I Joined The 5AM Club (And Here's Why)

The start of the new year is a great time to reset. I’m not a big fan of making New Year’s resolutions, but I do like to be intentional, focused and to get clear about what I want to create.

When 2022 rolled around, I especially felt the need to take time for myself because I took 3 weeks “off” in December.?

It didn’t feel like I had any time off, because I was traveling with my family, which meant having 2 little ones on me day and night (including the middle of the night) — which wiped me out.

So, I was motivated to find time for myself and as always, excited to crush it this year by up-leveling my game and making a bigger impact.

That’s why I thought that this episode of Growing Your Financial Business…The Woman’s Way would be the perfect place for me to share what I’m doing to better my business and myself. That’s right — I did a solo episode! If you like hearing my commentary, this is definitely the episode for you.

Needing a Change

As I said, the start of this year was a particularly busy time for me. I got home from my Hawaii/Alaska trip (weird combo, I know) right at the end of December. When I got back, I had to jump into work-mode, while navigating nanny issues, a sick kid, and the inner turmoil of re-motivating myself to get back into healthy eating and regular exercise after weeks of snacking on zucchini bread (aka chocolate cake) and lounging around with family.

Despite just having gone on a vacation (and a long one at that), I was feeling exhausted and a bit out of sorts. I knew I needed to find some sustainable form of self-care, but I just didn’t know what that meant, exactly. Shortly before I left for Hawaii, I had finished 75-Hard, a super intense mental toughness program that pushed me both physically and mentally, and forced me to take time (two forty-five-minute blocks every day!) to exercise. So without that structure, I didn’t know what to do.

That’s when I started looking for a book on Blinkist — an app that gives you summarized versions of books. I knew that if nothing else, it could serve as a little piece of self-care to nourish my mind. While doing so, I stumbled upon Robin Sharma’s book, The 5am Club.?

Something inside me knew that it was important to listen to the book, that maybe holding myself to getting up that early could really improve my life.?

And so began my 5am journey. While I’m incredibly tired that early, I find myself filled with an intense sense of gratitude. I have time to reflect, to be alone with my thoughts, to exercise — even when my kids get up far too early and I’m on mom duty, I can’t help but think of how thankful I am for that time I get to spend with them.?

Each day when I wake up, I take 20 minutes to work out. I take 20 minutes to reflect, whether that be through meditation or journaling. And I take 20 minutes to learn — to read, and to nourish my mind. Even though it can be hard, after that hour of self-care, I am so much more ready to take on the day.

This Helps Business, Too

As an entrepreneur, it can often be difficult mentally to take time specifically for myself. It’s hard to feel justified in doing things to work on my own self-care, instead of just thinking about my business or my family. But taking care of myself makes me better fit to be a better leader, mother, coach, and person.?

At 5am, I can reflect on what I want for myself this year, but I can also think about how to show up better in my work, and in my personal life. I can be more productive and more present later in the day, having already taken the time to care for myself.

Let me be clear: doing this has not been easy for me yet. Changing habits requires discipline and sacrifice, but that makes the rewards so much greater.?

To hear more about my 5am struggles and benefits, tune into this episode of Growing Your Financial Business…The Woman’s Way! Hopefully, I can inspire you the way that Robin Sharma inspired me.

So, are you ready to join me in the 5am Club yet? Let me know in the comments!