When I was growing up, my father used to wake me up early on the weekends by throwing my bedroom door open and way-too-enthusiastically exclaiming, "RISE AND SHINE!" Sometimes he'd add "Wakey wakey!" as an extra bit. He'd already have country music playing and breakfast started. My dad was (and still is) a morning person.

At the time, I was not a morning person at all, so I found myself rather annoyed by this ritual. I never liked getting up early, and certainly not being brought out of my cozy sleep like that. It felt like an assault on my dream state, like I was being verbally slapped into consciousness in a cheerful manner. Mercy...

Over the years, I became accustomed to this. As time passed, my annoyance shifted to anticipation and expectation, and even amusement. It was such a predictable routine that I began to say the words with him as soon as the door flew open. "Rise and shine!!" My attitude shifted, and I began to appreciate the things I hadn't really paid attention to before: the joy in my dad's demeanor, the good energy in the house, the smell of a delicious breakfast wafting through the air...

These days, as someone who spends early mornings deep in contemplation, I am fascinated by the symbolism of this experience in current times. Day after day, conditional and situational adversity entices the desire to metaphorically (and perhaps literally) stay in bed, sleep in, resist the call to rise.

But this isn't meant for us. In order to grow, to move ahead, to achieve our goals and dreams, to be in service to ourselves and others, we must indeed rise, and go even further. Rise and Shine.

When fear-based energy takes hold of us, it's quite easy to feel resistance to this. "I don't want to!" we say. "I can't!"

It's easy to become annoyed and frustrated, anxious. To want to give in, give up.

But you were meant to rise,
even if you don't feel like it.
even when you're scared.
even when you feel like the world is against you (it's not).

But even more, you were meant to shine.
Shine comes from attitude, perspective, determination, innovation, creativity, and service. It comes from leadership, even if it is simply to lead yourself.

To rise and shine is to face the day knowing that a realm of possibility awaits you every single time. Every day is different. Every day carries different obstacles and responsibilities. Every day carries external circumstances that we didn't create. None of this means that we have to stop rising, or stop shining.

What good is shining if it's not also done in darkness?

Get up. Turn on your light. Do your Work. Appreciate what is there. Act and behave from a place that supports where you want to be, especially if that's not where you are. Don't be afraid to get help or seek out guidance. Step out of cozy and into discomfort so you can grow past what doesn't serve your highest good.

Get. Up.