Coach Ramsha

May Peace follow you everywhere, you beautiful, limitless human being!

It’s your fave stubborn girl Mishi at it again. I know you (and I, both) expected Mish’s Metamorphosis Part II, and I sincerely thought about it. Then, I decided to postpone it till next Tuesday. There is something more urgent!

A handful of my friends have seen my wake-up challenge on instagram and were asking for tips. Waking up late was decreasing their motivation, productivity levels and overall satisfaction with their lives. This is what is was doing to my life, too. That is, before I discovered the key.

After sharing it with them, I feel it’s my responsibility to share it with the world. Why? A much wiser human than I is reported to have said:

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.

Albert Einstein

OK, I have to admit, this is going to be a juicy article. If you want to change YOUR life, keep reading. If not, keep saying, “I hope I can do it one day,” and live with all of the regrets of those who made this fatal mistake before you.

A little harsh? Yes. A wake-up call is no joke…it’s a life-or-death situation, you have NO other choice. Stop fooling yourself.

Before reading any further, I want you to do something – for me, and for you. Take a minute and just…

SMILE.

Smile your heart out, my friend. For the Muslims out here, smiling is Sunnah. You’re adding to your bank of good deeds. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) had the hardest life in human history, and yet, he (saw) was always smiling. For all of us, studies show that smiling can literally trick our brains into happiness.

Don’t feel like it? Fake it till you make it, junior!

Now, you know how before you apply to college or grad school, there are some PRE-REQUISITES you have to complete? Well, if you want an ALL-ACCESS PASS to the 5am Success Club, I have two simple pre-requisites for you.

1. Smile. God, you’re beautiful. You should do that more often!
2. Shout it from the rooftop (or the shower, he he): “I WAS CREATED LIMITLESS! I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING MY DESTINY. THERE IS NOTHING (but me) THAT CAN STOP ME FROM LIVING MY DREAM LIFE.”

The human brain is a very tricky thing. You become who you think you are.

If you say things like, “I hope I can keep this up,” or “I don’t think I have it in me,” I have news for you:

It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Remember, from the very first article? What you seek, is seeking YOU. BE your own hope. Make it happen, no excuses!

Now that we have our two pre-requisites in place, you are 100% ready to receive what’s next.

I have tweaked Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning – an incredible book, by the way – to include some tips specifically for Muslims. This is because a LOT of us Muslims face incredible difficulty waking up for our morning prayer, Fajr.

And yet, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The two Rak’ah before the dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than this world and all it contains.” [Muslim]

So, here’s what helped me (I have attached a worksheet here):

1. Eat 2-3 hours BEFORE bed. This way, you won’t be lazy, biologically. Your stomach won’t be keeping you awake. You’ll wake up feeling energized – and hungry! 😉
2. Make a mini to-do list of what you will do when you wake up at 5am. 3-4 items, tops. I’ll give tips on this in a follow-up article, on Thursday, so keep reading.
3. Do one good deed before bed. Hug a loved one, and tell them how much they mean to you. If no one’s close enough to hug, send a nice message. If nothing else, set aside as little as $1 for charity. If you don’t wake up, make your last act a good act.
4. GET IN BED EARLY, NO EXCUSES! If you want to wake up at 5am, you HAVE to be in bed by 10pm, latest. In fact, aim for 9:30pm. Tonight, when you start this, (and I know you will) it WILL be tough to fall asleep. Beginnings are always rough, but the human body adjusts. Be patient.
5. Turn your ringer on. Set ONE alarm for 5AM. You have to get up, there’s no backup. Put your phone across the room, far enough from your pesky fingers.
6. In bed, give yourself a mini-motivational speech that you WILL wake up at 5am: (inspired by Miracle Morning): “I’m going to wake up SO energized after 7 hours of sleep. Alhamdulillah (All Praise and thanks to God) for Granting me these 7 hours of incredible sleep. Seven hours is exactly what I need to crush my goals tomorrow! I was created limitless, I can do anything. I can’t wait, I’m so excited to wake up!!!” Smile again.
7. If you have Instagram, post on your story: “In bed, see ya at 5am!” WITH A TIME STAMP. To Track your own progress and help others keep you motivated. Tag me on the #wakeupchallenge if you want accountability: @mishcanchange.
8. For Muslims only: Once you’re in bed, all cozied up and holding your own hand, GET.UP. RIGHT.NOW. Once you’re up, get on that prayer mat you keep in your room.
   1. Fall into Sajdah – it doesn’t matter if you have wudu. Humble yourself before your Lord, The Most Loving. Bonus points: Go to bed with wudu, if you’re able to. If it breaks, Allah Knows you made the initial effort.
   2. Don’t make excuses if you can’t remember the salawat. Just try with what you have. You can say “Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen. As salaam ‘alayka, ya Rasulullah sall Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.” Bottom Line: MAKE THE EFFORT.
9. Once you finish your sajdah du’a, get back into bed. Smile wide.
10. Don’t you DARE touch your phone after that sajdah. No matter how hard it is to fall asleep. DON’T. DARE. Swear to yourself, if you have to. At that moment, your phone is a piece of iron in the fire, pun intended. DON’T TOUCH, OR YOU’LL GET BURNED. Literally.
11. Smile again. While thinking about how amazing your 5am morning will be, drift away into a blissful sleep. Think of your grave. You don’t want to die with any regrets.
12. Reminder: Don’t dare touch your phone after sajdah. YOU ARE IN CHARGE, NOT THE PHONE!!!
13. Wake up at 5am, and motivate others on your Instagram story: “I made it! If I can do it, so can YOU!” Make sure there’s a time stamp, for proof. #wakeupchallenge
14. Throw away your blanket like it’s on FIRE. Go out there and conquer the world…

But first, conquer yourself.

Just Mishi

Sweet dreams,

Just Mishi

-Your Ordinary Human Girl

P.S. I’ll release the “What Should Be on your 5am To-Do List” article by Thursday – my updated schedule is two articles per week. If you don’t want to constantly re-load my site, subscribe for updates in real-time. I need your help just as much as you need mine. We’re all in this together.

We can all learn so much from each-other. That’s the whole point. Today’s Book Recommendation to get you jumpstarted before the next article: