Made Some Big Changes Recently

[Vagabond 007]

These may not be big to you, but to me, they are.

I am a night owl. Have been for the past 17 years or so. I really enjoy being up late and HATE getting up early. However, I'm also a very curious person and was wondering what would happen IF I did get up early.

The past few months or so I kept reading/hearing about how a lot of successful people get up early. Since I hate getting up early and love my nights, I've never really cared to get up early.

But, curiosity has won out.

2 weeks ago I started setting my alarm earlier than usual (usually an hour or two earlier).

Last week Monday-Friday I was only able to get up early one time. This week I did it 4 times. AND, today I was up at 8 am.

Me.
Up at 8 am.
On a Saturday.
Hell has frozen over.

Did a few things and around 10 my gf got up and saw what I accomplished. She was shocked! She asked what has gotten into me.

I said it's simple. "I want a better life than the one I have now."


I also started taking protein shakes every day. I don't eat meat and I don't drink milk. So I never get a lot of protein. Tried shakes in the past and I HATED THEM!

I still don't enjoy them, but I've been consistent for the past 2 weeks taking them. I take them with milk, so I get the 6 grams of protein form that as well as the protein powder.

I was taking one a day about 2 weeks ago. And the past week or so I've been taking 2 a day.

Another change, I used to drink a half gallon of iced tea a day. About 4 weeks ago I switched to water. I still drink the tea, just not as often. Now I consume at least 100 ounces of water per day.

Also have something big happening this upcoming week that may lead to big changes.

It's amazing what a few changes DONE CONSISTENTLY can do for a person. I wouldn't say I enjoy getting up early. But, the feeling I get when I get things done and look at the clock and it's not even 10 am yet, that feeling is incredible! I did more today by 10 am than I did all last Sunday.

This post isn't too brag, it's just a little reminder that you can change your life whenever you want. And changes can happen really fast. All it takes is different actions than what you are doing now. And doing them everyday.

"Little hinges swing big doors."


TL;DR - I'm a night owl, I hate mornings. But I'm also a curious person. So I started trying to get up early to see what would happen. Struggled at first, now it's getting a little easier. Change happens when you do things differently. Change can happen quickly.

 

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[MattCour]

Interesting thread, I like it! In regard to your protein shakes, try putting some banana and other fruit in with the powder and blend it. A bullet blender works awesome for this! I use 2 scoops of Optimum Nutrition Whey, frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, a banana and water. This combo is super healthy and tastes amazing, try it out...

 

[Solrac]

I know your struggle! I wake up early now, I have been for about a year. But doing it was very very hard for the first few weeks.

I want a better life than the one I have now.

Exact same reason why I started waking up earlier. And it's awesome! No regrets! Cheers to productive change!

 

[Ninjakid]

Happy for you mate. Habits can be tough to break, but anything can be done with some effort.

By the way, it's not a problem to be a night owl. Many successful people are night owls. I've read that people with high IQs tend to stay up late because they find the night peaceful, and can work on their stuff.

That said, there's a difference between someone who is productive at night, and someone who just refuses to wake up during the day, so they end up staying awake all night.

So dudes are lazy, and just aren't motivated to start their day, so they sleep in, and as a result, they stay up later and it's a vicious cycle.

But successful people tend to be excited when they wake up to do their work. They can't bear the thought of sleeping until 11 when the world is already happening.

And also, people who are nocturnal sometimes suffer from vitamin D deficiency because of lack of sunlight. They also are more likely to suffer from depression, and men can get low testosterone levels.

Congrats buddy d(^-^d)

 

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[Timbonitus]

I used to be a night owl as well because I didn't have any particular reason to wake up early until I started studying Chinese. For the past 2 years I have been waking up at around 7 am. It feels good to be awake during the daytime. Before it was not unusual for me to wake up at around 5 pm! But I noticed, when you sleep all day and wake up late, you feel tired, groggy, and useless.

I used to wake up a little bit earlier to cook breakfast. But, then I decided, to skip breakfast, and eat a bigger lunch. It was a little bit difficult at first. Hunger pains are a bitch. But soon the hunger pains disappeared, and I could launch myself out of bed, ready to tackle the day.

If something sounds strange, but it works for some people, there's a good chance it might work for you to.

Small changes lead to big changes. Start small.

Great post!

 

[Vagabond 007]

Interesting thread, I like it! In regard to your protein shakes, try putting some banana and other fruit in with the powder and blend it. A bullet blender works awesome for this! I use 2 scoops of Optimum Nutrition Whey, frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, a banana and water. This combo is super healthy and tastes amazing, try it out...

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely try them, sounds like it would be delicious.

Exact same reason why I started waking up earlier. And it's awesome! No regrets! Cheers to productive change!

Thanks!

By the way, it's not a problem to be a night owl. Many successful people are night owls. I've read that people with high IQs tend to stay up late because they find the night peaceful, and can work on their stuff.

Yeah, I know. That was always my counter argument to the getting up early thing. The reason people get up early is because they can get work done before everyone else starts distracting them.

That can be done at night as well. Which is what I do.

Not sure if this change will be long term, as again, it's more of a curiosity thing. I need to figure out how much rest I need. Seems all over the place. Sometimes I'm fine on 5 and tired with 8, other times I need 8.

I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. I want to stay up late AND get up early. Obviously have to give somewhere. 2 am-8 am doesn't sound too bad. We'll see what happens as time goes on.

I used to wake up a little bit earlier to cook breakfast. But, then I decided, to skip breakfast, and eat a bigger lunch. It was a little bit difficult at first. Hunger pains are a bitch. But soon the hunger pains disappeared, and I could launch myself out of bed, ready to tackle the day.

I used to NEVER eat breakfast. And the weird thing was I wouldn't get hungry until mid afternoon.

Now I eat a small breakfast and I'm usually starving by noon. Weird. But I believe your body gets used to whatever you give it. So if you are used to not eating breakfast, your body eventually assumes that's the way it is. Eat breakfast, again, the body assumes that's the way it is and wants more food in a few hours.



Thanks for the replies and encouragement!!