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

“Ideas are worth nothing unless backed by application. The smallest of implementations is always worth more than the grandest of intentions.”

The Spellbinder here presents a variation of the old adage that talk is cheap. While it is great to have big ideas, those ideas have no real existence unless the person moves in a specific direction toward making them a reality. The Spellbinder often instructs others to take concrete steps toward their goals.

“Hard is good. Real greatness and the realization of your inherent genius is meant to be a difficult sport.”

The Spellbinder, and later Mr. Riley, embraces challenge and encourages their listeners to do the same. Difficulty and struggle are to be embraced rather than avoided, as the hardship is what ultimately strengthens a person’s resolve. The program laid out by the book revolves around overcoming a successive string of obstacles.

“We only hear what we’re ready to hear […] All learning meets us exactly where we’re at. And as we grow greater, we understand better.”

The passage illustrates the importance of having an open mind and being willing to learn new ways of improving. When people are too fixed on their approaches to life, they miss opportunities to grow, which leads to eventual apathy and atrophy. In order to become extraordinary, being willing to grow is a fundamental and necessary trait to have.

“One of the big lessons I’ve learned over the years is that giving to other people is a gift you give to yourself.”

The unhoused man says this to the artist and entrepreneur. Though his motivation is not to ultimately benefit himself, he does suggest that one can improve their emotional state by helping others. Therefore, while a self-centered motivation is not implied by the man, one can make improvements in their own life by helping others.

“All that matters on your last day on Earth is the potential you’ve leveraged, the heroism you’ve demonstrated and the human lives you’ve graced.”

This is another comment made by the unhoused man, and it summarizes the motivation to his approach for living. The quote is also juxtaposed by a previous description of the kind of leaders the unhoused man is critical of, namely those who seek prosperity and success only for narcissistic ends. This appreciation of life is mirrored in Riley’s actions throughout the text.

“A bad day for the ego is a great day for the soul.”

The quote highlights the Spellbinder’s propensity to use axioms in his speeches and conversations with others. Here, the Spellbinder suggests that ego is oftentimes a negative force in a person’s life and that one should seek opportunities to quiet the voice of the ego. This again speaks to the idea that one should overcome the limitations one imposes on oneself.

“Rest and recovery isn’t a luxury for anyone committed to mastery—it’s a necessity.”

Because the lifestyle promoted by the Spellbinder requires such an investment in mental energy, it is imperative that a person has the opportunity to rest. Without rest, the person would surely burn out and defeat the purpose of achieving personal growth. He suggests a very methodical approach to each day.

“Protection from distraction is precisely how you need to work if you’re serious about dominating your field and winning at your craft.”

The characters in the book often discuss the nature of distraction in the digital age and how people can become generally carried away by these distractions. Here, Riley insists that the best way to become productive is to limit the amount of distraction one allows into one’s life. The book suggests being deliberate and focused with each action.

“The grade of work you offer to the world reflects the strength of the respect you have for yourself. Those with unfathomable personal esteem wouldn’t dare send out anything average. It would diminish them too much.”

Riley insists that part of what separates extraordinary people from the ordinary is the care they put into their work. The context for this passage is a discussion of the difference between granularity and superficiality, and Riley claims that a focus on detail and doing everything the right way is ultimately why extraordinary people stand out. This again highlights the book’s view that one should be deliberate with one’s life.

“There’s a ton of competition at ordinary, but there’s almost none at extraordinary.”

This is the heart of what Riley refers to as the “Gargantuan Competitive Advantage.” The idea is that once a person rises to the level of extraordinary, there are far fewer people at that level; therefore, there is a built-in advantage against others who are not of that same level. In the book’s view, people should treat themselves like they are extraordinary.

“Most of us alive today wish we had more time. Yet we waste the time we have. Thinking about dying brings what matters most into much sharper focus.”

Mr. Riley begins the day by quoting from Seneca and here elaborates on the main idea that many people take the time they have for granted. Because people tend to overestimate their time, they tend to devalue the time they really have left to live. Changing this mindset toward a full appreciation of the time granted to people enables one to develop a better sense of urgency with how one decides to spend that time.

“The world is a mirror. And we get from life not what we want, but that which we are.”

Mr. Riley argues that much of how people live their lives is a result of self-fulfilling prophecy. Therefore, in order to really change one’s life, one first needs to change how one views oneself. If one thinks one is ordinary, which is ostensibly supported by culture (in Riley’s view), then that is what one will be.

“Stop managing your time and start managing your focus.”

Mr. Riley mentions this as a way of redirecting one’s approach to developing simplification in one’s life. He discusses this in the context of distraction in the digital age, arguing that technology has much to benefit humanity. However, one needs to always remember that it can also have consequences. The right approach is to find ways to limit the impact technology has on one’s daily life. One way to go about that is to reframe how one looks at the issue, as suggested in this passage.

“Ambition without implementation is a ridiculous delusion.”

Mr. Riley points out that while it is certainly necessary to have a goal for which to strive, the goal is just an idea. A commitment to some kind of action plan is necessary, and it takes hard work. This is where most people tend to come up short, in Riley’s estimation.

“Small, daily, seemingly insignificant improvements, when done consistently over time, yield staggering results.”

The artist says this as a confirmation that he understands what Riley has been saying about the nature of installing habitual practices as part of a routine for growth. Riley insists that the foundation for installing these practices begins with rising at 5:00 a.m. every day. In this case, the artist recognizes how that commitment can have a ripple effect toward developing other positive habits.

“Optimizing one’s self is the best way to improve the state of the world.”

The entrepreneur thinks this to herself as a reflection on what she has been learning. The quote shows how the entrepreneur has grown from the teachings of Mr. Riley, suggesting a fundamental change in her outlook on life, shifting from a narrow mindset, in the book’s view, to one where she recognizes how personal growth can make the world a better place. The book asserts that the best way to help the world is to start with oneself.

“In all of history, there’s never been even one person exactly like you. And there never will be. Yes, you’re that special. That’s an indisputable fact. So, embrace the full force of your lavish talent, luminous strengths and breathtaking powers.”

The passage illustrates Riley’s tendency toward employing motivational rhetoric. It is encouraging but also draws the artist’s and entrepreneur’s attention to their own uniqueness. The words uplift while, at the same time, suggesting a sense of urgency for people to make the most of the gifts they have been given.

“Cortisol is the hormone of fear. It’s made in the cortex of the adrenal glands and is then released into the blood. Cortisol is one of the main materials that stunts your genius and devastates your implicit opportunity to make history. Very good scientific data confirms that your cortisol levels are highest in the morning.”

The passage is representative of the way Riley often uses neuro-scientific principles and research to support his positions. Here, Riley provides the artist and the entrepreneur with evidence for why it benefits them that they exercise as soon as they wake up. He continues with this line of thought, stating that exercise also releases dopamine, which can remain for a lengthy duration well after a workout and can likewise have positive impacts on mood and focus.

“Life is very equitable […] You’ll receive from it what you give to it. Key natural law there. So, give a lot more by becoming a lot better.”

At the root of Riley’s teachings is a sense that one makes the world better by making themselves better. Here, Riley is pointing out a variation of that proposition, specifically that life will reward those who are willing to earn those rewards. Riley often employs the rhetorical strategy of suggesting that his teachings are in balance with nature’s laws.

“And he told me he wanted to do it down here because not only are the inhabitants of this crypt in an endless slumber, but science now confirms that one of the primary ways we bring on an early death is by not sleeping enough.”

The Spellbinder says this in the catacombs of Rome. There is obvious irony in his comments, but like Mr. Riley has been doing, the Spellbinder cites scientific research that helps justify his claim that the right kind of sleep is a necessary ingredient in the methodology he and Mr. Riley have been advocating. The book suggests rest is a necessary ingredient to success.

“Beyond adversity exists a bridge into enduring victory, if one has the eyes to see it.”

Mr. Riley speaks this to the artist and entrepreneur, and it is reminiscent of the idea that struggle is necessary for growth. The second part of the quote also recalls earlier comments that one needs to be open to the prospect that struggle is in fact a good thing in the long run, as it provides strength of resolve in trying time. One improves, in the book’s view, by overcoming a successive string of obstacles.

“Heaven on Earth isn’t some mystical, spiritual place to aspire to. It’s not some realm reserved only for saints, seers and sages. Not at all. I’ve discovered-and boy, have I led a colorful, intense life all these years—that Heaven on Earth is a state that anyone can create.”

Mr. Riley says this reflectively to the artist and the entrepreneur. The idea forms the basis for the 10th letter (of 11) that Riley gives as a gift. As suggested by his comments, Riley places a high value on gratitude and also thinks that if people learn to look at life always as a gift, they will open up new possibilities for themselves.

“In every life, especially the hardest ones, doorways of possibility and gateways into the miraculous swing open, revealing the reality that everything that each one of us experiences is part of some intelligent—and yes, often illogical—plan meant to draw us nearer to our greatest powers, most wonderful circumstances and highest good.”

This passage, spoken by the narrator, alludes to a belief in intelligent design. In the narrator's estimation, even things that appear random at first glance are not random at all; instead, these events all have some interconnectedness indicative of a larger, unifying force. In this case, struggle and suffering are teaching tools supplied by this intelligent force meant to foster personal growth.