Remember a couple of weeks ago when I made a goal of going to bed by 11:30 p.m. each night? Well, I haven’t exactly met my goal. I’ve still been going to bed late and haven’t gotten much sleep lately. Habits, no doubt, are hard to break.
They are breakable, though. A friend Tweeted a blog post to me today that I found somewhat encouraging. It’s written by someone who used to be a night owl but is now an early riser. He explains some of the benefits of waking up early, including quietude, eating breakfast and exercising.
I find that on the rare occasions when I do get enough sleep and wake up early, I can appreciate the everyday gifts that sleep sometimes deprives us of: the sunrise, morning dew, cool mornings on otherwise unbearably hot days …
Here’s some advice from the blog post:
Greet the day. I love being able to get up, and greet a wonderful new day. I suggest creating a morning ritual that includes saying thanks for your blessings. I’m inspired by the Dalai Lama, who said, “Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.'”
The world seems more awake in the morning. Sometimes, late at night, it feels as though the whole word is sleeping, which in turn leaves you feeling lonely. Maybe thinking about the benefits of getting up early will motivate me to go to bed earlier. Or maybe I’m just not cut out to be a morning person!
Are you a morning or a night person? Why?
Word on the Street 
Expecting a 7 a.m. start time in Dallas, I know that I’m going to have to be a morning person 🙂
Wow, that is pretty early! Good luck with it. 🙂
I wish I were a morning person. Not only because of the benefits of starting the day early and enjoying the beauty of a day that no one has seen yet, but also because starting, let’s say, at 6:00 am everyday would be the proof that your life is, finally, disciplined. The proof that you can say “I finish working/reading/webbing/watchingTV now at 10:30 pm and I’m going to bed”. The proof that you control your life more than your life controls you.
Despite that, the night has its benefits.
In a way, it’s similar to the dawn because of the loneliness of the moment, because of the chance of awareness, of realising the rushing of time, running quietly just for us. Being aware of this, in the morning, in the night, is just overwhelming.
So, morning or night?
I don’t know. It’s not so important.
Awareness. That’s important.
Yes, and action.
Greetings from Peru.