Waking Up Early, New Years Intentions and Alan Watts

January 28, 2024

Waking up early without an alarm clock.

Topic submitted by: John F. from Asheville, NC

Say you have an early-morning flight for a vacation you’re really, really excited about.

To prepare you: 1) go to bed early 2) set your alarm for 4am, and 3) subtly pray that you wake up feeling well-rested.

Eventually you fall asleep, and the next thing you know you’re being woken up by your mind at 3:59am.

On the dot. No alarm clock needed.

How did you do that when you can’t even wake up at 7am on an average day!?

The answer is simple: you had something you were looking forward to.

If you are excited about meeting your friends for yoga tomorrow morning, then getting up at sunrise will be a piece of cake.

If you can’t wait to start working on your creative project first-thing, it will be easy for you to roll out of bed.

Practice

Before you go to bed tonight, choose one thing that you are excited to do right when you wake up tomorrow morning.

Even if it’s just scrolling social media, picture yourself performing that action, and commit to doing it first-thing tomorrow.

Watch how that simple intention will transform your ability to wake up early in the mornings.

I've already dropped the ball on my New Years resolutions...

Topic submitted by: Leslie R. from Missoula, MT

This is extremely common. But why?

It’s like a tree deciding to grow its leaves when it’s snowing outside. Trying to make huge shifts during the peak of winter is virtually guaranteed to backfire.

Winter is a time for hibernation, not activity.

It’s wise to wait until your body has energy to make big changes. This is why I always create my “New Years” resolutions in early April, after Spring has sprung.

BUT…!

Since New Years resolutions are such a cultural phenomenon, you can still ride the wave of change by adjusting your perspective.

Rather than focusing so heavily on adding things to your life, you can use the official New Year to focus on releasingthose things that no longer serve you.

For example, instead of forcing yourself to go to the gym every day, maybe you work towards surrendering the late-night Netflix binges, or the self-deprecating language.

By centering in on letting go of certain habits, it will be far easier to pick up ones that contribute to your overall health and happiness when sun comes back around. ☀️

“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.” — Alan Watts

Quote submitted by: Riyah B. from Charlotte, NC

This quote is a decent rule of thumb to follow for what foods and liquids to consume.

What is healthier: processed potato chips with a really long shelf life, or freshly-picked strawberries that will go bad in just a few days? Water that’s been in a plastic water bottle for over a year, or drinking straight from an unpolluted spring?

Again, “the more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.”

Embracing this quote also helps us live more fulfilling and peaceful lives by inviting and enjoying change.

Recognizing that vacations, sunsets, and TV shows are incredible because of their impermanence comforts us when they come to an end.

Same with you and me. The more we contemplate our finitude, the more inspired we are to fully appreciate and live in the moment.