The 5 Am Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.

The narrative shifts to the conference where a man known as “the Spellbinder” is speaking. He is an older man in his eighties and has built a career on motivational speaking, inspiring others to become, in the text’s view, the best versions of themselves they can be. The Spellbinder begins speaking, and his primary message for the audience is that each person has been gifted talents that can make them legendary; however, in an age of technological intrusion, these talents are generally wasted, as people spend way too much time involved in superficial things, specifically engaged online as “cyber zombie[s]” (4). As the man is giving his speech, his eyes tear up. The audience goes silent for a moment as the man wipes away the tears with a handkerchief he grabs out of his suit pocket. He resumes his speech.

The Spellbinder tells the audience that the limits of their own greatness are established by themselves first and foremost. He contends that excuses are “seducers” and that it is easy to pin the blame on something external (5). Some of the audience applauds the man, but he continues his speech. He points out that, most likely, many in the audience feel like they have lost their way and that their lives have not turned out the way they had intended when they were younger. He says to the audience, “I need to tell you that too many among us die at thirty and are buried at eighty” (6). He then expresses empathy for the people in the audience who feel this way and says that even in dark times, the power and strength to make life what they want it to be is within them.

He pleads with the audience not to be too embarrassed about the past so that it doesn’t get in the way of a powerful future. He claims that if one’s life is a mess, then it’s because their fears have more power over them than their faith in themselves. A man from the audience interrupts the Spellbinder, suggesting that all of what he says, though it is inspiring, is a lot easier said than done. The Spellbinder addresses the man’s claims and agrees with the objection. He maintains that the real challenge is indeed in executing the ideas. This will be very difficult, but the fact of this difficulty should not deter anyone from achieving.

He contends that in modern culture, people are conditioned to think that things should not be hard, when in fact, he argues, anything worth achieving is difficult. He cites a few examples of famous people (Miles Davis, Michelangelo, Rosa Parks, and Charles Darwin) who sacrificed a lot in order to achieve what they did. He reminds the audience that failure lies in wait but can be overcome, and he uses Stephen King as an example. King was an aspiring writer who tossed his first novel, Carrie, in the garbage when he finally completed it. His wife, Tabitha, noticed it and saved it for him, and he became a prolific and famous novelist. The Spellbinder uses this example as a reminder that it is in response to struggle when people can demonstrate their truest greatness. Suddenly, the Spellbinder begins coughing and passes out just as the stage crew comes to assist him.

The entrepreneur tells people at the conference a false story for why she is there (which is to find inspiration and pick herself up out of the dark place her life is in). Among those in attendance is an “artist” and a “homeless man” (hereafter referred to in this guide as the “unhoused man”). The woman strikes up a conversation with the artist, telling him she is new to this kind of conference and experience. Neither one of them is sure if the Spellbinder survived or if he died during his speech.

She tells the artist she especially liked the Spellbinder’s comments on the digital age, noting that his words made her aware of a need to not waste energy online. Meanwhile, the artist has a tendency toward “self-sabotage,” and this is why he attends the Spellbinder’s seminars. The artist is clearly someone with an independent streak, as evidenced by his tattoos and by some of his comments when the unhoused man asks him and the woman what their favorite parts of the speech were. At first, the woman and the artist are standoffish with the man, who appears disheveled. The unhoused man mentions that he has made fortunes in large part because of the influence of the Spellbinder’s motivation and ideas. The woman is suspicious of the man, and as the conversation proceeds, she keeps much of her internal reactions to the speech to herself. She also refers to the man as a “crackpot” (14), and the artist agrees, although he does notice the man is wearing an extremely expensive wristwatch, perhaps providing some legitimacy to his claims that he is rich.

Meanwhile, the artist discloses that he recorded the speech so he can analyze it later. When reminded by the unhoused man that this is illegal, the artist shrugs it off and claims rules are made to be broken. The artist is evidently inspired by the speech, and the unhoused man backs off from his earlier observation that the artist behaved unethically in recording the speech. The woman begins to sense a change in her own demeanor as the conversation between her and the two men becomes livelier. Finally, the unhoused man mentions he has a private jet waiting for him, and the conversation concludes.

The unhoused man continues speaking to the entrepreneur and the artist. He mentions his view that it is important to surround oneself with people who are like-minded in their pursuit of greatness. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur continues to warm up to the man’s comments. The man claims his whole reason for being in business is to be of service to others. He implores the two others to “own [their] mornings” (21), and he shows them both a picture on a piece of paper he has folded up in his pocket. It contains an image of a figure with a crown, with the sun as its backdrop. The artist and the entrepreneur begin to notice how the man sounds quite like the Spellbinder, and he tells the two he is going to give them the secret on how to unlock their inner hero. The woman whispers to the artist that she finds the man eccentric but that he reminds her of her late father, someone she thinks fondly of. The entrepreneur also points out she especially liked the man’s comments about getting up early in the morning, specifically his line, “[H]igh victory is made in those early morning hours when no one’s watching and while everyone else is sleeping” (23).

The artist begins playing the audio recording of the Spellbinder’s speech, right where the performer was speaking about the importance of waking up early. The unhoused man is so moved by the recording that he begins clapping and eventually dancing. In this recorded section, in addition to the importance of waking up early, the Spellbinder reflects on the ways modern life distracts people from their goals and ambitions. The entrepreneur is particularly moved by this section, and with her own life circumstances as they are, she relates to what the Spellbinder has to say. Even though she is beginning to open up a bit with the two others, she still feels guarded about what she should reveal to them and what she should not. The unhoused man speaks about leadership and the nature of what a good leader should be. This stimulates the entrepreneur, who opens up even further about the situation at her company. She also mentions that she struggles to keep her digital use in check, a fact that the unhoused man elaborates upon, reminding both the woman and the artist that technology should be used only in ways that add value to life. The unhoused man mentions he had a mentor who influenced his outlook and discusses some of the wisdom imparted to him by his mentor. In response, the entrepreneur reveals more about her inner turmoil, though not all. The artist senses there is more going on than she is disclosing. He also expresses some discontent at the way many people can be superficial.

Finally, with the venue completely emptied, only the three remain. The unhoused man mentions that as people get closer to middle age, their perspective on life changes. They begin to see the inevitability of death, and this urges them to consider their own legacies. The entrepreneur begins speaking about her father, a man who was very successful in business for a long time before he was pushed out of his company. Ultimately, he died by suicide. The story resembles the same events the entrepreneur currently finds herself experiencing, even to the point of contemplating death by suicide. This leads to more commentary from the unhoused man. The artist resumes playing the audio recording of the Spellbinder, which in turn inspires the unhoused man to start doing push-ups on the spot. The entrepreneur, now fully absorbed in the audio recording, begins fiercely taking notes. The audio reaches the point where the Spellbinder began coughing, wheezing, and failing. In response, the unhoused man drops to his knees, kisses his holy beads, and begins weeping.