4 Simple Steps That Will Turn ANYONE into a Morning Person

Is it really that big of a deal to be a morning person?

I wasn’t born a morning person.

I BECAME a morning person – on purpose.

And I’d go as far to say that it is one of the keys to success in life.

So here’s the deal:

Statistics show that early risers (those who get up by 6 am) are healthier, have more energy, get more done, and are genuinely happier than those that don’t.

PLUS the world’s wealthiest people are almost all early risers. In fact, in a recent article it showed that most of them wake up between 4 and 5am!

Sounds crazy right? Well here’s the thing, getting up early has FAR more benefits than staying up late or sleeping in.

I got myself into a routine of going to bed between 9:30-10:00pm and getting up at 4am every single day. Sundays I may sleep in till 6 or 6:30am.

I’ll tell you what, I get more done, produce more and make more money before most people even wake up. It’s an amazing and addictive feeling. Trust me, you do it once or twice and you’ll be hooked.

Let me tell you why you should be a morning person, and then I’ll tell you HOW to do it. (It’s easier than you think!)

Here’s what the Bible says about sleep (There are actually A LOT of scriptures about this, here are just two)

Proverbs 20:13 “If you love sleep, you will become poor; keep your eyes open, and you’ll have plenty of food.”

-How many times have you said to someone that you LOVE sleep? I hear it all the time and think…here comes poverty!

Now a simple definition of “love” is simply to prefer something. That’s why this is a big deal.

Most people prefer to sleep than to do what it takes to get ahead and advance in life. 

That’s why you see so few people who do it. They prefer comfort over advancement. (Advancement is never comfortable BTW)

Proverbs 6:9-11 AMP says, “How long will you lie down, O lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep [and learn self-discipline]?  “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to lie down andrest” So your poverty will come like an approaching prowler who walks [slowly, but surely]And your need [will come] like an armed man [making you helpless].

Things get real serious in the Message Version:  “You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food at harvest it stockpiles provisions.  So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?  How long before you get out of bed?  A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest.

I read this and thought, “Okay then, I definitely don’t love sleep anymore!”

The main reason I wanted to become an EXTRA early morning person is because I was (and still am) looking to get ahead. I’m always working on new business projects and ideas. But at the time I was working a day job which I had to leave for at 8:30am so getting up early was my only time to work on the side stuff that would eventually become my main stuff.

Here’s the deal, I was ready to do whatever it took to get ahead and make progress, if that means getting up early, then that’s a small price to pay.

Here’s the other thing that got me motivated. I was watching a TV show about young real estate agents who were making millions of dollars per year, and one of the main guys said he got up everyday at 4am worked out, then went to work. And this guy was not a Christian by any means. And for me, I’ve always thought “If someone else can do it, I can do it.” – So that’s when I started getting up at 4am and it has taken my progress to the next level.

This also caught my attention: One entrepreneur started the 5 o’clock club. It’s based on the premise that fear doesn’t get up at 5am. You starting your day that early allows you to beat fear.

All the “scary” things that could happen, won’t happen because you’ve already got them tackled. Being an entrepreneur myself, I totally get this concept.

Sold yet?

Okay, here’s the big one:

Above all, the reason I think it would benefit everyone to become a morning person is this:

In Ephesians 6 the Bible tells us to put on the whole armor of God.  Why? Because we’re going to do battle each and every day, and He wants us to be prepared for whatever may come our way.

So let me ask you this: When does a warrior put on his armor?

BEFORE THE BATTLE!

When we get up early (instead of the last possible minute before we have to go to work/class/church) then we have the time to pray, get in the word, and put on our armor!

We are now equipped and prepared for combat, we’ve raised our shield of faith and can block all of the enemies of attacks.

I’ve noticed on the rare occasion I do sleep in till 8am or so, I wake up to emails with problems I have to solve, texts I need to reply to, and voicemails with urgent requests.

In other words, I wake up in the combat zone! It’s much harder to put on your armor in the middle of combat. You’ll spend the next few hours tending to your wounds instead of taking new ground.

Our man Jesus was also an advocate of getting up early to spend time with God: 

Mark 1:35 tells us, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart]”

It’s quiet, it’s dark, it’s peaceful. It’s easy to hear God speak to your heart before the distractions of the day and the cares of this world creep in.

Now here’s how you’re going to do it:

1. Start off slowly. Start setting your alarm clock back by 15 minutes.  If you normally get up at 8am, set your alarm to 7:45am for the next 3 days. You’ll get it no problem. Then every 2-3 days work it back another 15 minutes. You will be surprised at how well this works.
2. Move your alarm across the room. I set mine on my dresser where I have to take at least 4 steps to get to it. It also vibrates so it kind of “scares” me awake. This works wonders, by the time I turn the alarm off my heart rate is up and I’m standing, so I might as well just stay up!
3. Make sure you CANNOT see what time it is throughout the night. Turn your clock away from you, put your phone out of reach. There is no reason you need to know what time it is until your alarm goes off! This will keep you from time watching and trying to countdown just how many hours of sleep you have left etc. – This will help you sleep deeper and fall asleep faster. – This one tip has changed my life, I’ve done it for at least 8 years now.
4. You have to have a REASON to get up. (This is a big one!) For me it started when my Pastor challenged us to get up thirty minutes early to pray for 15 minutes and get in the Word for 15 minutes. He mentioned it once at service so I just committed to myself I would do it. So I did and I’ve done it ever since. (Now it usually goes longer than 30 minutes) Doing this will take your life to the next level. It sets you up for success like you’ve never known before. When you’re excited to get up and set your day up for success or work on a new side business you will be amazed at how easy it is to get up early.

This is you once you become a morning person:

Ready to kick butt, Elderly-Ninja style each and every day.

I guarantee you’ll like your new lifestyle as a morning person.