Finding Your Why - Getting Clear On Your Reason ‘Why’ to Wake Up Early

I’m going to tell you right now, if you aren’t crystal clear as to WHY you want to wake up at 5 AM, it’s NEVER (let me repeat myself) NEVER going to happen. 

If you want to understand how to gain clarity on your Why - and I’m not talking like “Oh, I’m going to be able to get so much done with the first 60 - 90 minutes of my day without my kids interrupting me a million times…” That’s a potential (and let’s face it really nice) outcome, however that’s not specific enough. 

What are you going to actually do with those 60 - 90 minutes that is going to be so impactful to you… that it’s going to motivate you to get your bum out of your bed at 4:55 AM everyday? That’s your Why. Keep watching to discover your own why! 

For all of you out there that are thinking - good grief lady, I can’t think straight none the less spend time thinking about the topic of clarity. I’m going to beg to differ. I have a simple 2 step process.

Before we get into the tactical steps I want to cover why it’s important. I liken getting cozy with your why, is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket straight from the dryer. It's a delicious feeling when done right. 

Here’s how I think about it.

As a Mom, our everyday life with kids are fire drills. We are nothing if not metaphorical fire fighters throwing water on all the hawt messes our children present to us each and every day.

Tell me in the comments if this feels true to you - I believe that half the reason we’re so exhausted is the mental fatigue we face by the micro stresses our children (and life in general) insert into our lives. They are lovable chaos, but they’re still chaos. 

So, carving out “me time” (even if that’s at 5 AM) is great, but if we spend that time just being reactive, like we do during all of our other waking hours - we’re not actually getting anything out of waking up early. We’re literally just expanding the amount of time each day we’re being reactive. 

Waking up early should be the one thing, ONE THING that each and everyday you get to be preventative. You get to PLAN what you do. Ideally, you get 60 - 90 minutes of sweet uninterrupted silence where no one is asking something of you. 

And if you aren’t convinced with that sentence alone as to why you should 1) wake up early but 2) spend a moment or two digging a bit deeper into how to best implement that time you can click off now. 

Clarity and intention in our choices leads to living more in alignment and congruence with the best versions of ourselves. And if you’re working on any habit that tells me that you’re consciously doing just that - working towards a better, wiser, more accomplished version of yourself. 

Now onto the tactics.

This is Step 1. This is simple, but you may need to sit and think on it for a bit. 

Answer this for yourself - “My big WHY for waking up early, and compelling me to overcome the discomfort of making this a habit is… and the reason it’s important to me is... 

Here’s my version:
My big WHY for waking up early and compelling me to overcome the discomfort of making this a habit is [I am a better wife, mom and version of my authentic self when I have time to focus on just me and my personal interests every day] and the reason it’s important to me is [because I want to show my kids that self care and self love is vitally important. I am teaching them this by setting aside personal time for myself.]

Whoa - see how that resonates so much more than “I’m going to get a crap ton done without kid distraction.” 

So, that’s step 1, now onto step 2 - You’ve tapped into a personal reason for wanting to make the change. Now, let’s make a physical reminder for your everyday life while you're sitting in that discomfort. 

To take a page from BJ Fogg of Tiny Habits, I suggest using his “recipe cards.” 

To build your new habit - you want to set yourself up for success with his ABC’s.

A) Anchor the moment

An existing routine in your life that will remind you to do the Tiny Behavior (your new habit) - this is also known as habit stacking. 

B) Tiny Behavior

The new habit you want but scaled back to be super tiny & super easy. 

C) Celebration

Something you do to create a positive feeling inside yourself

An example of this with the application of waking up early is:
A) After my alarm goes off
B) I will set my feet on the floor
C) I will take a deep breath and tell myself it’s going to be a great day!

Having a written version of both your personal why and the recipe card in a place where you’re going to see it everyday as you build this habit (perhaps next to where you place your phone) are good visual cues as to why your conscious brain wants to make this change.

I hope you enjoyed my 2 step process for gaining clarity and taking action on your WHY in a personal way to YOU.

Until next time, have a great day Mama!