The 5 am club

incubation
of the very ideas that
will make you a fortune. So work less to get more done. That’s pretty much
what 
The Twin Cycles of Elite Performance
model is all about.”
“I’m understanding 
The 60/10 Method
’s value even more,” the artist
contributed. “I guess this also means it’s okay to have a few days off every
week.”
“Not only okay but necessary to guard your five assets of genius, the very
ones that A-Players leverage to realize industry prominence so their work
stands the test of time. To be specific and tactical: 
take at least two full days
off each week
. No technology. ‘Zero Device Days’ is what The Spellbinder
calls them. Full recovery. And every quarter, take off even more time. For
decades I’ve taken June, July and August to vacation. I sail, bike, sleep, read,

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swim, chill with my friends, have the happiest times with my daughter and
experience life at its best. You cats may not be able to take this much time off.
But I need to tell you that during these renewal cycles I do my best thinking
and planning and get my best insights. I always return to the office a thousand
times more inspired, on fire and alive.”
Another butterfly floated by. The vineyard seemed to whisper of
wonderful miracles to come. Though the sun now stood in its full radiant
glory, a thin slip of a moon competed for attention in the big African Sky. It
was breathtaking.
The entrepreneur grasped her husband’s hand.
“This is magical,” she said.
“You know, guys,” Mr. Riley said as he picked up his bike and started
walking along the secret back road that he had somehow discovered. “Heaven
on Earth isn’t some mystical, spiritual place to aspire to. It’s not some realm
reserved only for saints, seers and sages. Not at all. I’ve discovered—and boy,
have I led a colorful, intense life all these years—that Heaven on Earth is a
state, that 
anyone
can create.”
The billionaire was now deepening the conversation significantly and
growing even more philosophical around this particular lesson on work-life
boundaries for sustained legendary performance—and a happier existence.
Because business victory without a joyful heart misses the opportunity.
“I feel really, really blessed in my life,” Stone Riley stated. “I live mostly
in the magic.”
“The magic?” wondered the artist, now pulling on two dreadlocks and
unlacing his biking shoes.
“The magic,” confirmed the billionaire, looking serene yet confident,
relaxed yet thoughtful, playful yet spiritual. “I’ve learned that being
successful without feeling soulful is the highest of defeats.”
The entrepreneur and the artist sat down next to each other on the soil of
the vineyard.
The billionaire kept on. “While I’ve always been passionate about
advancing my companies and expanding my commercial interests—mostly to
see how far I can go and to help me fuel my philanthropic work—I am
equally dedicated to savoring the magic of a life astoundingly well-lived.
Winning without enjoying is nothing.”
“Not so sure I get you,” admitted the entrepreneur as a truck carrying a
gaggle of workers with charismatic smiles sailed by.

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“It’s a great morning!” one shouted.
“I love my work, so much. And I do get a lot of pleasure from the homes,
the goods and the toys I own. But I need none of it. I have my things and my
public reputation as a global businessperson. Yet I don’t 
identify
with it. I’m
not attached to any of this. As I grow older, I still love the pleasures of this
world very much—but I don’t require them for my happiness and
peacefulness. I’ve come to see it all as a big game, a sport of sorts.
“I own my things, but they don’t own me,” the baron continued. “And
though I play in the world I also adore the wilderness, not only
metaphorically but literally—like here experiencing the natural wonders of
this ethereal valley in Franschhoek. This, too, is how I live the