by Lori Milner
Like most of you, I used to shudder at the thought of 4am. More specifically how some people actually willingly woke up at 4am? Beyond me! If you read my blogs regularly, you will know that exercise is really important to me. Over the years it has started at 7am then moved earlier as I became a mother and the kids started school. 7am went to 6am and then as of this year 5:30.
My son starts Grade 1 next year so this entire year I have been mentally preparing myself for the inevitable of having to get to gym at 5am in order to be home in time to do the school run. This is the only slot in my day that works so its early morning or nothing - I know myself well enough to know it won’t happen otherwise.
Interestingly, this last week, my body clock has been in a pattern of waking up at 4:03 even though my alarm is set for 4:45. And you know what – I didn’t collapse, I didn’t not make it through the day. When I saw the time, instead of the usual dreaded self-talk of ‘Oh No! How am I going to get through the day?’ I instead smiled and thought – ‘Ok, great, I have some time to meditate before gym. What can I do with this gift of time?’ Clearly my body had enough sleep, so I chose to welcome the extra time instead of forcing it back to bed. My belief had been – if I wake up earlier, I will be exhausted the whole day and not be productive’.
The benefit of the early wake up is especially handy on weekends when I get at least 2 hours of undisturbed peace before the family gets up. Sounds good right? 2 hours of you time and no one knows about it but you!
This blog is not just about getting up early. It is to make a bigger point –
What are you not taking action on because you have a preconceived assumption about what will happen?
Perhaps you aren’t considering taking a certain role at work or raising your hand on a specific project because your assumption is ‘I’ll never cope, I’m not ready for it, it’s too big for me, and it’ll interfere with my family life’.
How do you know? Do you have the evidence to prove your assumption right? What are you missing out on and what opportunities are you giving up?
This little experiment of the 4am wake up has made me reflect and question other aspects of my life.
I made this assumption that waking up early is torture, but I created this belief in my twenties when I didn’t have the responsibility of kids. But now that I’m closer to 40, it is the greatest gift and habit I have instilled into my morning routine.
I have had one week to test my assumption of waking up at 4am and I have been pleasantly surprised. So, can you set up a mini experiment in your own life to test your assumptions? Perhaps you do take on a specific project and see how it goes for 3 months?
Are you not taking action on that painting class, online course, fill in the blank – because you assume you just don’t have time? Sign up for one month or even one week and see what happens. Just put your assumptions to the test on a small scale and then make an informed decision. You will probably be pleasantly surprised. Time to test those assumptions and rewrite the old beliefs.
Here’s to showing up to yourself.
Warm wishes
Lori
LORI MILNER is the engaging facilitator, thought leader and mentor known for her insightful approach to being a modern corporate woman. Her brainchild, the successful initiative Beyond the Dress, is the embodiment of her passion to empower women. Beyond the Dress has worked with South Africa’s leading corporates and empowered hundreds of women with valuable insight on how to bridge the gap between work and personal life. Clients include Siemens, Massmart, Alexander Forbes, Life Healthcare Group, RMB Private Bank and Unilever to name a few. Lori has co-authored Own Your Space: The Toolkit for the Working Woman in conjunction with Nadia Bilchik, CNN Editorial Producer. Own Your Space provides practical tools and insights gleaned from workshops held around the world and from interviews with some of South Africa’s most accomplished women to provide you with tried-and-tested techniques, tips and advice to help you boost your career, enhance your confidence and truly own your space on every level. Own Your Space is the ultimate ‘toolkit’ to unleash your true power. It’s for the woman who wants to take her career to new heights and who is ready to fulfil her true potential.
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