In a world of over 7 Billion people, what is it that separates the handful of winners from the multitude of losers? Let’s face facts – there are people out there who are making the rules and changing the world, while the rest of us follow blindly. They live the lives they want to live, accomplish the dreams they envisioned and are in general, happier than the rest of us. It doesn’t mean you need to put yourself down if you feel you’re not part of the handful; instead, why don’t you try working on yourself, imbibing the same habits that got these select few up there in the first place? Are You Part Of The 5Am Club? Do you even know what that is?
Research has been done on those select individuals who seem to break the trend and shake the world – we are talking about the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and all those fancy pants who are so full of energy and ready to kick ass and win at life. Maybe even your own CEO would fall into this category. To understand what sets them apart, we start at the beginning…at the break of day, at the start of a new opportunity to bring your best to the table. The thing is, these great personalities don’t begin at the break of day – they are already up at least an hour or two hours before we hit our own snooze buttons! These successful people make it a point to get up at 5AM, yes ALL of them! Why? Because it somehow gives you that extra time to first work on YOURSELF.
That’s right, before you think of changing the world, you need to first introspect. By getting up just before the sun rises and the rest of the world begins their day, spend some time with yourself and planning what you want to accomplish for the next 12-18 hours. So many of us wake up in a hurry, almost a little to late to even complete a full thought, and pummel into the day like desperadoes. We have no idea where we are going, what we are doing or how we are going to do it. If you want to make it in this world, a little bit of planning goes a long way. Otherwise, you’re like a hamster on a wheel – moving, but going nowhere.
You can take your day into your own hands. But as a guideline, here are the basic things that successful people do on a daily basis:
- Wake up at 5AM (no Snooze button!)
- Meditate
- Write A Journal
- Exercise (could be going to the gym, yoga, sports, etc.)
- Plan their day
- Eat Breakfast (most important meal of the day, remember?)
- Read (it can be the newspaper, a book, spiritual articles, etc.)
Imagine completing so many activities by 8 am, when the rest are just groggily waking up and cussing the day. It gives you a sense of accomplishment before you even head to work. Try it out for a week. Start slow. It might take a while to happen, but again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, and once you understand your progress that takes place in leaps and bounds, you will definitely not want to give up this habit too soon!
The 5AM Club – Michael Lombardi
Check out this book by Michael Lombardi called The 5AM Club.
