Waking up early every morning and establishing a routine will pay huge dividends in the long haul. “The 5 am Club. Own your Morning. Elevate Your Life” by Robin Sharma explains what this hour means to your success.
If you want to get ahead in life, undoubtedly, you must get up early. It’s one of the secrets of success and productivity. Do you want to try it?
“It breaks my heart to see so many potential and powerful human beings stuck in a story about why they can’t be extraordinary, professionally and personally.” –says the spellbinder, one of the characters in “The 5 am Club” book.
Robin Sharma, the book’s author, explains the benefits of getting up at dawn from a scientific point of view, not by random or guessing.
“If you do not rise early, you can make progress in nothing.”–is a William Pitt Chatman quote used by the billionaire –another book character.
“This was the practice that elevated any other practice.”
“The antidote to average. No more rushing in my morning. In the quiet only early morning provides.” –the wealthy man continued–
The author explains why it must be at 5:00 am and not later. Even it’s better if anyone can get up at 4:00 am, as some spiritual books consider this hour even more advantageous.
“Getting at 5:00 am promotes flow gorgeously, creativity soars, energy doubles, productivity tripled,” –the billionaire affirmed–
The term “flow” is described in the book as a mental peak for achievement. The essential is to create a morning routine before you start your day for the payoff you will receive.
It’s painful but necessary
How many people do you hear saying, “I don’t have time”? A lot, right? Many people have this precious 5:00 am hour available but don’t know what value it may bring in accomplishing their goals. As the spellbinder says:
“Hard is good. Real greatness and the realization of your inherited genius is meant to be a difficult sport.”
“The place where your greatest discomfort lies is also the spark where your largest opportunity lives.”
“You need to remember that your excuses are your seducers. Your fears are liars, and your doubts are thieves.”
Getting up at 5:00 am is not easy and requires commitment and willpower, but once you rationalize the gains and values, you will slowly get accustomed to it.
“Great power is unleashed with a simple start…Your willpower heightens, your confidence climbs, and your brilliance soars. A year from now, you will be so happy you began today.”
“The flow of life rewards positive action and punishes hesitation.” –the spellbinder continued–
The author uses a famous phrase to describe how it is getting up early: “All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.” Sharma knows how complicated the process is. He knows we can get up today at 5:00, but the next day only a few minutes before going to work. Therefore, he encourages you not to quit because there will be days you won’t get up early. But you can always try the next morning.
How is the book presented?
“The 5 am Club” is written as a novel that combines fictional storytelling elements with teachings on personal growth, productivity, and leadership.
The author offers these teachings to two people on opposite social and professional levels: a romantic and frustrated artist and a successful and wealthy female entrepreneur. Their lives are about to collapse, and they both need urgent help. There is an 80-year-old mentor and speaker with many insights and wisdom, the spellbinder, and a billionaire named Riley.
Everything that happens is protected under the generous and philanthropic spirit of the wealthy man who intends to help the artist and the businesswoman. This book is for anyone searching for a change, real improvement, and becoming –as the author says – “a world-class individual.”
The 20/20/20 formula
As Sharma explains, there are several elements to consider for getting up at 5:00 am. He presents the 20/20/20 minutes formula, which divides the hour into three-20 minutes segments.
The first block of 20 minutes is for intense exercise and, most importantly, sweating. It’s time for yoga, stretching, brisk walking, jogging, or an intense workout. It’s for waking up fully and activating your body for the day ahead.
The second block of 20 minutes is for reflection. Time to meditate, practice deep breathing, journaling, introspection, gratitude, and putting your thoughts in order. It is for calming your mind and gaining focus.
The third block of 20 minutes is time devoted to growing, personally and professionally by reading books, listening to audiobooks, podcasts, tutorials, or courses on your career and other interests.
By establishing a daily routine, you get in shape, advance your goals, develop solutions, and nurture your career by reading and learning. The benefits of these activities will have a compound effect on your life, and the beauty is that you can be alone and have a quiet time for yourself without interruption while the rest are sleeping.
The 20/20/20 formula it’s an example of how you can structure your morning routines. You can always customize this hour according to your lifestyle and preferences. But note that physical activity is something you may want to include in your method somehow, for the benefits it translates to the process of creativity and problem-solving solutions. Physical exercise will give you energy for the day, improve your mood, lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and keep you in shape.
Why it has to be at 5:00 am?
Science supports this time
The 5:00 am window represents a secret time when you are more alert and have more clarity, and –as the book explains– the critical mind closes briefly, allowing you to come up with new ideas and solutions. It’s like you can enter the realm of creativity.
Sharma states that at 5:00 am, you enter into the “flow state.” The pre-frontal cortex on your brain “quiets” during this hour, allowing you to:
- Genius-level insight
- Advance creativity
- Word-Class performance
- Cortisol level decreases, dopamine rises, and serotonin soars
All the above happens at 5:00 am when you are in “solitude, stillness, and silence.” Who wouldn’t want to have a little window of wisdom at his disposal to discover new things, be more creative, and look for solutions? Here at this dark hour, Sharma assures, miracles can occur.
Following the best examples
The most extraordinary men and women have gotten up at dawn. The intensity of their lives or purpose wouldn’t allow them to get up later. And it makes sense after seeing their accomplishments. But wait a minute; the word accomplishment rings a bell. All self-development books have one thing in common.
They talk about a sacrifice and price that anyone who wants to succeed has to pay beforehand. Meanwhile, getting up early is one of those price tags. And Sharma calls the 5:00 am time “The Victory Hour.”
The spiritual path
Early mornings are extraordinary they facilitate the practice of contemplation, meditation, and connecting with your higher self. You can acquire stillness thru a daily meditation that will also serve as a tonic for your brain. You will feel less overwhelmed and in more control. And, as the books suggest, you can also visualize and manifest what you want.
A more relaxed, focused, and alert version of yourself will be better equipped to handle the difficulties life presents, and this can be acquired by a daily morning routine practice “The 5 am Club” book offers.
The results you gain
The book elaborates on “stacking” and “compound” benefits you create by an early morning routine. Over time, any habit you create in your routine will be piled up, and every result will grow exponentially, no matter how small. It’ll add up daily, and you will have remarkable long-term results. It applies to all the activities you do.
Two examples: After one month of 20 minutes of daily exercise, you will see visible changes in your body. And by writing every day for 20 minutes, you could have completed two chapters of your novel. The key is to embrace the idea of gradual progress and trust in the power of small and consistent actions.
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Summary- 5 essential rules
“The 5 am Club” have the following rules:
Rule # 1 “An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production”
Rule # 2 “Excuses breed no genius”
Rule # 3 “All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end”
Rule # 4 “To have the results the top 5% of producers have, you must start doing what 95% of people are unwilling to do”
Rule # 5 “When you feel like surrendering, continue.”
Other teachings by the spellbinder:
“Life is too short to play small with your talents.”
You’ve been built to achieve master-level work projects.”
“Renounce the common delusion that those who accumulate the most win. Instead, do work that is heroic that staggers the marketplace by its quality, originality as well as for the helpfulness it provides.”
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