The 5 am club

—Lao Tzu
“Hey, cats,” boomed the billionaire. “You’re right on time, as usual. Nice
work!”
It was 5 
AM
and, while the retreating outline of the moon remained in the
sky, the rays of a new dawn greeted the three human beings standing on the
perfect beach.
The perfumed ocean breeze swirled with notes of red hibiscus, clove and
tuberose. A Mauritius kestrel, the rarest falcon in the world, flew overhead,
and a pink pigeon—the scarcest on the planet—minded its business near a
lush cluster of palm trees. A family of geckos shot by on their way to
someplace important and a giant Aldabra tortoise crawled along a grassy bank
above the shore. All this natural splendor elevated the joy and electrified the
spirits of the three members of The 5 
AM
Club who stood on the sand.
The billionaire pointed to a bottle floating in the ocean. As he waved his
finger from side to side, the bottle moved from side to side. When he twirled a
digit, the bottle in the water swirled with it. And when he lifted a hand slowly,
the bottle appeared to rise above the surface of the ocean.
Soon the container washed up onto the wet sand and it became clear that a
swatch of silk had been rolled up inside of it. Picture how mysterious all this
seemed.
“A message in a bottle,” declared the billionaire happily. He started
clapping his hands like a little tyke. He sure was an abnormal and totally
wonderful character. “This conveniently sets the tone for my mentoring
session with you this morning,” he added.
The industrialist then lifted the vessel, unscrewed the cap and pulled out
the fabric, which had the framework below stitched onto it:

---

“This is one of the simplest yet gnarliest of the teaching models The
Spellbinder shared when he started coaching me as a young man,” explained
the billionaire, using more of his surfer slang. “And it’ll provide the context
for all the teachings that will follow. So, I really want you both to understand
it intimately. At first glance, it seems like a really basic model. But as you
integrate it over time, you’ll see how profound it is.”
Mr. Riley then closed his eyes, covered his ears with his hands and recited
these words:
The beginning of transformation is the increase of perception. As you see more you can materialize
more. And once you know better you can achieve bigger. The great women and men of the world—
the ones responsible for the magical symphonies, the beautiful movements, the advancements of
science and the progress of technology—started by reengineering their thinking and reinventing
their awareness. In so doing, they entered a secret universe that the majority could not perceive.
And this, in turn, allowed them to make the daily choices few choose to make. Which,
automatically, delivered the daily results few get to experience.
The tycoon reopened his eyes. He raised an index finger to his lips, as if
immersed in some splendidly weighty insight. Looking intently at the
framework embedded into the silk, he continued, “Heroes, titans and icons all
have a personal trait that average performers just don’t show, you know.”
“Which is?” asked the artist, who was dressed goofily in a muscle shirt
and a Speedo swimsuit.

---

“Rigor,” replied the billionaire. “The best in the world have depth.
Members of the majority often get stuck in a mindset of superficiality in their
work. Their whole 
approach
is light. No real preparation. Very little
contemplation and then the setting of a towering vision for the desired
outcome along with patiently considering the sequencing of executions that
will result in an awesome result. The 95% of performers don’t invest