Morning Glory

Rising early in the morning to start the day is not a very popular activity among most college students. The alarm goes off and the temptation is to hit snooze until the last possible minute. However, I believe getting up early is beneficial to your overall mood for the rest of the day.

Photo by Spencer Randolph

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Yes, I am a morning person.

I know, this is probably super annoying and you may be wondering why anyone would ever enjoy rising early in the morning, even without having anywhere to be.

My friends and family like to say that I am “annoyingly happy” in the morning and don’t understand how I can be so chipper.

My reason for this is to start my morning with glory.

I have always loved the term “morning glory” because I feel that it describes the feeling I get early in the morning in the quiet solitude of my apartment before the busy bustle of my day catches up with me.

I wake up every morning at 6:30 a.m. My earliest class is not until 9:30 a.m. but I find that rising early and enjoying a slow pace creates a peaceful state of mind for me throughout the day.

Morning glory to me is rising up and being thankful for the day to come. I wake up each morning with plenty of time to spare and this slow pace creates a calm oasis for me.

I rise with enough time to think clearly about my tasks and goals for the day.

I have learned from my high school experience that waking up with no time to spare causes me to feel overwhelmed, tired and cranky. In addition, the sense of frantic in being late creates a hectic mindset that can carry with me throughout the day.

When I became a college athlete I began to have morning practices. Initially I hated getting up with the sun and being physically active first thing, but I learned that in order to be successful I must embrace it.

Through embracing this, I was then able to conscientiously change my mindset about waking up early.

My habit has stuck with me, and now I am not asked to rise early for sports practices but choose to voluntarily.

The choice to embrace my “morning glory” truly has changed my life.

Each day is more fulfilling when it is started with peace, gratitude and a calm thought.

By waking up and declaring my gratitude for all of God’s creations, I am calm and able to receive more of the blessings he has in store for me throughout the day.

This mental shift is something I would encourage anyone who struggles with their mornings to think about.

Even if you just rise 15 minutes earlier than your normal time, you will see that if you embrace your mornings and take in the beauty of the day to come, you will be more peaceful and overall happy.

Each day is a gift so rise and claim your glory.