10 reasons you should wake up earlier — and how to do it

Flickr/Calvin YC

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" — Ben Franklin, famously

"Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin …" — Mark Twain

Recently, reader Rob asked me about my habit of waking at 4:30 a.m. each day, and asked me to write about the health benefits of rising early, which I thought was an excellent question.

Unfortunately, there are none, that I know of.

However, there are a ton of other great benefits.

Now, let me first say that if you are a night owl, and that works for you, I think that's great.

There's no reason to change, especially if you're happy with it.

But for me, switching from being a night owl to an early riser (and yes, it is possible) has been a godsend.

It has helped me in so many ways that I'd never go back. Here are just a few:

1. Greet the day.

I love being able to get up, and greet a wonderful new day. I suggest creating a morning ritual that includes saying thanks for your blessings.

I'm inspired by the Dalai Lama, who said, " Everyday, think as you wake up, 'today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.' "

2. Amazing start.

I used to start my day by jumping out of bed, late as usual, and rushing to get myself and the kids ready, and rushing to drop them to school and come in to work late. I would walk into work, looking rumpled and barely awake, grumpy and behind everyone else. Not a great start to your day.

Now, I have a renewing morning ritual, I've gotten so much done before 8 a.m., my kids are early and so am I, and by the time everyone else gets in to work, I've already gotten a head start. There is no better way to start off your day than to wake early, in my experience.

3. Quietude.

No kids yelling, no babies crying, no soccer balls, no cars, no television noise. The early morning hours are so peaceful, so quiet. It's my favorite time of day. I truly enjoy that time of peace, that time to myself, when I can think, when I can read, when I can breathe.