The Day Starts in the Dark

I was listening to a talk the other day, and the speaker made an interesting point about how each new day starts in the dark. I’m not sure why our system works that way, but each new day begins at 12am, which feels like the middle of the night. The new day has come, but it doesn’t feel like it.

How Change Happens

The speaker related this idea to how change happens in our lives. The reality is that changing anything is difficult and usually takes a long time. At first, it might not feel like anything is changing. This can be incredibly frustrating. It can feel like you are doing a ton of work but not seeing any results. The change is happening, but you don’t see it yet. The new day is here, but you can’t see is at 1am, 2am, 3am, etc.

Getting in Shape

I remember when I was in high school, I decided I wanted to lose weight and get in shape. I was motivated, and I started to make big changes in my diet and exercise habits. I remember after the first month, I looked at myself in the mirror and it didn’t seem like anything had changed. I felt like I wanted to cry. I had been working so hard, and it didn’t seem like it was working. I was in those early morning hours. The change was happening, I just couldn’t see it yet. The day had started, but it was still dark outside.

Fast forward six months, and I had lost about 60 pounds. My body had completely changed. I could finally see the light.

Persevere Through the Early Morning

There’s no way around it, those early morning hours are rough. You’re putting in the work, but you haven’t seen the results yet. There’s a delay between when the change happens and when you can see the results, just like there’s a delay between when the day starts and when you can see the light. In that delay, you have to trust that the change is happening, and keep on working. This is when a lot of people give up and quit. The key is to persevere through those early morning hours and get to the light.