For nearly every morning of my 32 years on this earth, I have struggled to get up and get going. It drove my mother (who was one of those annoying "morning" people!) absolutely nuts, and the torch has been passed to my husband (another "morning" person) whose annoyance level has been elevated for no less than 10 years. The science behind why some people are morning people and some are night owls has always fascinated me, and I often wonder if it is possible for a person to "change their stripes" in this regard. If it is possible, I surely have not discovered how.

In a sweet if not idealistic gesture, my husband bought me an alarm clock a few years ago that he thought might help cure my problem. It has two separate alarms, which you can preset in 7-day blocks. So if you know that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday you have to be up at 6 a.m., and on Thursday and Friday 7:30 a.m., and on the weekends at 9 a.m., you can preset all those times for the week. You can also choose whether the alarms (both of them!) go off to the sound of a CD, the radio or an alarm, and at what intervals the two alarms go off. The answer to our prayers......right?

First of all, the time on my alarm clock is set 20 minutes ahead of real time, which is really just a misguided attempt to make me panic when I look at the time in the morning. I have quickly adjusted to that little trick, however, and can calculate the actual time quickly...even in my foggiest morning haze.

The alarm clock is placed clear on the other side of our bedroom. So, while I can see it from my bed, I would have to be Mr. Fantastic with arms that would strength to incredible lengths to be able to hit that snooze button without getting out up. Nevertheless, when that first alarm goes off, I throw the covers off, get up, walk across the room, hit the snooze button, and yep.....you guessed it...climb right back into bed. This ritual goes on for 30 minutes or so before I finally am annoyed enough to stay out of bed (or until I catch a quick glimpse of the clock and realize that I truly have squeezed out every minute of sleep that I can).

I really have tried to flip that little switch in my head that would transform me from a night owl into a pleasant morning person. I have tried meditating before sleep and doing positive affirmations. I have tried going to bed earlier to make sure I get a full eight hours. I've set the alarm on my cell phone to the most annoying ring possible. I have cut out caffeine after 6 p.m. So far, it hasn't gotten any easier.

The other aspect to being a night owl is that I am cranky in the mornings. I exist in a Jekyll and Hyde state of being wherein I am the dark and scary Hyde in the mornings who transforms into the cheerful and emotionally well-adjusted Jekyll once my Starbucks gets pumping through my blood stream. Any problems that take place in the first couple of hours of my morning are ten times worse than they would be if I were dealing with them later in the day. Any off-handed comment that my husband makes hurts my feelings ten times more first thing in the morning. A simple run in my nylons, misplacement of car keys or drop of coffee spilled on my shirt can set me into a downward spiral of emotion first thing in the morning. The slightest elevation in someone's voice when I first wake up is received by me as yelling.

No matter how early in the morning I woke up or how tired I may be throughout the day, every night around 9:00 p.m. I get a "second wind." From 9:00 p.m. and on is when I get the most accomplished, the most motivated, the most inspired, the most physically energetic--often to my own detriment. This second wind causes a vicious cycle because I end up staying up later than I should, thus disabling my ability to get up easily the next morning.

In talking to other people about this affliction, it seems that most people tend to fall into one category or the other. Of course, not everyone who is a night owl probably has the extreme routine that I do, but the generalities of each group apply.

I couldn't agree with Aristotle more. The older I get and the more successful people I meet, I realize that one of the many traits that successful people have in common is that they are early risers. Early risers get more accomplished before 9 a.m. than night owls get accomplished all day. Even though I get a surge of energy when the sun goes down, how much can you really get accomplished at that time of day? I guess its possible for me to get more laundry done or to write more hubs, but when the rest of the working world is asleep, these nightly chores that I get accomplished really aren't doing much to further my career, my education, or any other thing of significance. Knowing this to be the case, is it possible to transform a night owl into a morning person?

The answer that I find reasonable to that question is that I don't think I will ever be a morning person--but I think it is possible for me to become an early riser. (The distinction being that I can learn to wake up earlier and easier but I don't necessarily have to love it!) I relate it like this--if I don't like the taste of asparagus (which I don't...eww!), I'm never going to wake up one day and suddenly think that asparagus is delicious. However, if someone told me that eating asparagus would make me more productive, more motivated and would give me a sense of accomplishment, you can bet that I would add asparagus to my diet. Maybe I could cook it into a casserole, or add some seasonings to make it taste better, but still, I could eat it for the sake of personal betterment.

Please let me know your thoughts. Are you a morning person, all cheerful and raring to go? Or are you a night owl whose energy levels explode when the sun goes down? Better yet, are you a recovering night owl who has figured out a way to give yourself that kick in the butt needed to get going easily and cheerfully each day?