Why I refuse to give up my morning coffee

There is a deep divinity in the first moments when I open my eyes in the morning. The solitude, the stillness, the calm, but most importantly, the realization that I’ll be drinking my cup of coffee in a few minutes.

Coffee. My friend, my grounding point, my morning routine.

My admiration for coffee does not have deep roots in my life story; I only learned to love it with my first job five years ago. It came to me as a rally, a break from my gloomy desk and an excuse to socialize with my new colleagues. Very soon, its bitter taste and sweet aroma became an addiction; one cup turned into three, and the hours between 11 am and 2 pm were terribly long.

Three jobs later and I still have those cravings with me. But now that I’m self-employed, my mornings aren’t as rushed and I drink my first cup of coffee mindfully. In fact, it acts as a closure for my morning routine which consists of:

Lie in bed for a few minutes and appreciate the rare moments of total peace.
brushing my teeth
making my bed
Meditating for 20 minutes
Having a coffee while we catch up on the news

With the last sip, I realize it’s time to get to work. But I do it with joy because I know that I have attended my personal morning time, a time that has been designed specifically for me, by me. But why is this so important?

Famous athletes, business tycoons, presidents, and all successful people have one thing in common: they have cultivated a morning routine that serves them in the best possible way.

Barack Obama starts his day at 6:45 a.m. with a workout followed by reading various newspapers, having breakfast with his family, and finally heading to work at 9 a.m. Michelle Gass, president of the giant Starbucks chain, wakes up at 4:30 a.m. am to go running. Steve Jobs looked in the mirror every morning and asked himself, “If today were my last day, would I want to do what I’m going to do today?” And every time the answer was “No” for too many days in a row, he would say “…I know I need to change something.”

We may not be the Obamas, the Gasses, and the Jobs of the world, but we all have a purpose that we aim to fulfill every day. Roy F. Baumeister, a psychologist and author, suggests in his book “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength” that our willpower is strongest in the morning, which means that if we set out to accomplish something during the next 24 hours when we wake up, then we are more likely to make it.

Many of us make the mistake of assuming that we are night owls and that morning is the enemy, and I was no exception to this. But as the number of candles on my cake increased and the days lengthened from mental and physical exhaustion, I began to not only appreciate sleep, but also daydream about the moment I jumped into bed. And so, I convinced myself to wake up at 7am and forget about the snooze button altogether. But my plan failed completely.
Although I managed to wake up with my first alarm, I was groggy and bitter. I skipped breakfast and shuffled to the office with a frown. I was tired and didn’t want to be talked to until at least 9 in the morning.

A few months into this vicious routine, I realized that I actually felt worse. After much research I learned that my foundations were wrong; Sure I woke up early, but I didn’t go to bed at a time that would give me enough sleep. A few weeks and experimentations later, my body got used to turning off the lights at 10:30 pm and waking up gracefully at 7 am A good night’s sleep meant waking up in a good mood and looking forward to breakfast, and I was so surprised by the big changes they made these little mods i kept making more. Now, here I am, with an effective sleep routine AND tomorrow.

The transition to becoming a morning person is difficult and enticing for many, but it’s worth it.

It doesn’t happen overnight and the key is to literally take one step at a time. I started by setting my alarm back fifteen minutes every other day. It took me a few weeks to finally reach my goal, but I’ve been stuck ever since, including weekends.

My mornings set the standard for the rest of my day. They are also empowering; they act as a compelling reminder that I am entitled to some quality time for myself, which is something I believe everyone deserves.

So why not take the first step? Go to bed thirty minutes earlier tonight and wake up fifteen minutes earlier tomorrow morning. Make yourself a breakfast when you get home from work today and maybe even download a playlist to help you wake up in the morning. Most importantly, don’t forget to brew that cup of coffee.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *