The 5 am club

—Muhammad Ali
The next morning’s lesson was scheduled to be on how the most productive
leaders and performers on the planet install the habits that make them
superstars. And live fascinating, adventurous and purposeful lives. In reply to
Mr. Riley’s request, both the entrepreneur and the artist had arranged to
extend their time away. They understood the profound value of the training
they were being exposed to. And they knew their smartest move was to
embrace it fully.
“Hi, cats,” shouted the billionaire, running up to his companions as the
Indian sun rose timidly against a horizon that was at once barren and
electrifying.
It was precisely 5 
AM
.
The tycoon wore a black Nehru-collared shirt, cargo shorts and black
sandals. He was smiling broadly. He still glowed from the sunshine of
Mauritius. And, today, he wore a turban.
“This morning, I’ll be walking you through The Spellbinder’s insights on
installing the peak performance regimes that will help you activate your
greatness in business and in life. As I shared with you in an earlier lesson,
what makes the best the best is not their genetics but their habits. And not the
extent of their gifts, but the strength of their grit. Today’s lesson will walk you
through what the science and research tell us we must do to let go of the
behaviors that weaken us and to code in the ones that will serve us.”
“What’s grit?” asked the entrepreneur, paying attention to every word the
billionaire spoke. Today, she had her hair in a ponytail and simple shoes on
her feet.
“It’s a term popularized by social psychologist Angela Duckworth, who

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studied elite performers in the fields of business, education, the military and
sports. She found that what makes the most successful achievers so great isn’t
their inherent talent but their levels of commitment, discipline, resilience and
perseverance. ‘Grit’ is her word to describe these traits.”
“Cool, brother,” said the artist. “That inspires me not to give up on a
painting when I hit a wall of self-doubt. Or when I get frustrated by my lack
of progress. Or when I get scared others in my field will laugh because I’m
producing art that is fresh and original instead of copied and derivative.”
“Good,” responded the billionaire as he rubbed his muscular abs. “Albert
Einstein wrote ‘Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from
mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man
who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to
express his opinions courageously and honestly.’”
“Love that,” spoke the artist exuberantly, displaying an expression that
showed his growing pride in trusting his personal vision when it came to his
craft.
“Anyhoo, let’s get back on track and keep jamming on the most potent
ways to install world-class habits that last versus ones that dissolve after a few
weeks of trying to make them stick. Of course, this morning’s mentoring class
is absolutely essential for you two because, even though you guys are up at 5
AM
daily now, we want the discipline to become a lifetime routine. Oh, and an
essential part of world-class habit installation involves learning how the pros
build remarkable self-control and unleash rare-air amounts of willpower. So,
we should start there.”
The three companions were standing in front of the Taj Mahal. They were
alone. The structure was unspeakably sublime as they stared at it, a genuine
testimony to the rewards of architectural and engineering mastery.
“I love India so much,” declared the billionaire. “One of the greatest
nations on Earth. And this place, well, it’s one of The Seven Wonders of the
World for a reason. Breathtakingly beautiful, right?”
“True,” admitted the entrepreneur as she sipped some very hot coffee.
The billionaire held a large water bottle in his left hand. It had a statement
printed on it, as his water bottles often did, which he read to his two students
with gusto:
The hero does not become great during periods of comfort. The illustrious and noble souls of our
world became strong, brave and moral whilst standing resolutely in the storms of adversity,
difficulty and doubt. It is in the moment that you face your deepest weakness that you receive the
chance to forge your greatest strengths. Real power, then, comes not from a life of ease but one of
intense effort, devoted discipline and demanding action in the direction of what your supreme self

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knows to be right. To continue at a time when you ache to stop. To advance when you long to quit.
To persist in the instant when you feel like giving up is to claim your membership among the great
warriors and honorable characters who led humanity to a better place through their earned
invincibility.
“Wow,” uttered the artist. “Some great poet wrote that?”
“Nope,” mentioned the billionaire. “Those words are all mine.”
Mr. Riley then raised a hand into the air—and you know what happened.
Out of the early morning mist appeared an impeccably dressed and very
attractive aide. “We’re all so happy you’re back in India, Sir. We have missed
you,” she uttered. “Here’s what you asked for.”
The billionaire bowed slightly and gave his assistant a friendly smile.
A spectacularly ornate pashmina shawl was handed to the titan, who
stretched it out in the light. As you know, pashmina is a fine type of wool
from Kashmir. The term itself translates into “soft gold” in the Kashmiri
language. And if you saw it, you’d agree it looked so.
Detailed stitching had gone into the fabric and, as the two students
focused more closely on it, they could see 
The 5-3-1 Creed of
The Willpower
Warrior
sewn into the shawl. Below this title was a series of statements that
explained what the “5-3-1” meant. It was all quite unique.
Here’s what the handcrafted stitching said: