Submitted by Tyke Crowley on
You are lying on the beach enjoying a beautiful summer day. You’re so warm and relaxed, hearing the sound of each wave... BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! You awake out of your dream long enough to hit the snooze button.
You've never done this, right? You may not know it, but you just let your elephant take control. If you want to wake up more easily, you need to take control back from your elephant.
What is your elephant? Our brains have basically two parts: logical part (called the rider) and the more automatic part (called the elephant). The rider looks out for your future self; it’s the part that sets the alarm in the morning to get up an exercise. The elephant is more impulsive and emotional; it’s the part that hits the snooze. But be forewarned, your elephant is by far the most powerful part of your brain.
Here’s a technique, which I’ve been doing for years, that will allow you to wake up when you want, feeling refreshed. You must engage your elephant the night before by doing two things: 1. Remind yourself why it is important to get up early, and 2. Tell yourself what time you want to wake up by touching your wrist or your head and see in your mind’s eye the time you want to wake. This engages your elephant by connecting to its emotional drive and uses its amazing ability to “set” your internal alarm clock.
Practice for a week or so, and you will wake up feeling more refreshed and more often than not, without an alarm clock!
Commit to Make Each Day CountTM! ~Tyke