Days 12-14 of 40: Waking up by 5am

This past weekend was a success and I did much better at waking up at 5am than I did the previous weekend. A benefit of waking up early has been that I actually want to go to bed by 10pm because I am tired.

Before I started this new habit I would seem to get a second wind at 9 or 10pm and end up staying up much too late. What's interesting is that I am less tired waking up at 5am now than I was waking up at 7am or 8am then. I feel like I am resting better and that my body clock is adjusting well to the new program.

I really love being able to have my Hour of Power in the morning. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and it is helping me to create ancillary positive habits that are naturally stemming from my habit of focus: waking up at 5am. Of course, if you are going to wake up at 5am it would be a good idea to have a plan as to what you intend to do once you are awake! This becomes the motivation for remaining committed and consistent.

My plan consists of:

• prayer
• 20-30 minutes of exercise
• reading a chapter from a book of scripture
• reading my "I am…" statements (aloud)
• reading my Definite Major Purpose statement (aloud)
• reading the Self Confidence Formula by Napoleon Hill (aloud)
• writing in my journal
• writing an entry in "My Dad: His Story, His Words"
• reading 10 pages from a personal development book (see my current book)
• reviewing my list of things to do
• writing down my Definite Major Purpose at the top of a fresh sheet of paper in my
  5" x 7" spiral notebook
• then writing down the things I'd like to accomplish in the following categories: Personal, Business & Education (Note: I keep a master task list in my Things app on my MacBook Pro and my iPhone and select which tasks to focus on for that day)
• after I've written down all the things I would like to get done for the day, then I answer the question, "What 5 things must I do today for this to be a valuable day?" and I number from 1-5 the Top 5 goals that I intend to focus on first

After my Hour of Power (which actually lasts from 60-120 minutes) then I have breakfast with my kids, help make their lunches, have a family prayer and then see them off to the bus stop.

This is an incredible way to start each day and has made a difference in my attitude, outlook and personal productivity. The next step in this progression is to implement the 'bookend' to my day, just before I go to bed.

This will ideally consist of a review of the day, writing in my journal about what went well and what didn't and what I can do differently next time. It will also be a time to express prayerful gratitude for what I was able to experience and accomplish during the day and to read several pages from a book of interest before going to sleep.

I am a firm believer in the power of influence we have on our conscious and unconscious minds through the thoughts we think, the words we speak, the books we read and the things we choose to listen to. By starting and ending the day in a positive, powerful and intentional way, we intensify the power of the unconscious mind in directing the conscious mind to focus on the things that we want to achieve or experience.