It took me 30 or so years to get over this setback. 

I never really saw it as a setback; not only that, but I also thought that the world was wrong and that I should be able to do more of this sin. 

For over 30 years my alarm rang in the morning and before smart phones and snooze buttons, I just switched it off and dozed back to sleep. 

My guiltiest of pleasure, sleep. I couldn’t get enough of it. I often was late to school, I missed classes in college, got stuck in horrendous traffic because I couldn’t get out on time to beat the peak. 

There was always something that triggered me to go back to sleep and during the day, I felt lethargic and welcomed cat naps anytime and anywhere. 

I didn’t see anything wrong with that and I post rationalized by saying things like “I’m a night owl” and “I work better at night” and I know that many people are the same and while being a night owl is a real thing; today I wouldn’t trade getting up early in the morning for anything else, and with no snooze button. Yes! Because I changed; and my change didn’t come about easy. I wish today, I had someone share with me these steps 30 years ago and I would have been where I am today so much sooner. Not to fret! There is hope for you yet.  

I went through months of trial and error and frustration until I found a process that worked. I research, I read, and I compiled from the habits of successful people to meditation and to brain hacks. I share with you here the fruit of my trials to help you get on top and regain your freedom too.  

Early rise helped me not only regain freedom but also find myself and my calling. 

If you are struggling at the moment with soul searching, I urge you to follow the next steps… but be warned; DISCIPLINE* is a key requirement for this formula to work. 

Don’t get overwhelmed with the process and practice small steps at first. I can help you start small and build your goals to enable you to rise early in the morning and get your days’ worth. 

With these steps, you will be able to retire at night satisfied knowing you did all that was in your capacity to do for the day, because each day is all we have and all that we can control. Each day in fact is all we need.  

• Step 1: Habits*, are define as the set of actions that one acquires through repetition. Habits are etched in our neural pathways; and, Here’s Good News: you can change those pathways through repetition of a new pattern, action, behavior or thought. The key to changing habits, is to start small and build a structure that allows you repetition. To succeed in this step, your first action is to take note of your current habits. Identify what you determine as good habits and do that more often.

• Step 2: Routine, write down daily actions and key goals or tasks you want to accomplish; again, the key here is to start small. In general, we are very good at following a work schedule and blocking time in our calendars for meetings, conference/video calls and holding a to do list, but we leave our well-being on the back burner. We rarely block time in our calendars for meals, for exercise, or reading. There is always an excuse! I often hear: “I don’t have time” or “I can’t find the time” … etc.  Yes, work is important, but at the end of the line, without our health and wellbeing, our performance will suffer. Life could be so much better, if we all took a stand and put ourselves first. Hold an agenda and block key moments out for yourself. Write your routine down in your agenda every day and update it every evening. You regain your freedom by making the time for the things that you love.  

• Step 3: Associations, when you complete step 1 and 2 you are ready to tackle step 3 because here, you need to build associations in your mind. Take note of what actions make you feel good, when you’re forming a new habit, there will be a certain level of frustration with it, as you are putting a conscious effort; but once you complete the task on hand, notice how you feel. The more achievements you recognize, the more motivated you will be to tackle bigger tasks. 

• Step 4: Environment, build a favorable one both physically and mentally. Upgrading your surrounding includes the people that you interact with. Friends, family and spouse need to support your will and need for growth. Avoid negativity and negative people because they will only delay your growth and they will find ways to make you abandon the difficulty of the change task at hand. Your environment includes a personal space that is neat and organized, where you can sit and have a calm moment to reflect. Mentally, you also need to notice what you are telling yourself. You need to be kind to your mind. Choose to encourage yourself rather than beat yourself up. 

• Step 5: Accountability, use a journal to write down your actions and accomplishments in a day. My best advice is to split your journal in one part for the morning and one for the evening. Right after you wake up, every morning, write down personal tasks you seek to accomplish for example: “today I will drink two more cups of water than usual” or “I will walk an extra 10 minutes”, or “I will read a chapter of that book I always wanted to start”. 

  For starters, your goals must be small and feasible. 

  Then, in the evening, take a moment to reflect and write what made your day great. Generally, you will look at accomplishments related to the tasks you planned in the morning. Accountability will kick in when you notice that for three days straight you wanted to drink those extra two cups, but you never did. This is when you realize that you are responsible for your actions. This is when the magic really happens! You will notice day in, and day out, what patterns are emerging, and that will bring accountability. When you take ownership, your world will shift to the better.

Final Thoughts: freedom is a product of discipline and routine. That word today is used loosely, and many people attribute a negative connotation to “routine” as being habitual and boring, when in fact it’s the opposite. 

Without these five simple steps, don’t expect to have time to work out, or spend playing with your children or having a quality dinner with your spouse. All successful people follow tight routines and schedules and if you work for a boss that doesn’t respect your values and principles, then it’s high time you set yourself on a routine to make space to plan your exit! I waited too long, but you don’t have to.  

I know that many of you might be thinking that this is a load of information that is good in theory; and maybe some of you tried some of these steps for a few days but found no results. Remember, discipline and patience are required for success. Don’t make excuses, take action! 

All good things need time… give yourself the chance to change and value your wellbeing over all else.  

Five simple steps combined with discipline and patience will allow you to build strong habits and regain your freedom. 

Do you feel like you have barriers to start and take control? Get in touch at www.heresgoodnews.com for support to build a strong routine and Here’s Good News: You Can Make It!

Written by Tarek Azmi. Founder of Here’s Good News, a training and development company dedicated to your personal and professional growth, offering learning modules, coaching sessions and personal training.

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Notes: 

• “While Discipline and Freedom seem like they sit on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are actually very connected. Freedom is what everyone wants — to be able to act and live with freedom. But the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline. If you want financial freedom, you have to have financial discipline. If you want more free time, you have to follow a more disciplined time management system” Jocko Willink -Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, 2017 

• Andrews, B. R. -Habitj, 1903. The American Journal of Psychology.

• Habit formation, Psychology Today 

• Image credits to Kristina V @Christya_V