Beep. Beep. Beep. 5:51 am. The alarm is once again bringing my warm, cozy dream filled sleep to an end. Time to get up and take a shower.

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror in the morning? I mean really looked at yourself, right in the eyes. Do me a favor and try it.

They say the eyes are the window to your soul. So if you looked into your own eyes, I guess you would be looking into your own soul.

What gets your ass out of bed?

Is it because you like your job? Do you do it for the salary? Maybe you like going outside right after the sun rises to see the dew still on the grass. I wonder if you actually stared at yourself in the mirror for a few minutes, you would come up with an answer.

Looking in the mirror can do a number of things. For one thing, you see yourself for who you are. There is no hiding.

So what else gets your ass out of bed?

Do you like going for a morning run because you want to get into shape? Maybe to feel better about yourself or even to fit into your high school size again.

Have you ever seen how beautiful children look when they're sleeping? Maybe you do it for your kids.

I had a neighbor one time who worked 2 jobs. The first one started at 5:00 am and he worked until 10:00 p.m. 6 days a week. He said he wanted to buy a house in a nice area, somewhere near a good school for his kids. He moved to that house about a year after we chatted.

Any other reason to get your ass out of bed?

I saw in the mirror recently that I was developing more efficient stomach muscles. A 1 pack instead of a 6 pack. Which lead me to getting my ass out of bed for a morning bike ride, so that I could get into better shape and feel good about myself.

Remember that exercise you were supposed to do about looking into your eyes in the mirror, how is that coming?

Maybe you want to read your new self improvement book, or learn how to speak spanish.

Anything else to get your ass out of bed?

What's that...you want to maximize your time, and enjoy each day to its fullest. You're full of energy and can't wait to start acheiving your goals. Maybe you like working on your computer to finish that special project.

I bet you feel great after exercising first thing in the morning.

Did I just hear you say that you enjoy life and can't wait to start each day?

Yours for success,

Owen Stobbe