The magic of waking up early

“It is still early as I get out of bed. The sun has not yet risen. I feel a sense of control that I sometimes get when I wake up before the rest of the world. I have the feeling that the day’s events are mine to determine, that I hold everything in the palm of my hand.”

I read that passage in a book the other day (sidenote - the book was Carrie Soto is Back and I highly recommend it), and it reminded me of just how much I love waking up early. I am that person who wakes up before everyone on vacation, who loves watching a sunrise, who will walk around a big city at 7am on a Sunday while most everyone is asleep. 

Most of the talk about waking up early centers around productivity and how much you can get done if you wake up at 5am. There are thousands of articles out there touting how celebrities and CEOs get up at some ungodly hour to check email, workout, meditate for hours, or get work done. And while I usually do workout and meditate when I wake up, that is not why I love my early mornings. 

For me, the magic of waking up early has nothing to do with being productive, it is about having that silence and time before the day gets going and the rest of the world wakes up. There is almost an eerie silence that comes with being up before the hustle and bustle starts. To me, it feels like bonus time. Plus there is usually a beautiful sunrise and golden hour sky to take in. And unlike at sunset, not everyone will be watching.

I enjoy having that quiet time alone and often will just get up and do nothing other than sit in silence and drink my warm lemon water. It allows me to start my day more intentionally, and without immediately rushing into everything I have to do. It gives me a sense of control over how the day is going to go and how I am going to use my time. 

I know that some of you are probably not morning people. I will admit that I have always been a morning person and have found it difficult to sleep past 8am no matter what time I go to bed so waking up early comes pretty naturally to me. But you can still become intentional about how you start your day and get some of the benefits. 

The first step is to examine how much sleep you are getting. If you are pressing snooze until the last possible minute and can easily sleep until noon, then it might be time to go to bed a little earlier. Sleep is one of the most important factors for a healthy life, and it is not worth sacrificing in order to wake up earlier. And then try incorporating a small routine to start your day intentionally - meditate, journal, drink your coffee/tea, whatever will help you take some quiet time for yourself and start your day with a little less chaos. 

And for all you self proclaimed nightowls, try waking up early one day - you may just love that early morning magic!