It’s 4:25 AM on a Friday, I’m getting my ass out of bed to get the day started on myself. I have a great workout ahead of me but first I need that sweet black nectar of the gods and some great music!

There are people out there beating you ever day, people getting up before you and working on their dreams. There you are just hitting snooze over, and over, and over. Get up and get to work on you!

I started thinking about all the extra time I have since I have been getting up so early, it’s about 3 hours more! I have been able to workout, some times twice, cook and eat breakfast, then write on Motivational Father to hold myself accountable. I cannot believe all the time that I will never get back due to sleeping in or hitting snooze, I don’t even want to do the math because there is no looking back, only forward. My mind still tells me every morning to just hit snooze and then hurry into work but I’m changing that mindset to “get your ass up and do something!”

I feel so accomplished by 7:00 AM everyday…that’s crazy because some people don’t feel accomplished by the end of an entire day! If you have always hit snooze or get up right in time to get where you need to go I challenge you to get up at least 2 hours prior to our normal wake time and see what happens. Do you really feel better when you sleep an extra 15-20 minutes? No, as a matter of fact most of the time you feel even more groggy and exhausted. GET UP!!! Just try it, what do you have to lose? Most of us are fortunate enough to have this time available, everything is so convenient in today’s society. We do not have to do much to cook breakfast, gyms are open 24 hours, the internet is always on and ready for you to create something, books are always charged and read to be read, not to mention typically the weather is much nicer in the mornings than in the evening especially during summer. What do you have to lose? Nothing!

Create achievable goals for yourself such as:

• I want to am going to get up at 5:00 AM tomorrow.
• I want to am going to workout tomorrow.
• I want to am going to eat healthy for lunch everyday this week.
• I want to am going to accomplish that one thing that is constantly on the back burner.

Stop using the words “I want to” and start saying “I’m going to”. You have to make the decision to make the change and then execute. I know you have wondered how people become so successful, and it’s because they use their time much more wisely than the “average” person. Use your time like you have none left, work on yourself first because change starts with you! Make shit happen and make your old self jealous. Today you are no longer the same person! You are getting rid of bad habits and time wasters. There is no time left to make this decision you have to take action!

Make a change and do it right now! Not tomorrow! Not after this upcoming vacation! Do it right fucking now!

-Matt

So I am an engineer in a very standardized and bureaucratic industry, this is not a knock on the industry but a necessity. The industry is some times tough to break into for new engineers  without previous experience and that can mean less fresh ideas and less fighters for change. However, every summer we get these fresh minded and eager new, generally temporary, employees we call the interns. The interns come in wanting to be Tony Stark, Nicola Tesla, or Elon Musk but soon realize that in order to get paid you have to do actual work to ensure the company meets revenue goals.

This summer I have worked very closely with a few amazing interns and fresh new hires. These people pretty much say yes to everything, why you ask, because that’s what you do when you aren’t on the official payroll yet! These interns could immediately step in and out-perform some of the experienced engineers with ease (and in many cases this includes myself). See what changes after 5-10-15 years of experience is that you become formed into your role, you do not get excited as easily as you once did. The change in attitude from intern to experienced professional obviously differs from person to person but is typically a less excited version of your former self (like when you hear a great song then you listen to it over and over until finally it’s playing but you don’t remember hearing it play). Jealousy is my best description for my feeling toward these starry eyed newbies.

The interns are willing and eager to perform at a high level no matter the task, I like to believe I am that way for most of the time. I certainly miss the days where things were so new, so interesting, so refreshing. One thing keeps me going through stressful times at work, teaching/training/mentoring.

I have had the pleasure to be able to train these upcoming titans of industry, and have had a great time doing so. Not only do I get to train them on the obvious job structure, tasks, procedures, and standards but I get to share experiences with my career. I am able to share failures and successes and put a funny spin on everyday monotony. The fact that the interns and new hires continue to come back to me asking for advice, asking questions, and  sharing accomplishments is enough to make my day that much better.

Overall I have been extremely impressed by our interns and new hires of recent. I hope that they question everything and blindly accept nothing. Rules are made to be broken or at least challenged until someone gives you a good reason why it is the way it is. These newborns of the workforce are bright and can resist conformance if and only if they maintain the mantra of “Why?”.

Do not conform. Do not be a yes man/woman. Do not resist your temptation to stress the status quo!

-Matt