The 5 am club

The
Twin Cycles of Elite Performance
during our very first coaching session. And insisted relentlessly that I
implement them instantly—and consistently. But boy, did I fight him on this
one! It was just so against my nature to relax and breathe and to pause. Now I
totally get that rest is the very thing that 
enables
our primal greatness to
unfold.”
The entrepreneur nodded her head in understanding. “If I’m not working,
I feel super-guilty. Like I’m doing something wrong.”
“Self-care is essential to self-love,” remarked the billionaire. “All I’m
saying is I now understand that balance is vastly important to world-class
performance. Working day and night didn’t make me more efficient at all. It

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just made me more tired. And cranky. So, now I make the time to rest, to
nourish myself, to mountain bike, to read the books I’ve always wanted to
read, to enjoy a glass of excellent wine like the glass of amazing Pinotage I
savored last night in front of the blazing fire in my cottage here in the valley.
Ironically, as I’ve practiced this kind of recovery, my creativity has
multiplied, my productivity has soared and my results have skyrocketed. It’s
just so profound: 
I work less, have more fun and yet I get way more done
.”
Mr. Riley then reached into his blue backpack and pulled out a piece of
white material, which looked like it came from the sail of a schooner.
Remarkably, you could see a drawing of Albert Einstein in a sailboat on it. If
you were there, in that precious vineyard with them, you would have seen
this:
The industrialist continued his discourse, out in that delightful vineyard.
“Oh yes, cool cats, having fun is so very essential to leading your field,
upgrading your life and inspiring the world. All of the amazing creatives and
productive icons of history had one thing in common, you know?”
“Tell us—please,” requested the entrepreneur as her bangles made a
“clink-clink” sound. Her new wedding ring shimmered in the morning
sunlight.
The billionaire flipped into a quick handstand. He then beat his chest fast

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with a single fist as he whispered these words to himself:
This day is priceless. All the money in the world will not bring it back again. And so, I seize it and I
savor it and I honor it.
This day, I fill my mind with big dreams so there is no space for petty doubts. I replace the
psychology of can’t with the mentality of can. And I remember that my greatest growth lies at the
jagged edges of my highest limits.
This day, I’ll recall that until my mission becomes my obsession, my gifts will never become my
glory. And until my hunger to serve transcends the insecurities of my self, I’ll miss the grand
chance of these precious hours to be a vehicle for helpfulness.
This day, I reload my devotion to avoid a counterfeit nobility, staying sincere, humble—with both
feet on this sacred ground. Should naysayers and bad actors throw rocks at me, I reply with
kindness and love in the face of their bad behavior—even if they don’t deserve it. Should critics
make fun of me—as they always have since I was a kid—I’ll take the rocks they throw at me and
make them into monuments of mastery. And should anyone call me strange, as they often do, I’ll
smile with the blatant wisdom stuck deep in my heart that it’s only misfits, oddballs and eccentrics
that change our world. Being different is really cool. And eccentricity is very hip.
It was quite a sensational scene. Stone Riley, upside down, beating his
chest as if to activate his heart and reciting his poetry.
“Words are creative, you know,” he articulated as he stood up and inhaled
a big gulp of fresh Franschhoek air. “Speak the words of unchained heroism.
Talk the preach of a passionate possibilitarian. Use the languaging of hope,
the sentencing of power and the phrasing of leadership—and unbridled love. I
manage my words meticulously. Every morning.”
The billionaire looked at the vines. “Anyhoo,” he added, “all great
geniuses really loved to play. They understood that having fun is a potent
form of recovery. They all had leisure activities that recharged their empty
batteries. Einstein loved to sail. Aristotle and Charles Dickens adored daily
walks. Hollywood superstar Meryl Streep used to knit, Steve Wozniak played
polo, Bill Gates mastered bridge and Sergey Brin would often be up on a
high-flying trapeze. Time away from work isn’t a waste,” the tycoon
reinforced. “It’s a must. Offers a space for