Midnight was my happy hour.

House was quiet. Everyone was asleep, no one bugging me. I treasured my evenings. Reading books, searching online, watching YouTube, it didn’t matter; whatever I was doing, it was in complete uninterrupted solitude.

When I say, I am not a morning girl, I mean, I am NOT a morning girl! Not at all!

About six months ago, everything changed. I set the alarm for 5:00 am.

Was I crazy? Delusional? Probably.

Armed with a plan, I crashed the coveted 5:00 am party.

Sure, I had gotten the invite years ago. I even attempted it a few times. Exhausted, I returned to bed. When my kids were little, it didn’t seem to matter how early I got up; they got up earlier. I couldn’t win. So I retreated. (One point for kids, zero points for mom.)

But this time was different. 

Having a strategy changed the game.

Various stories sparked my interest in creating a powerful morning routine. After hearing numerous testimonies, I leaned in. I searched everywhere for the secret. What is the magic to this early am habit? What made it so successful? Why do some of the most wealthy people get up so stinking early?

I GET IT NOW!

One hundred eighty days later, I found the backdoor to productivity. I won! Six days a week, my alarm goes off, and I start my day. I begin with prayer, bible, and journaling, followed by the pressing “task” for the season, then wrapped up with a workout. This happens every day (well, almost).

In the morning, I get more done. During the evenings, I was unwinding, exhausted and needed to be recharged. The pre-dawn hours are way more profitable. I gained one hundred forty-four hours, which is about six full days (if I went around the clock) or twelve, twelve hours days. That is almost two weeks I gained by getting up two hours earlier.

What could you get done if you had more time?

Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself.

Here is the secret.

You must have a purpose; without the WHY, productivity drops. If you want to master those coveted hours, it must be worthwhile. Fast forward five years. What is ONE dream or goal you wish you could master? A foreign language? Organized house? Ideal weight? Finish a degree? Learn a new skill? Write a book? It MUST be a priority for you to master getting up early. You must want it MORE than sleep. Literally! Without a strong WHY I could have never (not in a million years) got up at 5:00 am every day.

So the BIG SECRET is…. THE PUSH. You were made for something great. Dig in deep. Don’t stop until you find it. God has a special assignment just for YOU!. Tap into the Source and find out what makes you tick. Then take baby steps to move mountains. Your morning routine will jump-start your life and set you on track to do great things. Dream Big! We serve a MIGHTY God!

Practical tips from a former night owl:

1- Start the Night Before

     -create a plan for the morning (to-do list)

     -turn off devices by _________pm ( pick a reasonable time)

2- Create Space-have everything ready, bible, journal, post-its, water, etc.

3- Write out Your WHY! -Post it!

4- Give Grace, not excuses! If you miss a day or your snooze wins, keep going.

5- Stay away from Time Wasters-Facebook, emails, etc. leave them for later.

A drastic change has happened since I joined the 5:00 am Club.

I dare you to try it! If you want to see things change, YOU must be willing to change.

Here are two books that kick-started my new habit: 5 Things Successful People Do Before 8 A.M. by Terri Savelle Foy and Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod