Early Riser Interview
with Marquita Herald from InspiredGiftGiving.com

Today I want to share another great early riser interview with all of you! I have been talking to the inspiring and great writer Marquita Herald, author of InspiredGiftGiving.com

"Whether you use the time to get ahead of the day as I do, meditate, exercise, or just spend some quality time with the people you love, that little bit of extra “mindful” time can go a long way toward reducing stress and creating a happier frame of mind"

Marquita, can you start by telling me about your normal morning routine?

I’m usually up and having my first cup of coffee around 4am while checking the morning news online.

I use Google Alerts to help collect articles and news on topics I’m interested in writing about, so I’ll check those updates, and then I’ll take a look at the feeds I have for the various online groups I belong to in case there are any conversations that I’d like to follow or contribute to.

The last thing I do before jumping into the day is make the rounds of my social media accounts.

So how come you are an early riser?

Aside from the fact I truly love the calm and peace in the early morning hours, I’m a hard core Type A personality. Before I shut down at night I review my task list for the following day, so when I roll out of bed in the morning I’m already mentally geared up for the day ahead.

Another plus is the time difference between where I live in Hawaii and the rest of the world. When it is 4am here it’s already 9am in New York and 3pm in London, so the earlier I’m able to respond to emails, the more productive I can be.

Tell me, what do you see as the main benefits of being an early riser?

I find my mind to be its sharpest earlier in the day. For that reason I do most of my writing before noon, and reserve most meetings and other business activities for later in the day.

Overall though, I think getting an early start on the day is invaluable because it gives you more control over setting the tone for the entire day.

In the interest of balance, do you see any negative sides from rising early?

I think it’s terribly important to be in tune with your body and know when you naturally function best during the day. That’s not to say that someone who is naturally more energetic in the afternoon can’t become an early riser, but you need to be especially mindful of how you go about acclimating your body and the types of activities you schedule for the morning hours, particularly while building up a tolerance for rising earlier than you might normally.

How did you develop this habit of waking up early?

It’s in the genes. Seriously, it wasn't an intentional decision on my part. I've never had to use an alarm clock - I've just naturally always been an early riser.

Now that I work at home it’s a blessing, but during the years I worked in the travel industry, and would find myself in Hawaii one week, Tokyo the next, and Berlin the next, my body’s stubborn internal clock made getting use to the local time a real problem.

How do you manage to keep your energy level high throughout the entire day?

Because I spend so much time at my laptop I have adapted my day to offset all the hours of sitting. I eat a good breakfast, but then either skip lunch or just have a light snack.

I also find it essential to take several breaks during the day to get some exercise and just shift my mind to other things for a bit. I will also occasionally take a short nap, but I can snooze for half an hour and feel completely rested.

Finally, what impact would you say early rising has had on your life in general?

I believe the first few hours of the morning are critical to setting the tone for the entire day. Whether you use the time to get ahead of the day as I do, meditate, exercise, or just spend some quality time with the people you love, that little bit of extra “mindful” time can go a long way toward reducing stress and creating a happier frame of mind.

I would also just like to say that it’s never too late to become the person you are meant to be. Often we recognize something needs to change in our life, and we want to change; probably even know what we need to do. But we don’t do it, because by the time the need becomes strong enough to catch our attention, we’re so deep into commitments, routines and habits that meaningful change feels impossible and overwhelming. So we just keep on, because we simply don’t know what else to do.

Meaningful change is possible, regardless of your age or circumstances. It just requires making a decision, and taking the first step, no matter how small.

I just want to say thank you Marquita for sharing your thoughts in this early riser interview! You have provided us with some great insights into your wonderful lifestyle as an early riser.

Want to become an early riser just like Marquita?

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Early Riser > Early Risers Interviews > Early Riser Interview with Marquita Herald from InspiredGiftGiving.com

Thanks for reading! By Matthew M. McEwan

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