Wake Up, Sleepyhead! Your Life Is A-Callin'!

As most of you know, I have an amazing job with Hampton Inn. I work both Front Desk 3 days out of the week and Breakfast Bar 2 days out of the week.  I am off on Mondays and Fridays.  I work the morning shift either 5:45am-noon-ish or 7am-3pm, and one day of the five I work evening shift, 3pm-11pm.  I love this schedule.  It's a fixed schedule, so I am open to make plans whenever I want.  I love knowing what my schedule will most likely be three weeks from now. 

However I have to say that my sleep patterns have definitely changed. I am 21 years old, so for the past 3 years I have gone to bed late, and woken up late.  My day hasn't started until 11am or later and hasn't ended until the wee hours of the next morning. It was fun, sure. But my days were GONE. Try running errands and getting it all done in time with a schedule like that. Most places of importance (bank, DMV, Library, etc...) close at 5 or 6pm. So trying to get everything I needed to get done in 5 hours was almost impossible, and sometimes, I had to prioritize by doing the MOST important things one day and having to put of the other things for the next day.

These days, I'm waking up at 5 or 6 am going to work, and getting off at a decent hour. I then have the rest of my day to do whatever needs to be done, or simply just hang out. I don't get to stay out super late anymore, unless it's a Thursday or Saturday night. But I think I like it that way. Keeps money in my pocket =) I feel so good physically!

This brings me to my next point. I have a few friends, ages vary, who don't wake up until 11 or 12, still. It's interesting looking at them, seeing how tired they are and seeing that that is exactly what I used to look like.  Granted these friends have jobs that require them to work late, so they are tired. I get that. But then, there are the friends who don't have a job and just sleep all the time. Now, I was there a 2 months ago, so I don't have much room to criticize. But all I'm saying is being able to wake up and feel energized no later than 8:30am these days feels so freaking good! I have lost weight, I have more energy, and I feel happier!

Sure, getting up at the butt crack of dawn isn't fun. It's not. Who wants to wake up when it's still dark and cold outside? Get out of that warm, cuddly bed? No one. Unless they're used to it. On the days I'm off, yea, I sleep! But my brain clock will not let me sleep past 8:30am.

So I'm giving you a challenge: Try setting your alarm for a whole week for 7:30 or 8:30 at the latest. Or, if you really wanna be bold, set it for 5:30. Even if you have nowhere to be, get up. Get in the shower, take time getting yourself ready. EAT BREAKFAST! Read the newspaper or watch the early morning news. (They have some interesting stuff on the A.M. news). See what the weather will be like that day. If you're religious, spend a little time with God. Read a devotional or a passage in your Bible. Maybe take a run or do some kind of exercise. Try not to get on Facebook because as we all know, it's super addicting and a big waste of time, if you really think about it. You get on it at 6 and then 5 minutes later you look and it's already 10. It happens.

WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! YOUR LIFE IS A-CALLIN'!I promise! You will feel SO much better both physically and mentally.  Take it from a girl who NEVER woke up before 11:30am for the past 3 years unless I absolutely had to. You will see an amazing change in the way you feel in a week or two. And you will thank me!