morning was going to be a challenge for me so I decided to put my alarm across the room so that I can get out of the bed and turn it off. I also decided not to do my morning devotion in my bed. Therefore, being out of my bed was important to overcome my weakness.  The struggle was real, but it cannot compare to the joy that I feel today. I am more proactive and I feel more alive when I wake up early. 

Here are few examples of successful people who wake up early in the morning:

Michelle Obama wakes up at 4:30 Am to workout before she starts her day. She says, “If I don't exercise, I won't feel good. I'll get depressed.”

David Cush, the CEO of Virgin America wakes up at 4:15 am to do his morning routine, which consists of sending emails, calling business associates on the East Coast and hitting the bike at the gym.

Kevin O'Leary a.k.a “Mr Wonderful,” a co-founder of O'Leary Funds and Softkey, wakes up at 5:45 Am to check the Asian and European bond markets.

And the list goes on! I share my experience so it can help another person.  At the end of the day, however, the choice comes to that person who reads this. Are you willing to challenge yourself and see if this is true or not? The choice is yours.

If you want to start this journey and you need more ideas about how to wake up early check out this book, “The Miracle Morning” by Hal  Elrod. 

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