50 Reasons to Wake Up at 5:00 A.M.

I started waking up at 5 a.m. on 2 October 2009… almost by mistake and I’m still waking up at 5 a.m. to this day, and don’t intend to stop anytime soon.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Robin Sharma’s 5 a.m. Club and I came in contact with this idea at least seven to eight times before it clicked into place.

I was aware of this idea long before that because my grandpa was a milkman and used to wake up at 4 a.m. to deliver milk. My father was an engineer who worked the first shift from 6 a.m.

So what was my reason for waking up so early?

Having more than 500 clients whom I have coached, almost ALL of our conversations came to this same bump in the road: ‘I don’t have time to practise, to eat, to read, to be with my kids, to clear my head…’ and so on.

‘I know they could be good for me, but I just can’t find the time’.

Keep these two things in mind:

Nothing changes until you change.

— Jim Rohn

‘You will not change until you allocate dedicated time to practice so that the changes can take place.’

— this is mine

So, here are 50 reasons to make you consider waking up at 5 A.M.

I bet that you will find at least 5 that are R-E-A-L-L-Y important to you:

1. You become a one-percenter, the most productive group in the world! It’s a select club and it’s an honour to be a full member.
2. You have the opportunity to spend quality time with yourself; you put yourself first because you deserve it! You’re the most important person in your life.
3. Nobody’s awake at that time to bother you with phone calls, emails, texts, etc.
4. You can train for a marathon. In this sense, I really admire Andrei Rosu. He is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the first one to complete seven marathons and seven ultramarathons in all the seven continents. In his own words, without waking up early in the morning, these achievements would have remained merely dreams, impossible to achieve.
5. You can create a strategic plan for your business (or your future business if you’re still employed). If you don’t do this in the morning when you feel rested, when else? When you come home at night feeling drained?
6. You enjoy a tasty breakfast without feeling the rush of the cuckoo clock. Ah, the small pleasures in life…
7. You have the opportunity to see a sunrise. And I’m not talking about the one you see in pictures. I’m talking about the real one, one of the best free delights in life!
8. You can savour a cup of tea or coffee. I prefer tea. My favourite is the vanilla- flavoured Rooibos tea… priceless!
9. You can spend 30 to 60 minutes reading each day for the purpose of becoming an expert in your particular field! You can read between 50 and 100 books in just 300 days. Do you believe all this knowledge will make a difference in five or 10 years from now? I’m sure it will!
10. You can watch inspirational videos like those posted on TED or those held by Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn etc. Just one ‘dose’ of these types of videos a day can turn you into a different person and you then realize that excellence is a trait built over time and on a daily basis.
11. You go out for a run without being disturbed by traffic. Priceless!
12. You have enough time to prepare and dress impeccably. Have you ever heard someone ask ‘where did you put my shirt, socks, belt, scarf, etc.?’ Well, you’ll be able to relax about all of these things.
13. You can plan your priorities and this makes it easier for you to say ‘no’ when your coworkers, boss or friends demand unreasonable things from you. Why? Because you clearly know what you have to do on that day and how much free time you have available.
14. You meditate in silence and solitude for five to 10 minutes, focusing on your breathing. This allows you to feel calm and relaxed.
15. You take a walk and enjoy the fresh morning air. We balance our inner system through movement. This is why 15 to 20 minutes of walking is pure gold!
16. You exercise and boost your metabolism. Therefore, you have enough energy after you wake up in the wee hours of the morning. You don’t have to go to the gym. Ten minutes spent exercising at home are enough. I’m talking about deep breaths, stretching, jumping jacks, squats, sit-ups…nothing complicated.
17. You set your intentions regarding this new day that is about to unfold. The clearer your expectations are about what you wish to achieve, the more likely you are to obtain those results. Confusion can only lead to confusing results.
18. You start activities that you wouldn’t deal with in the evening when you feel tired after a hard day at the office. For example, you plan to start a new business, you learn a foreign language, you study a field in which you wish to become an expert, etc.
19. You call a friend and congratulate each other for waking up at such an hour and for being members of this select group of one-percenters. If you don’t have a wake-up partner, you can find one who is a member of the 5 a.m. Club.
20. You can offer your consulting, coaching or mentoring services to a young man during your morning walk (without having to take any extra time out of your already planned day). Thus, you contribute to the development of a student without skipping your morning walk. What an excellent way to start your day!
21. You spend two extra productive hours working for your company without being interrupted and this allows you to double your efficiency. In this manner, you get to complete 25 to 50 per cent of your daily tasks. You will feel much more relaxed and confident knowing that you will finish everything you had planned for that day.
22. You can make breakfast for your spouse and family. Do you want to see smiles in the morning? This is the easiest way!
23. You repeat your affirmations in the mirror or while you exercise: ‘Everything I need lies within me now’, ‘I like myself’, ‘I’m responsible’, ‘Everyday in every way I’m getting better and better’ etc. You condition your mind to think in a way that supports you rather than sabotages you.
24. You choose the next conference or event you want to attend in your area of expertise so that you are constantly prepared and up to date. It’s your only chance to keep up with new trends.
25. You inhale essential oils — eucalyptus and mint — to open up your nasal passages and to place yourself into an excellent state in a very short amount of time. I never imagined the olfactory sense could have such a positive effect on my well-being.
26. You practise coaching — via phone or Skype — with clients who are top performers as well as one- percenters. I have been at it for more than 9 years and I have coached over 500 clients using sessions that start at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. In my opinion, this is by far the best interval for this activity. It’s quiet, nothing is causing us to be in a hurry and we are well-rested and have lots of energy (a result of our breakfast and physical exercises).
