As published in The Huffington Post
Getting out of bed in the morning required motivation. Sometimes be the most difficult activity of the day, especially when you are retired. Some might call getting out of bed an ordeal, some might say it’s painful, but no matter what you label the first waking minutes of the day, getting out of bed after a deep sleep is difficult.
Question: How do you find morning motivation, how do you find the courage, how do you find the physical and mental energy to get out of bed? As you know, this is not a necessarily a problem only for people over 60.
I remember back in the day when I had to get up at 6:00 am to get ready to teach school. I hit the floor and started to do sit ups and leg lifts and roll-overs, and twenty minutes later, I was putting on my makeup. The night before I set out my clothes so selecting what to wear took no thought in the morning. I made my coffee and toast and was in the car by 7:00 am. I was the organizational woman who had a plan of attack every day. Consistent and spot on with my morning routine for decades to come, I even survived giving birth and raising two sons all the while keeping a working schedule.
In my 60s, I was a yoga and meditation teacher and the early morning work hours were challenging. For years, I drove at 5:30 am to clients who lived near the beach and taught a 6:00 am class twice a week, then a 7:00 am class at a studio. I was pumped all day.
Throughout five decades of getting up early for work, I was energetic and positive. And then I retired — not from life but from scheduled work hours. I’m only human so the idea of staying in bed for a half hour or an hour after waking up became appealing. I tried not to judge or label my indulgence. After all, I was free to do what I wanted to do. Additionally, my body wasn’t responding the way it used. The mind was strong, but the will was wavering and inconsistent. I wondered where I could get the energy to plan the day’s plan.
Resisting and Justifying
Some of my friends stay in bed and read for an hour or two in the morning; some talk on the phone; some daydream about what’s going to be on tap that day; and most of them peruse Facebook and the Internet. Theses are all distractions — distractions that get in the way of a clear intention or developing an action plan for the day. It’s common these distractions are used to make excuses not to do what you ought to do, need to do, even want to do.
It’s called resistance. It’s human nature to resist. But, unfortunately, resistance is a toxic force that crushes our spirit. Resistance takes away out energy, stifles ingenuity, and obliterates creativity. And after resistance comes a litany of justifications to substantiate why you don’t get going and be the best that you can be for the day. And that’s really boring!
Set an Alarm
If you have trouble getting up, practice a little mental and physical discipline and set an alarm so that you can engage the day sooner than later. You don’t have to do it every day. Take the weekends off. Take Wednesday off. But it’s important for your mental and physical health to be mindful of the need to give yourself a little push toward the positive in the morning.
It’s always important for you to make a daily plan about what is most important for you to do that day: something that’s positive, something that fulfills a need, something that adds value to your life, and something that lights your fire. If you want to stay in bed an extra 10 minutes, use the time wisely and select your intention for the day.
12 Reasons to Get Up In The Morning
The following are 12 reasons to help you get out of bed in the morning. Theses reasons are not in any particular order. They’ll all give your morning motivation a boost.
1. You have the freedom to choose to be positive and surround yourself with joy.
2. You have the opportunity to exercise and take care of your internal
cellular life.
3. You have the opportunity to give yourself a gift: practice yoga, meditate,
play golf, take a walk, a swim or a run.
4. You have multiple possibilities to learn something new.
5. You can revel in the glories of nature and appreciate your surroundings.
6. You have the opportunity to engage in your passion: writing, dancing,
photography, knitting, sewing.
7. You can do a good deed for a friend or pay it forward with kindness.
8. You can increase your personal sense of awareness throughout the day.
9. You can improve your communication skills with your best friend or your partner.
10. You have opportunity to connect emotionally with someone you love
either in person or by phone
11. You can tell someone that you love them: a parent, a friend, a boyfriend or your
grandchildren.
12. You can stop looking at your smartphone and practice active listening with a
friend.
The minute you open your eyes in the morning, you become engaged in your day. And the race begins by acknowledging the many awesome reasons to get up and start your day with purpose, intention, and joy.
Joan Moran is a keynote speaker, commanding the stage with her delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. She is an expert on wellness and is passionate about addressing the problems of mental inertia. A yoga instructor and an Argentine tango dancer, Joan is the author of 60, Sex, & Tango, Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer. Her new book, I’m The Boss of Me! Stay Sexy, Strong & Smart at Any Age, is now on Amazon.
Visit her website: www.joanfrancesmoran.com
Follow Joan Moran on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joanfmoran