The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.

by Robin Sharma

The artist had a book called Michelangelo Fiorentino et Rafael da Urbino: Masters of Art in the Vatican.

Book to get.

“See that structure up there?” the driver said, breaking his self-imposed silence and pointing to a rock formation at the top of one of the peaks that resembled a human figure. “That’s called Pieter Both. It’s the second-highest mountain in Mauritius. See the summit up there? It resembles a human head, right?” he noted with a finger pointed upward at the structure. “It definitely does,” responded the artist. “When we were in elementary school,” the chauffeur continued, “we were told the story of a man who fell asleep at the foot of the mountain. Hearing strange sounds, he woke up to see fairies and angels dancing all about him. These creatures instructed the man never to tell anyone what he had just seen or he would be turned to stone. He agreed but then, given his excitement over the mystical experience he’d witnessed, broke his commitment and told many of his good fortune. Upset, the fairies and angels turned him to rock. And his head swelled to such a degree it rose to sit at the peak of the majestic mountain you both are looking at now, reminding everyone who sees it to keep their promises. And honor their word.”

Pieter Both Mauritius stone man moutain fair angel

RULE #1 An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production. Empire-makers and history-creators take one hour for themselves before dawn, in the serenity that lies beyond the clutches of complexity, to prepare themselves for a world-class day. RULE #2 Excuses breed no genius. Just because you haven’t installed the early-rising habit before doesn’t mean you can’t do it now. Release your rationalizations and remember that small daily improvements, when done consistently over time, lead to stunning results. RULE #3 All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end. Everything you now find easy you first found difficult. With consistent practice, getting up with the sun will become your new normal. And automatic. RULE #4 To have the results The Top 5% of producers have, you must start doing what 95% of people are unwilling to do. As you start to live like this, the majority will call you crazy. Remember that being labeled a freak is the price of greatness. RULE #5 When you feel like surrendering, continue.Triumph loves the relentless.

5am club rules

“I heard a man say he needed to lose weight before he could start running. Imagine that. Lose the weight so he could initiate the running habit. That’s like a writer who waits for inspiration to begin the book, or the manager who waits for a promotion to lead the field, or a startup that waits for full funding before launching a status quo–disrupting product. The flow of life rewards positive action and punishes hesitation.

Life rewards positive action and punishes hesitation

Please consider that a bad day for the ego is a great day for the soul.

A bad day for the ego is a great day for the soul

“I believe the humblest is the greatest. Pure leaders are so secure in their own skin their main mission is the elevation of others. They have such self-respect, joyfulness and peacefulness within themselves that they don’t need to advertise their success to society in a feeble attempt to feel a little better.

The humblest are the greatest. I'm secure in my own system

“Real power never comes from anything external,”

The philosopher Rumi made the point much more brilliantly than I ever could when he observed, ‘Give up the drop, become the ocean.’”

All pro athletes have peak performance coaches, and so do all extraordinary businesspeople. You just can’t get to iconic alone.

All pro athletes have peak performance trainers

Education truly is inoculation against disruption.

Education is inoculation against diruption

The 2x3x Mindset: to double your income and impact, triple your investment in two core areas—your personal mastery and your professional capability.”

The 2x3x mindset.

Health is the crown on the well person’s head that only the ill person can see,

Healh is the crown on the well person's head that only the ill can see.

I’ve also learned that inspiration gets fed by isolation, away from the ceaseless digital diversion and mindless overcommunication that dominates the hours of the majority these days.

Inspiration gets fed by isolation.

“It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth and wisdom.” —Aristotle

Aristotle morning health, wealth and wisdom quote.

Having lots of money doesn’t make you different. It just makes you more of who you were before you made the cash.”

Money does not change you, it reveals who you are.

“I would have it inscribed on the curtains of your chamber: ‘If you do not rise early you can make progress in nothing!’”