27. You listen to personal and professional development programmes and you set out to apply one or two techniques you heard. You develop your expertise and your confidence step by step.
28. You use photo reading to read one book every 30 minutes. It’s a revolutionary technique, developed by Paul Scheele, that uses the whole brain to read and allows you to extract the essential knowledge from a book in the shortest time possible. It can literally change your life. I’m not kidding!
29. You write a note for someone dear to you and you leave it on the refrigerator or on the bathroom mirror for them to find and read. It takes you about 20 seconds to do this. e effect: a positive mindset throughout the day (for you as well as for the recipient of the card).
30. You start your day with proactive, rather than reactive, energy when you feel like you’re running late from the second you get out of bed. If you want to have an increased level of control over your life every day, start by clarifying what’s important and what’s non-negotiable for you. And stop giving up on what’s important to you!
31. You have enough time to practise Ho’oponopono regarding the people you wish to have a more harmonious relationship with. Also called ‘The Forgiveness Therapy’, it consists of four affirmations: ‘I’m sorry’, ‘Please forgive me’, ‘ Thank you’ and ‘I love you’. All you have to do is repeat these four affirmations for a few minutes while thinking of the other person (an ideal session lasts 10 to 15 minutes and produces rapid results).
32. You increase your level of energy by practising the four tempo breathing routine (four inhales followed by four deep exhales). Shallow breathing is quite common among those who spend a lot of time at the office. This is why deep breaths help you to quickly increase your level of energy.
33. You feel the need to have a hobby just for yourself: it could be writing, painting, sculpting or photography. Do something each day to please your soul without forgetting who you are…start the day with yourself!
34. You have time to plan your dream vacation (and you can research the best o offers available without feeling the pressure of time). When you have several hours to spend doing thorough research you will most likely save a serious amount of money.
35. You write your goals for the next 12 months on a daily basis for at least 30 days. Each day you write them on a separate page without looking back. In this way, you ‘allow them to negotiate among themselves’ their hierarchy based on how meaningful they are to you. I can guarantee some ‘a-ha’ moments.
36. You establish your top-five priorities that you have to finish that day. You estimate the necessary time to do so as well as envision the desired result.
37. You drink about 1 pound of water, recharge your batteries and rehydrate yourself after a goodnight’s sleep. My recommendation is that you drink water which has a temperature higher than that of your own body so that you don’t consume extra energy to heat it up once it reaches the stomach.
38. You write for 15 minutes everything you feel grateful for, thus releasing any trace of anxiety. It’s something easy to do that has a guaranteed positive effect throughout the day. You won’t need sedatives anymore, you’ll be releasing endorphins naturally!
39. You take the time necessary to create a board with pictures which represents the achievement of your goals. Some call it a Vision Board or a Dream Board.
40. For 10 to 20 minutes each morning you contemplate this board and fill yourself up with the emotion associated with achieving those specific goals. this will increase your level of clarity regarding why you’re doing what you’re doing and what’s the final purpose towards which your efforts are oriented.
41. You then use this positive emotion to plan and act in the direction of your goals. You enter a stage of inspired action. You no longer need willpower to do something. Inspiration tells you what actions are the right ones to do.
42. You write the book you’ve always wanted to publish. Write one page each day. Christopher Hitchens once said: ‘Everyone has a book inside of them’. At the end of the year, you’ll have written 365 pages. All done! Find an agent and publish your book!
43. You write articles on your blog and you inspire other people to reach their potential. Let me give you a suggestion: stop keeping all of those great ideas only inside your head because the next ones won’t have any room available! Write articles, write a book, and tell others. Do anything, just get them out of your head and into the world so that you can make room for the next great ideas to come!
44. You remember the most important 10 victories — personal or professional — in the past 12 months. You fill yourself with confidence and you emanate this feeling through every inch of your body, thus inspiring everyone you meet. This way you’ll become the person they always want to be around, because you have such a positive impact on others.
45. You leave for work on time and you reach the office feeling relaxed and smiling. The 10 minutes you use as backup save you the stress of countless red lights and trafic jams. A small investment for such a high reward!
46. You eliminate 95 per cent of the stress you’re dealing with right now. As long as you combine a multitude of habits described above, you’ll find yourself lacking the reasons to stress out. But don’t take my word for it… try it for yourself!
47. You gain the instant respect of anyone you share your story with. To many, your story is similar to running a marathon. It won’t be long until people wonder how you are so calm, relaxed and confident. Then, with a wide smile on your face, you can ask them: ‘Are you ready to hear what I’m about to tell you?’
48. You start your day by putting yourself first, thus raising your level of self-esteem because you are the most important person in your life! I think it’s obvious that if you first take care of yourself, you’ll then be able to take care of others much better. You can’t offer someone something you don’t have enough of for yourself.
49. You are a select member of the 5 a.m. Club.
50. You claim your power back, the power you conceded to external circumstances, thus becoming a centred, balanced and harmonious person who achieves everything he/she sets out to do because you have already solved your internal conflicts…the only ones that are truly relevant.

Wake Up & LIVE!

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