Waking Up Without An Alarm Clock

Photo by Victoria G

I woke up yesterday morning with the thought to write a post about waking up without an alarm clock. But I allowed my day to take me in different directions and didn't get to it...until now. Which happened to be after I was Stumbling and came across this post at Pick The Brain.

I've been waking up without an alarm clock for about two years. At the time I'd been comming across information about how we can condition ourselves by programming our subconsciousness just before going to sleep. I also heard about Lucid Dreaming, although I didn't spend much energy looking into it, I got the jest of it.

Additionally, I was always pretty good with time. I could tell the time by looking at the sun in the sky, within about 5-10 minutes. Indoors I could tell you within 10-15 minutes what time it is, without looking at a watch. In fact, throughout my entire life, I hardly ever wore a watch. I am and always have been very punctual. I respect other people's time and I'm sad to say I have little patient for people who are late, tardy and otherwise disrepectful of other's time.

So, I decided that I would try to wake up without an alarm clock. Besides, the "BLAAH, BLAAH, BLAAH" of the alarm buzzing was a bit of a jolt in the morning. For a time I used the radio wake me up, then I thought about what could be placed in my head while in that place between sleep and wakefullness. So, waking up with my own internal clock was something I would work on.

Here is how I started and developed my practice of waking without an alarm clock.

* No drugs or alcohol: I'm not being judgemental nor an anti-substance use commentator, it's just a fact that they effect you mentally and physically which can effect your ability to do this, or any other skill development. Besides when I had a couple of drinks before bed and tried this, I didn't wake as well as I did without the drinks...but who does!

* Physical preparation: I would spend 5-10 minutes doing some stretching to loosen up before going to bed. When I got into bed I'd lay comfortablly on my back, with my arms at my sides and hands on my belly. I'd do diaphragmatic breathing. ( Simple explaination, Wikipedia, Swamij.com )

* Mental preparation: When Diapragmaticly Breathing I'd think the following thoughts (affirmations) or other variations of:

I am relaxed and comfortable.
I sleep well.
I have a restful and relaxing night.
I awaken in the morning at 6:00 am (or whatever time you want) feeling relaxed and refreshed, ready to start my day.
I am looking forward to a great day.

* Visualization: See yourself waking up at 5:59 am. Fully awake, sitting up, looking at the clock and turning off the alarm switch since you are up and ready to begin your day.

Once in bed, the breathing, mental affirmtions and visualizations would take about 5-10 minutes before I'd be off in la-la-land. It does take some practice. Within a week, you'll be falling asleep in about 10 minutes. You'll be sleeping deeper and more relaxed.

Meditating before going to bed helps tremendously. If you already meditate before going to bed, you know how this improves your sleep.

* Variations: Where I live now, there are lots of trees and when Spring is here, the birds are back and their young are born and their early morning chirps, whistles and caws are a great natural sound to wake-up with. I include in my thoughts before slumber "I awaken to the beautiful sounds of nature waking up at sunrise."

Once I got use to waking up before the alarm would go off. I'd start to program myself to wake up earlier on my own 5, 10, 15 minutes before the alarm was set. I eventually stopped turning on the alarm. I do always wake up in time to get me (and when they are with me, my children) up and out the door. 99.9% of the time, I'm early or on-time for work, including breakfast, making lunch and transporation to school and work. Admittedly it's a bit more rushed on these days, but we make it.

I started to expand my thoughts during my sleep preparations. I figure if I can manifest things and situations to work in my favor, then I'll include my children. I've been adding thoughts and saying affirmations about my children sleeping better and waking easier in the morning. In the mornings I ask them how they slept they last night. They tell me good. The past couple of times, even told me, without me prompting this particular response, they sleep better in my home then elsewhere.

If you are looking to have a good day, it starts with a good night's sleep and the intention to have a good day. Let the first thing you hear in the morning be the sound of birds chirpping, the call of nature waking you up, your own dreams whispering in your ear to wake-up, not the "BLAAH, BLAAH, BLAAH" of an alarm clock.

Word tricks to help use the Law of Attraction

Words, both written and spoken, are a powerful force in our world. We have seen words used to take us to numerous wars, propel our species to the moon, and to sell toothpaste.

Words are the means to share ideas and concepts with others. We use words to show and express emotions (vibrations) "I love you" and "I hate you." Hopefully you are saying and hearing "I love you" more. Words are one step toward manifesting our realities.

Words also advance our knowledge. Since the written word we have advanced faster than by oral tradition. Written words preserve knowledge of one generation allowing following generation to build upon that foundation of knowlege.

Words have inspired armies, united people, villified opposing ideals and seperated races. What can words do to us as individuals, besides enticing us to buy toothpaste?

Words can build us up and tear us down just as easily as uniting a nation against a common enemy. Words can encourage us to grow or limit and hold us back from development. "I'm scared." "I can't." "I'm not worthy." Since words are one step in the manifestation of our reality, these words indicate we are stopped or limted. We need to be aware of the words we use on and about others as well as ourselves.