William Pitt, Earl of Chatham Quote

“It was the one practice that changed—and elevated—every other practice. Researchers now call this kind of a core behavior that multiplies all your other regular patterns of performing ‘a keystone habit.’ Wiring it in as a profound neural pathway took some effort, a little suffering along the way and the strongest commitment I had in me. I’ll be honest with you, there were days during the process of automating this routine that I was cranky, days when my head pounded like a jackhammer and mornings when I just wanted to keep sleeping. But once I locked and loaded getting up at 5 AM regularly, my days grew consistently—and vastly—better than anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Waking up early is a keystone habit that elevates all other habits.

“I definitely agree,” indicated the artist. “It’s rare to see someone focus on their art for many, many hours in a row these days. The Spellbinder was right when at his session he called people addicted to their devices ‘cyber zombies.’ I see them every day. It’s like they’re not real human beings anymore. More like robots, glued to their screens. Not present. And half-alive to life.”

Don't become a cyber zombie

“I hear you,” said the billionaire. “Protection from distraction is precisely how you need to work if you’re serious about dominating your field and winning at your craft. Neuroscientists call this peak mental state we’re speaking of, where our perception becomes heightened and our availability to original ideas rises and we access an all-new level of processing power, ‘Flow.’ And rising at 5 AM promotes The Flow State gorgeously. Oh—and by getting up at before daybreak, while almost everyone around you is asleep—my creativity also soared, my energy definitely doubled, my productivity surely tripled, my . . .”

Flow state, avoid distractions.

“Rising at 5 AM every morning was the main personal practice that made most of that happen. Allowed me to become a visionary thinker. Gave me a reflective space to develop a formidable inner life. The discipline helped me to become ultra-fit, with all the beautiful income advancements as well as lifestyle enhancements that come with superior health. Early rising also made me a pretty amazing leader. And it helped me grow myself into a much better person. Even when the prostate cancer tried to devastate me, it was my morning routine that insulated me. It really was. I’ll go into The 20/20/20 Formula in an upcoming lesson so you’ll know exactly what to do to get amazing results from the first moment you wake up. You cats won’t believe the power and value of the information that’s coming. I’m so excited for you two. Welcome to Paradise. And welcome to the first day of a substantially better life.”

Mr.Riley benefits from waking up early.

Waves softly collided with the seashore near her cottage, and the scents of roses, incense and sandalwood could be detected in the breeze.

Get sandlewood

The entrepreneur carefully shut the door. This time, she bolted the lock. As she shuffled back to her bed that was covered with Egyptian cottons and English linens, three mighty knocks pounded on the door.

Get egyptian cotton.

“I’ve been sent by your business partners. We know everything there is to know about you. Everything. We’ve tracked all your personal data. We’ve hacked all your files. We’ve investigated your entire history.”

They hacked her.

“The dream made me understand that I can’t postpone doing amazing work anymore. That I can’t put off improving my health, my happiness, my confidence and even my love life.”

We can't postpone doing great.things.

The industrialist then lifted the vessel, unscrewed the cap and pulled out the fabric, which had the framework below stitched onto it:

Better awarness, better choices, better results

The beginning of transformation is the increase of perception. As you see more you can materialize more. And once you know better you can achieve bigger. The great women and men of the world—the ones responsible for the magical symphonies, the beautiful movements, the advancements of science and the progress of technology—started by reengineering their thinking and reinventing their awareness. In so doing, they entered a secret universe that the majority could not perceive. And this, in turn, allowed them to make the daily choices few choose to make. Which, automatically, delivered the daily results few get to experience.

The increase of perception is the beginning of transflrmation.

“But it goes deeper than social approval,” the industrialist indicated. “The grade of work you offer to the world reflects the strength of the respect you have for yourself. Those with unfathomable personal esteem wouldn’t dare send out anything average. It would diminish them too much.

Those with great self esteem only send out products which are great.

