Waking up early.. Ugh. Are you one of the many people who struggle to get out of bed in the morning?

Some of the most successful people in the world are up earlier than the birds, but do you know how they do it and what they do when they are up?

Arnold Schwarzenegger former bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and politician, never sleeps in past 6:00 a.m. and was always at the gym by 7:00 a.m.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and is already sending out emails while most people are sleeping.

Howard Schultz, ex-CEO of Starbucks, wakes up at 3:45 a.m. and works out before he gets to the office by 6:00 a.m.

Padmasree Warrior, CTO at Cisco, wakes up at 4:30 a.m., “…spends one hour reading the news, looking after emails, and working out before getting to the office”.

And yet, try as you might, you still hit the snooze button and you still sleep in. It’s time to GET RID of the snooze button and create a new routine. You want to be successful, you want to make a difference in the world…well you won’t do it lying in bed.

Here are 9 tips on how to wake up early:

1. Set Goals the Night Before

Tim Armstrong, CEO, AOL “usually gets up at about 5:15 am and leaps out of bed, works out, reads, and uses his products”, according to a recent interview by Laura Barnett and Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian.

If you have no goals for the morning, why would you wake up early?  No plan to exercise, meditate, read, eat a healthy breakfast, work, or accomplish something in the mornings then you’re much more likely to stay in bed!

Research shows you should try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep in order to wake up feeling rested in the morning. Your goal of getting up early in the morning starts the night before with SMART goals.

A broad goal: I want to start a blog to inspire people.

A SMART goal:

• S – Specific: I will create a motivating and inspiring blog on Motiversity.com
• M – Measurable: The blog will be ready at the start up April and I will make blog posts 1-3 times per week.
• A – Attainable: I will setup my website first, then I will start writing blog posts, then I will market the blog posts to my followers.
• R – Relevant: By sharing my knowledge in personal development and motivation I will be able to help other people and benefit from this.
• T – Time-Based: My blog will be up and running in 3 weeks and I will have 4 blog posts ready.

#1. Get up Immediately

 As soon as your alarm goes rise and shine. The absolutely worst thing you can do is get comfortable and try to get a little more shut eye. Commit to it right now.

Joel insert rise and shine symbol

#2. Drink Water!

As soon as you get up walk straight into the bathroom and drink two glasses of cool refreshing thirst quenching water. Why you ask? Because it instantaneously stimulates your brain. About 70% of your body is composed of water. Your brain tissue is about 75% water. Every single function in the body is dependent on water! Lack of water affects how you feel, causes focus and memory problems, and can actually make you feel depressed. Drink at least 500mL of water and your metabolism will get fired up, toxins will get flushed out, and your brain will get the fuel it needs to jump start your day. Read more about just how important water is read these articles:

#3. Read Your Goals

I post my goals on my bathroom mirror and say them out loud while I’m drinking water. It’s important to remember who you are first thing in the morning and what know what you want to achieve.

Make sure your goals are SMART.

S –   Specific

M – Measurable (meaningful)

A – Attainable

R – Relevant

T – Time-bound or trackable

Here are a few of mine today:

      Write a blog.

      Create at least two motivational videos.

      Make a difference in someone’s life today.

      Say hello to every single person I see today.

      Workout before 8:00 PM.

#4. Add Daily Quotes to Your IPhone Alarm Clock

I have my favorite quotes pop up at 6:00 am every morning with my alarm. You could also post them beside your bed. Don’t ever underestimate the power of repeating quotes you want to live by. Why do you think the Bible had the power to change the world? Words carry power…remember that. You need to select quotes that inspire you. There is power in changing your thinking and you can change your thinking through mindfulness training, meditation, and by repeating truths whether from the Bible or from famous people. Words are powerful just as education is power to the people. You really want to change your life then start by learning something new today, collect quotes, and include them in your daily routine.

Here is a list of quotes to get you started:

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. –Swami Sivananda

“When you want to succeed more than you want to breathe or sleep then your will be successful…” – Eric Thomas

 “Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from you own actions.” – Dalai Lama

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” – Ralph Marston

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“80% of success is showing up!” – Woody Allen

“I wake up every day and I think, I’m breathing! It’s a good day.” Eve Ensler

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” Joyce Meyer

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” Lyndon B. Johnson

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” Helen Keller

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford

“If you have faith no bigger than a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there!” and it will move; nothing will prove impossible to you.” – Matthew 17.20

“Nothing is impossible – the word itself says. “I’m possible!” – Audrey Hepburn

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“Success is where preparations and opportunity meet.” Bobby Unser

If you don’t see a quote above that speaks to you try a couple of my favorite websites:

#5. Psyche yourself up with motivational music or motivational ringtones.

Everyone knows the saying, “The early bird gets the worm,” but how about “The second mouse gets the cheese”, lol. The first mouse is dead because he didn’t take the time to remember the important things in life, he rushed a little too much and didn’t take the time to remember who he/she was. That’s right take the extra one minute to pump yourself up with a great song like Kongos’ – Come With Me Now, Pharrell Williams’ – “Happy” or Journey’s – “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Here are a couple more links to get you moving:

#6. The 5 Minute Exercise Blast

Don’t underestimate the power of movement. I do this every day to get more exercise before I leave for work. While I’m brushing my teeth I do 25 calf raises, then move into 25 squats, followed by 25 push ups. It doesn’t take much time and then I continue to do another three sets throughout the day. It adds up and only takes between 5- 10 minutes. Try these links for a couple energizing ideas:

#7. Watch a Short Motivational Video

Stick with the short motivational clips, I’d suggest one to two minutes maximum. Why do you think cults are able to affect how people act and what they think? It’s about repetition. You want to change your life, you want to be successful and make a difference in the world then you need to change your habits. Start with getting up with a smile on your face, not touching the snooze button, drinking water, exercising, and repeating positive quotes over and over until you believe them.

9. Watch a Motivational Video

A lot of our followers download and set our videos (like the one below) as their ringtones. I used to do this as well and I’m actually experimenting with waking up to different types of motivational speeches at the moment. In the future I might have a page on this website where you can download motivational ringtones! Let me know in the comments if anyone’s interested in this idea.

[easy-tweet tweet=”“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” – Lyndon B. Johnson” usehashtags=”no”]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRk4PE5GhoU[/embedyt]

If you want to change your life, be successful, and make a difference in the world, then you need to change your habits. Start with getting up immediately with purpose, drinking water, exercising, and repeating positive quotes over and over until you believe them and act on them.