In May last year I was pushed by a former colleague (now a good friend) to go see Brandminds. It sounded like fun – as an Advertising and Communications major in college I continue to be “tickled” by ideas, great communicators and learning new things. There were several names on the list (this is how I came to know the amazing Seth Godin) but, as we sat in line to enter, one of my colleagues said she was there solely to see Robin Sharma. I was silent about the fact that I had no idea who he was (I might have even pretended to know who he is because shame never really stops whispering in our ear, does it?) , silently vouching to google him as soon as I was able to sit down. I did not get a chance to do it until I saw him speak and he was a really good speaker. He filled the room with a lot of positive energy and was truly inspirational. I did google him later and started listening to his podcasts and YouTube clips. I was disappointed, to be honest, and got ticked off soon enough about the constant advertising of his master classes and courses. Unfortunately, for me, this really clouded any ideas of value he for sure put forth.
But as nothing happens by chance in this life, it turns out Mr. Sharma did change my life. The one thing that I did take away from him was the 5 AM Club philosophy . Sharma talks about the magic of the wee hours of the morning when getting your body in motion, planning the day and learning can successfully set the foundation for a fruitful day. I gave his recipe a try and found that I got into the office more energized, more prepared to interact with people, more awake.
I don’t know about you, but for me morning hours are hard and when you are in constant interaction with people, they get even harder. In spite of the nature of my job which is being with people all the time, I am shy and an introvert really; I connect the best when connection comes naturally and mornings are not that kind of times. The 5 AM ritual has helped me in ways I cannot describe. Of course, I changed my ritual from Mr. Sharma’s – and I believe each of us would have their own particular recipe: I run / do yoga for 20 to 30 min, drink at least half a liter of water, use the best mindfulness app ever ( Calm ) for a morning meditation and spend time planning my day.
But I don’t do the latter looking at my calendar and to do list – plenty of time to do that while at work actually; I think of my day in terms of the people I will be with, behaviors and attitudes I want to engage in and display, potential obstacles posed by my emotions (my forever and most resilient hijackers) and committing to the values I want to follow – courage, love and authenticity.
Some days are better than others but what I can tell without a doubt is that the day when I miss my morning magical hour are different. And not in a good way.
Connect 