“I understand,” the billionaire replied kindly. “Less is more, you know? You’re attempting too much. Geniuses understand that it’s smarter to create one masterwork than one thousand ordinary pieces. One of the reasons I love being around the finest art is that the belief systems, emotional inspiration and ways of working of those great virtuosos rub off on me. And I can tell you with absolute certainty, these epic performers inhabited an entirely different universe than most people in business and society populate today, as I’ve suggested.”

Less is more.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it,’” offered the artist succinctly.

George Orwell Quote

“Not well,” was the candid reply of the shirtless baron. “The Spellbinder schooled me on a concept called ‘The Dark Side of Genius.’ Basically, the idea is that every human gift comes with a downside. And the very quality that makes you special in one area is the same one that makes you a misfit in another. The reality is that many of the great virtuosos of the world had messy private lives. The very gifts of seeing a vision few else could see, holding themselves to the absolute highest of standards, being content alone for long stretches of time as they worked monomaniacally detailing the most minor points on their projects, behaving relentlessly in following through on their masterpieces, acting with rarely seen self-discipline and listening to their hearts while ignoring their critics made personal relationships hard. They were misunderstood and seen as ‘difficult’ and ‘different,’ ‘rigid’ and ‘unbalanced.’”

The Dark Side of Genuis

“Please always remember the core maxim for elite performance that this framework for personal greatness has been built around: with better daily awareness you can make better daily choices, and with better daily choices you’ll start seeing better daily results. The Spellbinder calls this The 3 Step Success Formula.

The 3 step sucess formula.

Healthy perfectionism—and an unyielding quest to be the best that you are capable of becoming is what I’m suggesting to you two good folks here on this awesome beach. This will give you what The Spellbinder calls a ‘GCA: Gargantuan Competitive Advantage.’

GCA

Here’s the powerful insight: There’s a ton of competition at ordinary, but there’s almost none at extraordinary.

There is competiton for ordinary but no competition for extra ordinary.

And fully remember that you are most alive when your heart beats quickest. And we are most awake when our fears scream loudest.”

When we are the most alive and most awake

“So why are we talking about death on this beautiful morning exactly?” queried the entrepreneur, appearing a little uncomfortable. “Because most of us alive today wish we had more time. Yet we waste the time we have. Thinking about dying brings what matters most into much sharper focus. You’ll stop allowing digital distraction, cyber diversions and online nuisances to steal the irreplaceable hours of the blessing called your life. You never get your days back, you know?” said the billionaire in a friendly but firm fashion.

Talking of death makes you appreciate life more.

“Then last night I watched The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, one of my favorite movies,” the billionaire continued. “It’s also a true story, about a man who was also atop the world, an editor-in-chief of French Elle magazine. Jean-Dominique Bauby had it all and then suffered a stroke that left him unable to move any muscle in his body—except for his left eyelid. The condition’s called ‘locked-in syndrome.’ His mind still worked perfectly. But it was as if his body was encased in a diving bell, totally paralyzed.” “Sad,” said the artist, echoing his companion. “Get this,” added Mr. Riley. “His rehabilitation therapists taught him a communication method called ‘silent alphabet’ which allowed him to form letters of words by blinking. And with their help, he wrote a book about his experience—and the essential meaning of life. It took him two hundred thousand blinks, but he completed the book.”

Jean Dominue Bauby had to blink two hundred thousand times for his book.

“Victims have big TVs. Leaders own large libraries.”

Victems have big TVs, leaders have big libraries.

And we get from life not what we want, but that which we are.”

We don't get what we want in life, we get who we are.

“And I guess that the more we accept that core belief about our inability to produce excellent results in whatever it is we hope to do, the more we not only reinforce it so it becomes a trusted conviction but we also deepen the behavior that’s associated with it so it becomes a daily habit,” recited the artist, sounding professorish instead of bohemian in the pure morning air.

