Upon receiving his call as a new general authority, Elder Marion G. Romney asked advice from Harold B. Lee, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on how to be successful as a general authority.
“If you are to be successful as a General Authority, you will need to be inspired,” Elder Lee said. “You will need to receive revelation. I will give you one piece of advice: Go to bed early and get up early.”
LDS author Randal Wright is a big believer in waking up early, as an Ensign article he wrote in 2015, “Filled with Life and Energy,” would suggest. But in his talk at BYU Education Week on Wednesday, Wright continued to drive home the importance of going to bed early and getting up early.
Wright began his talk by addressing the importance of self-discipline before delving into one of the most difficult challenges of self-discipline. He quoted President Gordon B. Hinckley, who said: “One of the great tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble. Their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy. Their capacity is great. But their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Appetite robs them of will.”
Comparing the human body to an automobile, Wright explained that our bodies are a gift that God has given us and we only get one. It is up to his to care for it. He shared several evidences of the general authorities exercising and arising early.
“My mind becomes tired,” President Brigham Young said. “And perhaps some of yours do. If so, go and exercise your bodies.”
He then proceeded to discuss in greater depth the principle of retiring early and waking up in the early hours of the morning, sharing a wide range of scriptures to emphasize its importance.
Wright did, however, point out that life circumstances, such as waiting up for teenage kids to arrive home, may make going to bed early more difficult. But he added that nowhere in the scriptures does it say that we must get eight hours of sleep.
Email: mjones@deseretdigital.com