This passage from Simon Hartley’s book Could I Do That? Really hits home on these dark mornings when my alarm goes off for an early morning practice. In it Hartley talks about his own challenge:

“There is an interesting little conversation that goes on between my ears when the alarm clock goes off. It’s 5.15 am on a cold and dark December morning. My training schedule says ‘cycling’, which means an hour in the garage on the turbo trainer. I don’t know about your garage, but mine isn’t the most luxurious place on a wet, cold, dark winter’s morning. There is a temptation when that alarm clock goes off to hit the snooze button, or to switch it off or throw it across the room. As I hear the beeps, my brain starts to ask annoying questions. ‘Do I really need to get up? Could I do this later in the day? Is this session vital? If I decided to stay in bed, would it really make all that much difference?’ It is in these moments that people decide whether they are actually willing to do what it takes to be successful. These are the choices that carve out our path.”