OWN YOUR MORNING
ELEVATE YOUR LIFE
The 5 AM Club, a book written by Robin Sharma, is stunning in its exploration of the significance of early rising and morning routines. There are seventeen (17) chapters in the book. Each chapter discusses different aspects of human life in an elaborate way. He points out several rules and habits that should be followed by people in their lives. Among all the habits and rules he mentions, early rising is the most valuable habit to incorporate into life, as it integrates other habits and rules in the right manner. Here, I discuss excerpts from different chapters in his book.
Sharma narrates the book through four (4) characters: the Spellbinder, the Entrepreneur, the Artist, and a homeless man. They meet at a seminar, and afterward, all of them are invited by the homeless man to a magical island in the middle of a fantastic ocean, five hours from the coast of Cape Town, where he lives. In this natural resort, the writer shares all his perceptions and knowledge about elevating mornings, conveyed through the Spellbinder.
According to the author, one should take excellent care of the front end of the day, and the rest of the day will pretty much take care of itself. Every professional was once an amateur, and every master started as a beginner. Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary feats once they routinize the right habits.
On the island, the discussions cover various topics. The most important are:
- The 5 AM Method: The Morning Routine of World Builders
- The 4 Focuses of History Makers
- The 4 Interior Empires
Here I have mentioned according to author’s narration.
The 5 AM Method: The 20/20/20 Formula
05:00 AM – 05:20 AM — Move
(Intense Exercise, Sweat Hard, Hydrate, Breathe Deeply)
05:20 AM – 05:40 AM — Reflect
(Journal, Meditate, Plan, Pray, Contemplate)
05:40 AM – 06:00 AM — Grow
(Review Goals, Read Books, Consume Audiobooks, Listen to Podcasts, Study Online)
The 4 Focuses of History Makers
- Capitalization IQ — What makes a legendary performer so good isn’t the amount of natural talent they are born with but the extent of the potential they capitalize on.
- Freedom from Distraction — An addiction to distraction is the death of creative production. Sharma discusses beautifully how our brains are wired to hunt for danger. Back when life was more brutal, we could respond swiftly and stay alive. This mechanism served our ancestors exceedingly well. But in today’s world, most of us don’t face daily threats. Because of the built-in negativity bias of our ancient brains, we are constantly scanning for breaches against our security. We remain in hyper-vigilance, anxious and uptight, even when everything is going great. Our higher thinking wants us to grow, evolve, lead better lives, and inspire the world. But there is a battle within our brains: the ancient, lower, more primitive part of our brain tries to stop our evolution. Due to this fear, we embrace as many distractions as possible to make us feel better, even if only for a moment.
- Personal Mastery Practice — Sweat more in practice, bleed less in war.
- Day Stacking — The value of a single day for future success.
The 4 Interior Empires
- Mindset — Think optimistically every day.
- Heartset — Emotional life.
- Healthset — Good physical health.
- Soulset — Spiritual life.