I want to share with you some tricks I've learned to help use words to raise your vibrations, help you feel better and your life more joyful.

I've learned these from many sources over the years. Some have more appeal to me at different times and better effects in different phases of my life than others, but all have a positive impact.

1. Make positive statements about what you want.

I think I came across this more from being a parent than I did in personal development. I've been using it with my children and I've seen wonderful results. When I've wanted the children to do, act or respond in a certian way, I'll ask or tell them what I want them to do.

For instance, instead of using the negative statements:

Don't hit your sister/brother.
Don't throw the ball in the house.
Don't slam the door.
Don't forget your lunch.
Don't run out into the street.

I'll use positive affirming statements of what I do want them to do:

Be nice to your sister/brother.
Go play outside.
Close the door quietly.
Remember to take your lunch.
Stop and look before you go out into the street to get the ball. Or, stay on the sidewalk to be safe.

I've shared this with friends who have children and they tell me it's done great things for their parent/child relationships as well. (I wonder how it'll work on adults?)

It took me some time to modify the way I spoke to the kids on a regular basis and sometimes an urgent need arises and I use a negitive phrased statement. As soon as I catch myself, I restate in the positive.

2. "The world is plotting to do great things for me today. I'm looking forward to seeing what they are."

I picked this up from Jack Canfield's "The Success Principles" CD. I've modified the statement on the CD, for me, this has a more positive impact. I start my day early. When I'm waking up and listening to my alarm clock go off I'll say this phrase. (I wake up to the trees full of birds chirpping, cawing, hooting, etc. as dawn approachs.) While laying in bed between slumber and wakefullness, I think this phrase and visulaize many good things that can happen, things I want to happen and feeling grateful for what is happening now and happened recently. Boy, are my days really good and getting better.

3. Affirmations and Allowing Statements

I use affirmations with some regularity. Some of the affirmations I fully and completely believe and can accept easily:

I'm a safe and cautious driver, I arrive at all my destinations on time and in a safe and efficient manner.

Some affirmations we use may cause conflict with our limiting beliefs we have and will nullify or reduce the effectiveness of the affirmation. I learned some tools from reading Michael Lozier's book "Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't" to neutralize the limiting beliefs we can add-on to an affirmation that hinder our growth.

Allowing statements on the other hand, are positive affirmations that our desires can be reached as eveidenced by examples and proof that others have accomplished the same goals or similar desires. By using third person examples, we avoid tagging our affirmations with a negative thought that reduces the effectiveness of the affirmation. For example:

"I earn $100,000.00 or more each year."

Sure, some people can easily find this a positive and exciting affirmation. Some still see the contrasting current situation and our ego creeps in and says something like "Oh, yeah, sure. Uh huh, what about this...and this...and this." These ad-on or tag-on statements nullify or reduce the effectiveness of the affirmation.

Allowing statements work differently.

"Every year, there are thousands of people who earn $100,000.00 or more each year."

Of course that is true. We can find evidence of this in news reports, magazine articles, on the internet, stories, etc. It's easy to get excited knowing that others have acheived this level of income. Why get excited about another's success, because jealously is a negitive emotion and emits negitive vibrations. Another example:

"Every day, there are people who are meeting their ideal partner for their life long happiness."

Get excited everytime you see couples walking hand-in-hand, kissing, hugging, etc. Seeing this, and desiring to have a more loving partner and healthy relationship go hand-in-hand to increase your vibrational level and help you visulaize you being in a relationship.

4. "I'm in the process of..."

Sometimes the conflict between current reality and our desires stops us. I've used this statement for years. Mostly when fighting off a cold or illness while building up my immune system. So, instead of saying "I'm sick" I'd say "I'm in the process of fighting off this cold, and I'm winning."

Now I'm using this with more deliberate use of attracting other desires.

5. Gratitude Journal and Recording Your Proof.

I've posted in this blog numerous times of my gratitude for experiences. That was done more sporadically when the feeling of gratitude for an exeptional experience was very high. Recently I've writing a gratitude journal nightly. Since then I'm feeling and experiencing a greater sense of happiness where ever I go. It appears to me that I'm more aware of the little things in my environment that make me smile and feel more grateful each day.

Additionally, I'm writing about all the things I see as signs of manifestations on the way or the actual manifestations. By recording these experieneces, I document proof that they are actually happening and comming into existance. Leaving this to memory is fine, for a short term, but the ongoing journaling makes for compelling evidence that good things are happening and in the process of becomming. Some examples, I was given a tour of a local Unity Center that a friend of mine goes to on a regular basis. While showing me some meeting rooms, we found a local Toastmasters club meets there and the person setting up is in Corporate Training and Development. Since I'm changing careers, this is a good sign that I experienced that I'm on the right track.

Well, I've shared several ideas with you about using words that can inspire and lift up your vibrations. There are plenty more that I'll share here and many more elsewhere to find.

Enjoy life more often.