The 5 am club

incredible
what you just pulled off! Totally gangster.”
“I did it because of the club.”
“What are you talking about?” asked the artist, bewildered.
“I did what I did because of the powers I’ve developed as a member of
The 5 
AM
Club. That’s how I was able to do what I just did. 
It all really works.
All of it.
Everything we’ve been taught in Mauritius. In India. In Rome. And
the main reason I saved your life isn’t because you’ll soon be my husband and
we’ll have great kids and then grandkids and a bunch of dogs and cats and
hopefully even canaries at our home,” she gushed. “No. I saved you only
because you’re also in the club. And Mr. Riley said we have to stick together.
And to have each other’s backs.”
“Are you serious?” asked the artist, loudly. He wasn’t pleased with what
he’d heard.
“Of course not! I’m just playing, babe,” laughed the entrepreneur. “I adore
you. I’d give my life for you any day of the week. Now let’s go find Mr.
Riley. Let’s make sure he’s okay.”
The next day, after they had recovered from their dramatic experience, they
met in the billionaire’s penthouse at the chic hotel. Mr. Riley looked lean,
focused and very happy.
“Quite the spree yesterday, cats,” he stated in a way that suggested that
what they’d endured was nothing more than a brisk walk through a flower-
filled park.
“That was brutal,” the artist replied. “You talk about trauma—that was
traumatic.”
“You, my friend, were quite the hero yesterday,” declared the billionaire
proudly while focusing on the entrepreneur. “You, young lady, are a miracle
on two legs.”
“Thanks,” she said, shifting her feet a bit and making sure the artist was
okay.
“I watched you roll. I saw your cool. I noticed your concentration under
extreme pressure. And your superhuman levels of performance.”

---

“This goddess of a woman here saved my life,” the artist acknowledged
enthusiastically.
“You two love cats are just beginning to get a taste of the benefits of
joining The 5 
AM
Club. Just imagine you two after applying 
The 66 Day
Minimum.
Then after six months of running the world-class morning routine
you’ve now discovered. Consider the way you’ll capitalize on your potential,
optimize your performance—and be useful to our world in a year. Always
remember that the greatest of leaders were all servant leaders. The less you
make it all about you, and the more your obsession focuses on the upliftment
of others, the more you’ll increase your identity as a 
genuine
empire-builder.
And grow into a history-maker.”
“Got you,” confirmed the entrepreneur as she sipped from a water bottle,
making sure she was well hydrated to stay at her energetic best.
“I want to reward you for the heroism you showed yesterday,” the
billionaire offered. “I have some news that I think will make you love your
life even more.”
“Tell me, please,” the entrepreneur said. “Though I really don’t need
anything, you know. I did what I did out of love. Simple as that.”
“Well . . . are you ready?” the tycoon asked.
“Yes. Ready.”
“Well, this morning I had my people buy up all of the equity those nasty
investors owned. Let’s just say I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
And my legal team had them sign an agreement promising they will never go
near your company again and are not permitted to come anywhere near
you . . . or the man who will be your husband in a few short hours.
“Gnarly, right?” the billionaire spoke as he tap danced his way across the
floor of the penthouse. Yes, he actually tap danced across the entire room.
Next, he began flailing his arms manically and grooving intensely to his
imagined music. Finally—get this—he started twerking. Yes, the illustrious
industrialist who was worth over one billion dollars was twerking in that hotel
suite.
“He’s the weirdest human being I’ve ever met—by a factor of a million,”
thought the entrepreneur. “But truly wonderful. And pretty close to magical.”
The entrepreneur and the artist looked at each other and began to giggle.
They then joined in—as best as they could, because Mr. Riley could
sometimes be a bit of a showman, as humble as he was. After the dancing
session they hugged this man who had become their magnificent mentor,

---

exuberant encourager and sincere friend.
The entrepreneur thanked the eccentric baron, profusely, for his generosity
in making her difficult situation go away. This spectacular escapade was
taking on a near-mystical quality. Everything was improving. All was
unfolding even better than she could have dreamed. And now she was free of
the very trial that had brought her to the sharpest edge of her life.
In that moment, she realized that on the other side of every tragedy lives a
triumph. And beyond adversity exists a bridge into enduring victory, if one
has the eyes to see it.
“Anyhoo,” said the billionaire, “today’s session will be a quick one. “My
chief of staff is attending to every detail of your wedding as we speak. You’ll
have the Casablanca lilies you requested, the music you both suggested and
every detail will be calibrated to world-class. It’s just the way my team and I
roll. Oh, all your guests have been flown in on a series of my jets.
Everybody’s here. And everyone’s full of delight. Especially me.”
The titan let out another intense cough. And then two more. His arm
started to tremble again as he sat on a modern-looking wooden chair covered
by a swatch of white leather, the kind furniture craftspeople in Sweden and
Denmark make. For the first time, a look in his eyes revealed hues of fear.
“I’ll beat this monster,” he whispered to himself. “You’re messing with
the wrong dude.”
He pulled out his wallet, extracted the worn picture of his wife, gone so
long ago, clasped it to his heart and centered himself on the essential points of
the morning’s discourse.
“Now that you know most of what you need to know about The 5 
AM
Method, I want to offer ten tactics that will quicken your momentum in both
your professional and your private lives. These are ten gestures for daily
heroism.