I am not one. Never have been one. There is probably nothing more that I hate than getting up in the morning. Or for that matter, all day. To give you an idea of how I feel about getting out of my warm bed every day, here’s one of my favorite poems, by the brilliant Dorothy Parker called “Inscription for the Ceiling of a Bedroom:”

Daily dawns another day;

I must up, to make my way.

Though I dress and drink and eat,

Move my fingers and my feet,

Learn a little, here and there,

Weep and laugh and sweat and swear,

Hear a song, or watch a stage,

Leave some words upon a page,

Claim a foe, or hail a friend-

Bed awaits me at the end.

 

Though I go in pride and strength,

I’ll come back to bed at length.

Though I walk in blinded woe,

Back to bed I’m bound to go.

High my heart, or bowed my head,

All my days but lead to bed.

Up, and out, and on;

and then
 Ever back to bed again,

Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall-

I’m a fool to rise at all!

But my strategy of sleeping as late as could just didn’t seem to be getting me anywhere anymore. I was envious of morning people and knew the world secretly envied them, too. I always heard, “Oh morning people get so much more done.” “They’re so productive.” And of course, at the office, who doesn’t love the guy who calls a 7 a.m. meeting? Well, I still probably wouldn’t love that guy.

So here’s what I’m doing and I started today. I found a book called “The Miracle Morning” – http://miraclemorning.com. Here’s an excerpt that really resonated for me:

How you wake up each day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life. Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days—which inevitably create a successful life—in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life. By simply changing the way you wake up in the morning, you can transform any area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible.

So, I set my iPhone alarm for six a.m. and prayed some good would come of it. I also used a few tips from the book to keep myself going (and some timeframes I’ve assigned for each):

1. Turn on the lights (30 seconds to a minute, depending on how groggy I am)
2. Brush teeth and splash cold water on face (Two to five minutes)
3. Get dressed (Two to five minutes)
4. Do some yoga or other form of exercise (15 minutes)
5. Read some inspirational books or quotes (5-10 minutes)
6. Write something in a journal (5 minutes)
7. Drink water (ongoing)
8. Don’t eat right away – it will slow you down (I get up at 6 so I’ll wait until 8)
9. Work on my blog and/or my YA novel (60 minutes)
10. Don’t go back to bed (still struggling with this one!) (All day)

And most important, do this for 30 days. Because, it takes 30 days for anything to become habit.

I see that it’s actually getting light out. I’ve enjoyed these moments of quiet repose and the chance to sit down and write without distractions. The day will begin soon enough at 8 a.m. but in the meantime, I’ve got 20 more glorious minutes to work on this post. Am I a morning person yet? I just might be. Who’s in with me?

Word to the wise: The right morning can make your day. Why not give yourself every opportunity to be successful? I encourage you try it.

Are you a morning person? Do you have any secrets and tips to help those of us who aren’t? Note: If I’m lucky enough to get a book deal, your comments may be published anonymously in the upcoming book, “Wise Before 25, 50 Things Young Women Need to Know.”