Productive Mornings Are The Key To Success & Happiness (Part 1) -Waking Up Early

Waking up early is one of those terms that either sounds delightful to some or horrendous to others. Some view it pessimistically by envisioning the prospect with the image of dragging oneself out of the fluffy heaven they call a bed and force a gallon of coffee down their gullet to prevent them from going back to that bliss; sometimes known as "night-owls". Others relish the feeling of springing out of bed in the morning to greet the sun and get a head start on their day; referred to as "morning lark". I myself am a morning lark, and fortunately so is my wife. The benefits of waking up early greatly outweigh those of evening wanderers and is key to implementing success in your life.

Are you a Morning Person or an Evening Person?

Here are some of the Benefits of Rising Early:

1. Increase Your Academic Ability. Studies have shown that those who rise early have on average a full 1.0 higher GPA than night people. The idea is that you kick start your mind into starting with the sun rather than artificial light emanating from TV and laptops all night. You are also less distracted by heavy drinking and other factors detrimental to your academics.
   
2. Become Proactive. According to a study completed by Harvard Biologist Chistoph Randler morning risers are more proactive and optimistic in trying to change a situation to their advantage - a key component to success.
3. Improve Organisation. Use that extra quiet time you have in the morning. Plan what you need to do and when. It will save you flustering like an idiotic buffoon later in the day when you realise you are halfway way across town and you have a meeting in ten minutes.
4. Time To Exercise. Utterly Vital. So much so that it will get its own segment in Part 3.
5. More Effective Sleep. If you go to sleep with the sun (or close to it) and rise with the sun studies say you will have a more naturally occurring sleep as your sleep cycle is in sync with the Earth's Circadian Rhythm.
6. Be Happier and More Optimistic. Research has shown that morning larks are more happy with life than night owls. And not just in the mornings, but throughout their entire day. So if you are a night owl drowning in pessimism or depression why not give rising early a chance.
7. Quicker Travel Times. Going into work that hour early might just be the key to making you less stressed at work. No more arriving after having been stuck in traffic jams and bottlenecks. Travel early and the roads are clearer and so is your mind.
8. Most Importantly...More Time With Family. Getting that jump start on your work day may just be what you need to finish early and on time so you can come home and spend time with your family. Allowing you to unwind, relax and appreciate one of the most important aspects of life.

How To Stick To Your Exercise Regime

In order to become the polymathic man one must develop all the main fundamental skills - Knowledge, Social Development, Creativity, and Physical Development. That means ALL of these categories. If you are an overweight, piano playing, Cambridge professor who is an active member of a local social club then unfortunately you are not a true Renaissance man.  Your overweight plight is what is preventing you from achieving this so if we are to strive for true personal development we must keep our body in prime condition. After all our mind and body are complimentary to each other. So in light of all this I have highlighted some key points that aided me in maintaining my personal fitness.

• Consistency: The best way I have found is to have a program written out and stick to it. Don't just exercise when you feel like it. You'll be more accountable to stick to it when you have a schedule for it.
• Variety: Change your workout. Don't just stick to the mundane repetitive exercise everyday. You will get bored and be less likely to continue your program. Try different sports to encourage your enjoyment in exercise.
• Training Partner: Having someone who is also trying to get in shape makes each of you accountable for the other. This really works when you feel like skipping a day but your partner does not.
  
  I myself am lucky enough to have my wife (who is an NCAA division 1 track & Field/Cross Country athlete) as my partner as she shares the same passion for fitness that I do.
• Have a Goal: Having a goal gives you motivation to stick to your program. You want to avoid that disheartened feeling you get when you do not achieve something you set out to do. Make it reasonable though. If you have never run try not to set out for a 17 minute 5k in a month.
• Compete: Sign-up for a local race, or sports tournament. Competing against other athletes will spur that competitive drive within you and make you want to train harder. 
• Keep Track: Keep track of your program stats - weight, BMI, Cholesterol level, Times for certain races, when you got tired during a badminton game etc. This will allow you to see improvement and motivate you to keep on going.
• Finally...Have Fun! If you enjoy what you are doing you are going to keep doing it. Make sure you do the sports and exercises you enjoy - not just what people tell you to do. 

Striving for physical fitness is a commitment and one we must really want for ourselves. You want your health to change then go out there and change it. It will compliment the rest of your life in ways you wont expect.

P.S. Make sure you eat healthy too!

A Greater Tomorrow: Relay For Life

As I have made abundantly clear I am an individual dedicated to self-improvement and the unlocking of my absolute potential in life. However, this past weekend on a blisteringly hot afternoon in Southern California my wife and I put our own interests aside and took a small four hours out of our day to volunteer for those in need. We dedicated our afternoon to volunteering with Relay For Life in the city of San Fernando, CA. Relay For Life is a charitable organisation partnered with the American Cancer Society to provide funding to research teams fighting to cure cancer and to give aid to the patients and families of those affected by the brutal disease.  Programs like these need as many volunteers as they can get for as little or as much time as people can donate. Sacrificing our own time selflessly to help others is part of what makes us human beings. It reminds us that there are others out there not as fortunate as ourselves and only together can we work to end the pain and suffering that happens to individuals all around the world. I may have only been able to donate four hours of my time but if we all do a small amount we can be a part of something great. I most certainly will be donating much more of my time as often as I can spare it and I urge you all to do the same. The world needs your help. GET NVOLVED

Britain Has a Wimbledon Champion Again

Andy Murray has defeated Novak Djokovic claiming the Wimbledon Title. He also got a whopping £1.6 million in prize money, so all in all a good day at the office for Murray today.This win marked him as the first British tennis player to win the competition in 77 years and he even did so in straight sets - Click HERE for the match statistics. The 26 year old has had an unpredictable history with Wimbledon which has landed him in multiple semi-finals and the final in 2012 in which he was defeated by Roger Federer. A defeat which surely drove his motivation for returning the following year with absolute resolution to win the title - a feat which has spawned the hashtag #wimbdledone. This competition was not an easy road for the Scot with both the Quarter final and semi final putting him on the brink of defeat before fighting back vigorously. Andy Murray has done what many could not do for decades and today I am a proud national of Scotland and Great Britain to have been alive to witness such an accomplishment for British tennis.

Tennis Rankings:

London Grammar Music

Music is one of the most potentially beautiful ways into a person's heart and mind. I have an incredibly eclectic taste in music and this enables me to have a certain level of open-mindedness when listening to all genres of music. Being a musician myself when I discover remarkable new music I instantly go into flurry of sharing as I believe everyone should experience this greatness (not always do people agree with my musical opinion). Even though I am in California I still feel the need to listen to BBC Radio 1 to get a lot of my music fixes and today I came across this beautiful piece of music by a band called London Grammar. Their sound graced my ears on the Zane Lowe show on BBC Radio 1 and the music instantly captivated me. I strongly recommend checking them out. Their debut album is to be released on September 1st, 2013 and they are currently touring around the UK. Click HERE for dates!