This reminded mde of Joe Dispenza

“I’m here to remind you,” he carried on, “that each one of us holds a profound capacity for leadership within us. And as you now know, I’m not speaking of leadership in the sense of having a title, a lofty position or needing some formal authority. What I’m referring to is so much more weighty and exquisite than that. It’s the true power inside a human heart versus the transitory power delivered by a big office, a fast car and a large bank balance. What I’m speaking of is the potency to do work that is so great we just can’t take our eyes off you. The capability to create massive value in your marketplace. The capacity to impact—and disrupt—an entire industry. And the power to live with honor, nobility, audacity and integrity. So that you fulfill your opportunity to make history, in your own original way. Doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO or a janitor. A billionaire or a ditch digger. A movie star or a student.

We all can lead. The definition of power

The artist went on talking. “Anyway, I understand what you’re teaching us on this point about capitalization and The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. No one will believe in our ability to do great things until we first believe in our greatness and then put in the sincere and rigorous effort to realize it. You know what Pablo Picasso once said?”

The self fufilling prophesy of capitalism.

The word ‘astonish’ is actually derived from the Latin word ‘extonare,’ which means ‘to leave someone thunderstruck.’

Astonish etymology

“What I’m sharing is accurate. We become our associations. And you’ll never have a positive influence in your field and make a beautiful life if you hang with negative people,” continued the billionaire.

We become who we hang around.

“Addictions. Like constantly checking for messages or scanning for ‘likes.’ Or spending vast chunks of our daily lives watching too much television. TV shows have become so superb these days, it’s so easy to get hooked. And when one episode ends, on some viewing platforms, the next one begins automatically. Many among us also make flights from their greatness by chatting and gossiping endlessly, not really understanding that there’s a staggering difference between being busy and being productive.

Be weary of addiction.

Other avoidance tactics from the pain of potential unexpressed are hours mindlessly surfing online, electronic shopping, working too much, drinking too much, eating too much, complaining too much and sleeping too much.”

Toss out all these avoidance tactics

History-Maker Focus #2: Freedom from Distraction The billionaire pointed to the model with a pinky finger. “Remember that important brain tattoo of successful people? ‘An addiction to distraction is the death of your creative production.’ It will guide us through this section of today’s mentoring session. And I’ve decided to go deep into the importance of winning the war against diversion and cyber nuisances because it’s an extremely serious issue in our culture. In some ways, the new technologies and social media are not only eroding the Everests of our glorious productive potential, they are also training us to be less human. We have fewer real conversations, fewer true connections and fewer meaningful interactions.”

Addiction to distraction kills creativity.

So many potentially outstanding people are suffering from ‘broken focus syndrome’ because they’ve filled their professional and personal lives with so many gadgets, interruptions and cybernoise.

Don't get broken focus syndrome

“The closer you get to your genius, the more you’ll face the sabotage of your fears,” agreed the billionaire powerfully. “You’ll become scared of leaving the majority and having to deal with the by-products of mastery, like being different from most people, jealousy from competitors and the pressure to make your next project even better. As you rise toward virtuosity, you’ll become anxious about failure, threatened by a concern of not being good enough and insecure about blazing new paths. So, your amygdala—an almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the brain that detects fear—gets

New Level New Devil

I’m getting why Steve Jobs didn’t give his kids the very things he sold to the world. He understood how addictive they could be, if improperly used. And how they could make us less human and less alive.”

Steve jobs didnt let his kids use cell phones

“Excellent. One of the fascinating traits of our ancient brain is its negativity bias. To keep us safe, it’s far less interested in what’s positive in our environment and significantly more invested in letting us know what’s bad. “This brain’s default is to hunt for danger,” the billionaire continued happily. “So back when life was much more brutal, we could respond swiftly and stay alive. That mechanism served our ancestors exceedingly well. But in today’s world, most of us don’t face death daily. The reality is that the ordinary person lives a higher quality life than most members of royalty did even just a few hundred years ago. Please think about this blessing.”

Ancient brain negativity focus for survival