Those extra few hours

Those extra few hours

Having come back from a long holiday from the US I found myself extremely jetlagged when I landed in San Francisco. The 16 hour flight was as smooth as ever and having slept for more than 10 I cruised the other 6 hours by catching up on reading and a movie.

When I arrived at my first destination Santa Rosa, Nappa Valley, the jet lag hit me hard the first week. Without fail I was passing out at 6 pm, wherever I may be, and waking up at 4 am on a daily basis. I was disoriented in the evening and my words were slurring at some point.

When I woke up at 4 am the first day, I shot out of bed like a rocket. I was wide away and full of energy. I prayed, had breakfast and caught up on emails. I would check my clock to see that it was just 5 am. I had more hours to kill before everyone else woke up. I went for a stroll in the neighborhood. The sky was lighting up and there were barely any cars out. It was peaceful, tranquil, and the air was fresh and clean. I came back after half an hour to meditate. I then did some journaling, and started assessing my goals for 2015. It was now 7 am, I still had more time. I had another cup of coffee and started making breakfast. By 8 am, I had accomplished so much and managed to squeeze in a 10 minute meditation session. I felt great, complete, and at peace, ready for the day to begin.

I always read about the blessings of starting your day early, and having tried to wake up at dawn has always been a challenge for me, seeing as most of my workout sessions are after 7 pm, and I tend to work late into the night. But switching it up, sleeping at 7 pm and waking up at 4 am, has widely increased my productivity levels and my energy levels were high. I am highly focused and alert and a lot more productive and most importantly I found such harmony in those early hours without distractions, noise, or people around. I was alone with my thoughts and my thinking and it was luxury.

But when my body clock was jerking me up at 4 am, wide awake with plenty of rest in my body, it was a whole other world that has opened to me. I realized for the first time, that taking a few hours for myself to clear my head, strategize, and give me some time for myself, I was able to really give more through out the day. I was satisfied and relaxed. After almost a month now I am back at home, and it is now 5.33 am, and I am writing this feature. I am equally as jetlagged but blessed to have my body block be fully aware and working at this hour. I get it now. Waking up early and completing the rituals of the morning allows you to focus on the larger milestones through out the day, meetings, presentation, and get through the dense work. I would highly recommend trying and perfecting this ultra cool healthy habit, I know I hope the jet lag sticks around for a few more weeks.