What I get from getting up early

Getting up early, that word, is no longer new.

In the past, getting up early may have been to better prepare breakfast, or to have time for a morning run.

Nowadays, more and more people, who choose to get up early, choose their different life from getting up early.

I have also tasted some sweetness from waking up early.

1 Why do I get up early?

I got up early because I attended a writing camp and was recommended "The Early Miracle" by my teacher and my friends.

The book talks about the benefits I get from waking up early, such as being clear-headed and more focused in the morning, and also using this early time to create the life we want to live, etc. All of these appealed to me to try waking up early.

Also, I have a son who is in primary school and I have to work during the day and spend time with my child in the evening, so when it's time to go to bed and I don't have enough energy, I might as well try waking up early.

I don't get up early every day, and it's still difficult to get up early the next day if you go to bed late one day.

When I say get up early here, I mean getting up after 5am is considered early. 6am is basically my standard, and if there is an occasional day when I get up after 7am, it might be considered a late start.

2 What I get out of waking up early

I get up early, sometimes to write, sometimes to sit quietly and let my mind wander for a while, and sometimes to think outside the box.

For example, two mornings ago, I spent half an hour writing out the opening paragraph of an article and thinking about the outline.

Although I still made cuts and changes later, that opening, basically, came together that morning in one fell swoop and the ideas were clear.

If I'm not feeling very awake in the morning but can't sleep, I choose to listen to a book first, or a book club.

Let the passion of someone else talking about the book stimulate me a bit.

The great thing about me getting up early is that after I put the kids on the commuter bus, I can go straight to my office, and by the time I get there, I have an hour or so before I start work, I have hot water ready, wipe my desk, etc., and I can sit down to write something or read a book.

And I have the office to myself, it's my own alone time and it feels really quite pleasant.

I used to drop my son off and I'd go home and wash up, so I'd have this hour, which is wasted.

3 Is it really good to get up early?

It's a philosophical question. Getting up early is certainly better than going to bed late, isn't it?

Getting up early can stimulate us to go to bed earlier.

But if, my dear, you can't accept getting up early for the time being, I'm not too keen on the idea of getting up early.

If you're curious about waking up early, you might want to read books or articles about waking up early, and if the ideas in them feel right, you might choose to get up early, i.e. be internally motivated.

If you have free time, it may not be as tempting for you to get up early.

In short, whether it's getting up early or anything else, we can only practice it if we have the internal motivation to do so.

So, even if you're not getting up early right now, it's okay and there's no need to rush it - it's probably not really necessary for you right now.

Whatever lifestyle we choose, it's the joy of the heart that counts, isn't it?