Suppose you had an extra 45 working days each year that you could use solely for your own benefit. What could you accomplish? Most people complain about not having enough time. Well, you can add those extra 45 working days simply by getting up one hour earlier. In that time you could improve yourself by reading books related to your career or some other area you wish to enhance. You could use it to work on a special project, exercise, meditate, or do whatever else matters to you.
Most if not all of the great leaders throughout history were early risers. Gandhi regularly awoke at 3:30 a.m. George Washington Carver got up at 4:00 every morning and walked into the woods. He said that God spoke to him there and it was at that time that he received all of his ideas. Benjamin Franklin arose each day at 4:30 a.m. Throughout the ages, the yogis have expounded the benefits of arising before the sun and meditating in the early morning, which they say is the most auspicious time for meditation. Early morning, after waking, is also the best time to visualize since the brain is still in the alpha state. Get in the habit of going to bed and rising at a consistent time.
I have found that the best way to wake up is with the Zen Timepiece. These beautiful clocks use the sound of a Tibetan bowl, a type of gong, as an alarm. In the morning, a series of subtle, bowl-struck gongs calls your consciousness into wakefulness and provides a graceful start to your day. The clocks utilize the golden ratio. When the alarm is triggered, the gong strikes just once, then automatically it strikes again in 3 1/2 minutes, then in two minutes, then in one minute. The gong sounds gradually increase in frequency over ten minutes, eventually striking every five seconds until you silence it. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece's progressive awakening, you'll never want to use any other alarm clock again.
Now that you are up, what will do? First, visualize. This is one of the two best times to do so. Early in the morning after waking the brain is in the alpha state and the mind is the most receptive. Visualize your intentions, visualize your body the way you want it to look,
Habit #5 — Rising Early
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