Thought of the Day and Question of the Day: Courage, Camus, and the Strange Joy of Waking Up Early

November 8, 2025

Welcome to another Thought of the Day and Question of the Day reflection, where philosophy meets personal chaos before the coffee kicks in. Today’s Thought of the Day comes from Albert Camus, who knew a thing or two about finding meaning in absurd places. And the Question of the Day asks: what part of your daily routine would surprise your younger self the most? Spoiler: mine involves voluntarily waking up early, and liking it.

Thought of the Day: “Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it.” — Albert Camus

I love this quote because it punches through the fog of excuses we all build around ourselves. Camus didn’t believe in empty rationalizations; he believed in facing the absurdity of life head-on. The idea that we create elaborate stories to defend our fears? That hits a little too close to home.

We all have our personal philosophies that sound noble but are really just clever camouflage. “I’m not lazy, I’m just protecting my peace.” “I’m not afraid of failure, I’m being strategic.” “I’m not procrastinating, I’m waiting for inspiration.” Translation: I’m scared, and I need to make that fear look respectable.

The truth is, courage rarely feels like courage in the moment. It feels like panic with better posture. Whether it’s hitting publish on a blog post, starting a new job, or just speaking up in a meeting, courage usually comes disguised as anxiety, and the only way out is through.

A younger version of me used to think courage meant dramatic acts, running into burning buildings, skydiving, or confessing love under a streetlight. These days, courage looks quieter: saying no when you want to please everyone, waking up early to face your thoughts instead of avoiding them, or admitting you’ve been hiding behind excuses that sound intellectual but are really emotional.

Camus was right, when we don’t have the courage to do the hard thing, we start building belief systems that explain why it’s okay not to. The question is: which of your philosophies are actually fears in disguise?

If you like digging into this kind of uncomfortable honesty, you might enjoy if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly

Question of the Day: What part of your daily routine would surprise your younger self the most?

For me, the answer is easy: waking up early, sitting in silence, and journaling. My younger self would’ve bet his snack money that I’d never be a “morning person.” Back then, “morning” started around 9:15 a.m. rushing to shower, dress, and run off to work shaking off the bad decisions of the night before.

Now, I wake up before sunrise. Sometimes I just sit there in the quiet. No music. No phone. No notifications. Just me, my coffee, and the faint hum of the refrigerator reminding me I’m alive. Then I journal. Nothing fancy, just whatever thoughts are wandering through the hallways of my head, waiting to be noticed.

What surprises me most isn’t the routine itself but how much I crave it. There’s something sacred about starting the day before the world starts asking for pieces of you. It’s the only time when the noise hasn’t arrived yet, when your brain still belongs to you.

My younger self thought productivity was about speed. My current self knows it’s about intention. Slowing down has made me more focused, more creative, and somehow, more honest. That’s the real surprise, I used to think quiet was boring. Now I think it’s where the good stuff hides.

If this idea of a mindful routine resonates, you might also like Training for the Strom but expecting the calm.

Camus reminds us that courage starts with honesty, and honesty starts with awareness. Sometimes that awareness arrives in the stillness of an early morning, when you realize the person you’ve become is finally brave enough to face the day without armor.

So now it’s your turn:

What part of your daily routine would surprise your younger self the most?

Drop a comment below, or better yet, start your own quiet ritual tomorrow morning and see what thoughts appear when you stop running from them.

And if you enjoy starting your day with meaningful questions like this, join my free daily email, one Thought of the Day and one Question of the Day, delivered straight to your inbox. A minute of reflection. A lifetime of perspective.