It’s 6am. It’s dark out. You’re nice and cozy in your warm bed. The covers are keeping you warm. It feels like you’re sleeping on a bed of clouds. There’s nowhere else you’d rather be. Life is perfect just the way it is. And all of a sudden, your alarm clock goes off.

You went to bed last night at 11pm. You knew you weren’t going to get that full 8 hours of sleep. You were okay with 7 hours. You told yourself that you were going to get up at 6am, make a cup of coffee and do that thing. Maybe it was reading. Maybe it was a workout. Maybe it was just to enjoy some time alone before the kids got up. But it was something. It matters to you. You told yourself you were going to get up at that particular time. You made a little promise to yourself. You want to get better, so you set your alarm for a specific time to get up. You had all the motivation in the world last night. And now that dreaded alarm is going off. You’re warm, cozy and comfortable now.

You reach over, hit the snooze button and go right back to bed. “Just 15 more minutes”, you tell yourself. And you’ve lost. You started the day with a loss instead of a win.

What happened? What changed from last night to this morning? Nothing changed. You rely on motivation to do the things you need to do, rather than discipline. A disciplined person does the things they need to do, regardless of how they feel. They know the power of following through on the promises they make to themselves. They trust themselves. They are self confident.

I’m not saying never hit the snooze button, don’t get me wrong. Sleep is very important. What I’m saying is that you need to start following through on the promises you make to yourself. If you want to sleep for 9 hours, set your alarm for 9 hours. But stop setting your alarm for a certain time and then hitting the snooze button 4-5 times. Stop saying you’re going to workout tomorrow and then coming up with excuses. Stop telling yourself you’re going to quit eating fast food and then one bad event has you racing to the drive thru. Stop breaking promises to yourself.

Instead, start stacking wins. Start building some momentum. The day starts as soon as your alarm goes off. I know it’s cliche and I know I’m not the first person to ever say this. But get up and get going. It’s the first little test of discipline you get to take. Pass that test. Sit up, put your feet on the floor and say to yourself, “today is going to be a great day.” How good does it feel to pass that test? Now build on it. Pour yourself a coffee and do that thing you woke up to do, even if it’s just a long hot shower that you wanted, instead of rushing around like you do every morning. Start stacking little wins. Start building momentum for the day.

Once you start with this small action first thing in the morning, you’ll start to notice some things. You’ll notice that you actually do have time to do the things you always wanted to do. You’ll notice that you start to feel more self confident because you have trust in yourself. You’ll notice that you have time in the morning to make breakfast and pack a lunch, rather than rushing through the drive thru and going out for lunch. You’ll notice that you show up better for work. You’ll notice that you’ll show up better for your spouse and kids. You’ll notice that it gets easier the more times you do it. You’ll be happier and more disciplined. You’ll start following through on bigger promises you made to yourself. And it all started with one little win.

So when that alarm goes off, get up. Remind yourself how blessed you are. Start stacking wins, build momentum and win the day. A collection of days like this will lead to an incredible life.