Early to Bed, Early to Rise, and an Introduction to Inspiration Lamp Post

Good early morning! I’m writing this at just after 7 am (I’m posting it a little later than that) on a Saturday morning. Most teenagers don’t get up till way later than that. I myself don’t get up this early on the weekends. But I read this post (I’ll get back to it in a second), and this Ensign article, and I realized that my sleep habits are TERRIBLE. Seriously, I usually turn off my lights at around 11:30 every night before getting up at 7:15 for school. And then I can barely keep my eyes open. Sometimes after we finish family scripture study, I go back upstairs and sleep for another half hour or so.

I stumbled across the blog post I linked to just after my thirteenth birthday. My aunt emailed my mom this awesome Youtube video and I decided to check out the website linked to at the end. I was impressed. Inspiration Lamp Post is a website run by six teenagers (most, if not all of them, are LDS!) who have a mission. What is it?

“To create a culture of excellence among teenagers.” Isn’t that so amazing, especially in today’s world?!?! But these kids mean it. They are hard workers, most of them are homeschooled/self-directed learners, they read classics and success books like this one, and they write about it!

Dillon Kinser, one of the teenagers, wrote the Nocturnal vs. Diurnal post. I felt pretty guilty, and have been resolving to get on a ‘10-6’ (follow-up on that in a minute) schedule since then, but the first time I actually did it was today. I got to bed around 10:30, and set my alarm for 6:30. Usually I just flip the switch on my (analog style) alarm clock and go back to sleep. But this blog post gives a tip: Put your alarm clock somewhere else in the room right before you go to sleep, so you have to stand up to go turn it off. You’ll be pretty awake by then. By the time you turn off your alarm, you’re awake enough to say your prayers and read your scriptures without your eyes drooping onto the page (or falling asleep while saying your prayers!).

Part of the reason for my late nights was that I was reading my scriptures. Not a bad thing, but I really could benefit more from them if I read them in the morning. Not only would I be saving sleep, but then I could use the power and principles found in the scriptures throughout my day instead of throughout my dreams. I mean, seminary uses that technique, and it seems to work!

So when I woke up at 6:30, I read my Bible (I’m now in Leviticus—where are you in the BIBLE Challenge?) and my Book of Mormon (Alma!). And then I came downstairs to write to you!

The second article, and the 10-6 schedule. Well, the article basically talks about improving our sleep habits, and recounts the many scriptural and prophetic promises associated with that. One of them, from President Hinckley, says “If you go to bed at 10:00 and get up by 6:00 a.m., things will work out for you.” Please read the rest of the article! It is so worth it!

The prophets and apostles get up very early to do their pondering and often to receive revelation. Former Relief Society General President, Sister Julie B. Beck, told a group of auxiliary leaders at a training that she “works with a bunch of insomniacs”, referring to the Brethren. She said that they would often say something along the lines of “Oh, I was up at three this morning and I noticed this in the scriptures”, etc. I’m pretty sure this is part of why they are such great men!

So, maybe you should try to get a little more sleep this week. This month? This whole year? Well, it’s one of my New Year’s Resolutions, so that’s my plan!

See ya in the morning! (Okay, maybe that backfired, considering the time—but maybe the General Authorities consider it ‘high noon’ already!)