The opportunity clock sounded off at 4:02 am this morning. I’m still calling it the opportunity clock because it is. Alarm clocks a terrible way of looking at it because although I was shaken awake, it was something I wanted and desired. Of course, if I didn’t have the life I have, I would not choose to be up at four oh two, I would let my body arise on its own terms, but that is not the reality I live in at the moment.
Nobody said it would be easy and nothing ever is but a fundamental attitude shift is needed if you want to embrace change and become someone you dream of being.
There is just no use complaining that you have be to be up early or that you have to stay up late. Time is of no consequence here. You are making decisions based on what needs to be done, not based on how it feels, or who else doing it. It’s very easy to commiserate. To yawn and complain. It’s easy to predict how much coffee you will need to be able to drag your feet today and let everyone know how brave you are for waking up.
Either you have something to do today or you do not. You are either happy with your life or you’re not, and the attitude with which you greet the beginning of the day matters and shed a light on where you are or perhaps where you need to stop being.
I wake up this early because I need to get healthy. I want to weight train and be able to write at least five hundred words each and every day. Having a full time job as a teacher and coordinating all the happenings around my wife and two small children presents a challenge every day. I’ve learned from Jocko Willink that four oh two is just a number. You either want to train and write or you do not. If this is the only time that is possible to get things done on a consistent basis, than there are only two options; to do it or not to do it. That’s it. No magic. No mystery and its not overly complicated. Because bitching and complaining, hoping and praying, are not going to change the reality you face in any way.
Today is an unrepeatable opportunity. I have no idea what today will bring. It might bring great joy or terrible heartbreak. Today could be filled with success or the bitter taste of failure. But no matter what the evolves to be, it begins with a commitment and a decision to get up and french kiss the morning.
Don’t get stuck in the absurdity of time. Don’t work by the hour, let what you have to get done dictate how long and when you choose to undertake it.
There is nothing special about four oh two in the morning, just like there is nothing special about the time you choose to rise or be risen each and every day. Let you purpose drive your day. Let your dreams guide your decisions. Don’t let others relentless complaining seduce you or dilute your resolve.
Arise. Do what you have to do and get on with your day.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Seth Macey via unsplash.com
