No time to say "Hello!" "Good-bye!"

     The warmth of my bed encompasses me like a bear hug from my daddy. I force open my sleepy eyes and see the clock ticking onward. It's 7:30 am already? I roll back over for five more minutes of sleep only to discover that the five minutes I planed in my mind has turned into fifteen and I am now late to start my day. I jump in the shower, run down the hall as I dry off, pull on some semblance of an outfit, then rush out the door, hoping I have everything I need for the day. Sometimes this works. However, more often than not, I am late to class, not prepared, and in a full tizzy from the whirlwind morning. Welcome to the circus life of Mackenzie!
     I know that surely I am not the only one who struggles with oversleeping/lack of sleep. It is a fairly common problem among high-school and college students. After several tardies, one zero for the lack of a pencil, and numerous "I'm concerned about you" talks from various teachers, I decided that it was time to get my act together and be on time. I wanted to be known as a responsible student and not the slacker who was living in her own la-la land. It took several methods and a few times of failure before I found this helpful hint: Set your alarm clock early. Many people look at me with crazy eyes when I say set your alarm clock earlier, but let me explain.
     When I have my alarm clock set for 7:30 am, I automatically want to press the bloody snooze button. Ten minutes go by and the alarm clock rings again. That is wonderful, except 7:40 am is often too late for me to prepare efficiently for my day. So if my body must have the satisfaction of pressing that snooze button, I set my alarm clock for 7:20 am. It's practically a mind trick to make myself think I getting more sleep, when in reality, I'm waking up at the right time with a bit more energy.
     Aside from the mind tricks, I also suggest thinking about WHY you must wake up at the time you set. Maybe it's so you can work out, or spend some time in quiet devotion or contemplation. Maybe you just need to get to class on time. Whatever the reason is, write it down beside your bed and look at it when you feel like "sleeping for five more minutes". Trust me...goals are a big motivator for a lot of people, so make your goals a reason to get up each morning.
     With these two tips in mind, I hope that maybe the school crowd will be a bit cheerier and ready to grab a hold of life. Get up and start your day because you have a reason worth living for, because you need to discover something wonderful today, or because you are ready to seize what life is begging to give you. Don't let the snooze monster trap you into being caught up in the morning whirlwind. Grab life by the horns and get up so that something amazing can happen. Good morning!