I woke up straight out of sleep recently in the dark, 445am. That’s around the usual time during the week I wake up.

I slipped pretty quickly to prayer; it’s a cycle of gratitude, reflection, forgiveness, and good thoughts for others. I do it most mornings to set my head straight to start the day.

It takes a while. But it’s the mindset, the practice that works for me. Ponder, to start each day.

There aren’t a couple of guys that come to mind that are maybe the exact opposite of me in this particular way.

These two guys I follow through posts and podcasts, they are what we could call Alpha Doers. Both are ex-military officers. Extremely accomplished.

Jocko Willink and Stan McChrystal.

They wake up and they immediately DO. At least that’s how it seems from reading about their morning rituals.

Not to say they’re not thinkers. On the contrary. By all accounts they seems to be deep thinkers and very smart. But their “modus operandi” is GO, DO. Seems their heads are straight from the get when they open their eyes.

I’ve heard in various forms Jocko say, “Default; Aggressive.” Military ops, jujitsu, business, life, in all of these, often the preferred mode: get after it.

Would that I could be that way. It’s just not me. My first step isn’t always forward. At least mostly. At least not in that way.

But forward overall? YES. Forward.

Just a little ponder on it all first.

Hmm. More to ponder.