Morning Person or Night Owl: Embrace Who You Are

Let me just go ahead and put this out there – in case y’all haven’t noticed, I’m not a night person.

I am, and always have been, a morning person. And you know what? I’m not going to invest my time trying to become a better night person. If I tried as hard as I could; I’d still fail.

Night for me starts at about 7pm. Sometimes Barry will look at me and say, “This isn’t a good time for you, is it?” If I don’t get something done before 7pm, it’s pretty much not going to happen that day. My head practically stops working after dinner.  The lights are on, but nobody’s home.

Now, if you look up morning person in the dictionary, I’m there. That is me up one side and down the other. And no, not just because I love muffins, butter and coffee. 😉 I hear from people all the time,  “I wish I was more like you!” “How do you wake up so early?” “If only I could be a morning person.”

When did we decide that instead of being cool with who we are, we have to be something (someone) we’re not? Why is it not okay to just be who we are?

My advice is simple: stop feeling bad, stop wishing you were made differently, and good golly, quit trying to be someone else. Seriously, quit trying! Like Dr. Phil always says, “How’s that working out for ya?” If it’s not, then quit! Embrace who you are and rock what IS working out for you. I think that means if you’re a morning person, rock it. Rock it, baby! And if you’re a night person, do that instead of setting the alarm and hating yourself for getting up so early “just because” someone said you should. Well…unless that person is your boss, but that’s a whole different topic.

Ask yourself – which one am I?

I hate to have to state the obvious here, but y’all do have to chose one. You don’t have the option to just be lazy all day long. The Bible’s pretty specific about “idle hands”. Aren’t they the devil’s workshop or playground or something like that? (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 makes it pretty clear that God wants us to stay far away from idleness and laziness.) Whether you’re an early bird, a night owl, or somewhere in between; embrace the person that God made you to be.

That being said, there are things that you can put in place to make your nights go more smoothly, even if you’re not a night owl. And, there are ways to make your mornings more productive and less overwhelming, even if you’re not a morning person.

Crystal Paine at Money-Saving Mom has two courses available: Make Over Your Mornings & Make Over Your Evenings – combined, these classes cost around $35. I would never recommend something unless I know it is worth the money. I have so many friends who have taken these classes and said they were exceptional – her courses are top notch. When something is awesome, I can’t help but tell you guys.

All too often we are living in survival mode, letting the exception become the rule. Survival mode is okay for a small amount of time, but you don’t want to let living in grace become the rule. There are simple things that you can try to help your mornings and evenings go more smoothly, no matter what your personality is.

Rock who you are. The older I get, the more I realize that I don’t have time to be someone else. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Whether you are a night person or morning person, do it to the best of your ability. No more pity party here. God created you just the way you are – so embrace that!