The Importance of Hustle

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.

It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or a gazelle:

when the sun comes up…you’d better be running.

-African Proverb

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” And oh, by the way – this is coming from the same man who has been named “The Greatest American Who Ever Lived” by scores of the most influential people of our day.
There are a LOT of reasons why it is good to go to bed early and wake up the same. Here are just a few:

* Waking up early gives you a head start on your day – Getting up at five in the morning is likely early enough to give you a jump on 99% of all humanity in your time zone. It’s called “Bringing your A-game.”

* Beginning each day with quiet, peaceful meditation in the midst of a glorious sunrise really sets the most efficient tone for the day’s work. Make it a point to get your mind right, read personal development book, study a passage of scripture – feed your mind and soul positive thoughts and images before the world gets a hold of you.

* Magically, you will find that you have time to make your bed, fold up and put away all of your clothes, clean off your desk, straighten up your room, and tidy the kitchen and living areas. It really does make that much of a difference. It has been said that, “Cleanliness is Godliness,” and even psychologists will tell you that one of the tell-tale signs of mental disturbance is unkept living quarters.

* Countless studies have shown that people who exercise first thing in the morning are most likely to stick to it. People who exercise are more energetic, mentally alert, healthier, better looking, and happier overall than people who don’t, and while there is never any time to do it – you can always make time…literally.

* Making a list of everything that needs to be done for the day is essential for organization and ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. It shows a lot of responsibility, conscientiousness, and dedication to excellence and is likely practiced by every highly successful person you know.

* Having a list is great, but spending time doing things that don’t get you to where you want to go will leave you spinning your wheels. Prioritizing what needs to get done and always tackling the most important item on the list will make each day a triumphant success.

* Preparation is knowing that you deserve to win. When you prepare for your day, you are expressing your will to win. It instills confidence, passion, and discipline into your character since, after all – who would spend a lot of time preparing for something if they expected to lose (aside from an idiot)?

Waking up early in the morning is one of the most healthy, productive habits that could ever be acquired by a student, and those who heed this advice will enjoy lasting peace, happiness, and prosperity.