I want to share with you a problem that I had early in the year and a revolutionary action that I took to overcome it.
Problem
As you may know, my personal life is demanding. Even as I grow our investing business, I am a working professional during the day a husband, father of four young children, all while taking my part-time MBA online. If anyone has a reason to be exhausted all day, I believe I can make a few. But one day, while talking to my neighbor, I explained to him how hectic my life seems and how, if only i could get up earlier, I could be more effective. He responded that he gets up every day at 4 a.m. and jokingly advised that he can come wake me up if I need him to.
Declaration
That statement was enough to kick me in the backside. If he could do it, so could I. Immediately, I told my wife that I would begin getting up at 4 a.m. every single weekday. My morning routine would include the following:- 30 minutes of prayer and devotion- 15 minutes of personal reading – 1 hour of working on my real estate business – 45 minutes of fitness (gym or other).
Action
To help keep myself accountable in the most public way, each morning I shared a screenshot as an Instagram Story of my phone showing the 4 a.m. time. Now that I had talked about my plans, it was time to follow through. The execution of this plan was to happen immediately, and the first morning was the most difficult. My eyes burned, I was uncomfortable, irritable and aimless. I kept taking that next step. Having programmed each of the above routine tasks into my calendar, I pushed through each activity (prayer and devotion, personal reading, business, etc) until my clock told me what to do next. It was like track season all over again, just harder. This difficulty went on for three weeks…then something happened.
When Habits go on Autopilot
I use the term Autopilot to characterize the the time period by which either good or bad habits happen by routine and not by emotions. This is precisely what happened to me after about three weeks of sticking to my 4 a.m. routine:- I was no longer tired – I no longer dreaded 4 a.m.-The time became “my time” for action- To miss the morning routine would be more burdensome than getting out of bed In other words, the 4 a.m. became a part of my life.
Results
Success comes from consistent action over time. For those who need more expansion, allow me highlight the power of this sentence. By getting up 4 a.m. every Monday through Friday, by the end of 2020, I will have “found” the following time:– 65 hours of devotion- 32.5 hours of personal reading-130 hours of working on my business-97.5 hours of exerciseAccording to my old self, I did not have the time. When I transitioned to the 4 a.m.mindset, I made the time.
More Icing
Since having started the 4 a.m. routine I have achieved the following:- Improved my spirituality, grown in a capacity for Love, Joy and Peace and my relationship with God- Improved my knowledge of important subjects such as personal health, investing, success habits and more- Started my business, created a platform for helping others invest in real estate, written 80+ blog posts, refinanced a house, and more.- Formed a tighter relationship with my workout buddy and accountability partner.
Winning
I won. I am winning, I will continue to win, because I will not stop. This one major change to my morning habits has created discipline that extends to every area of my life: eating, relational, how I solve problems, etc.As an investor and entrepreneur, my capacity and potential is through the roof. Because I have seen what I am capable of, have developed wins and many more opportunities to win, my former mountain-like goals are now stepping stones. I passionately share and plea with you to attempt a major change such as this in your life. If you are telling yourself you do not have time to do your most important work, I challenge you to make the time by getting up earlier like I did. 4 a.m. may not be necessary. Maybe it is 6 or 7. Only you know what it takes to make your dream happen.
Convinced?
You may think that this is excessive or dramatic, or wonder how does this help you grow wealth in real estate. Having the energy and discipline to take massive and consistent action is important. if you do not have the energy or willingness, you will not move forward in learning what you need to know and taking the necessary actions. This habit change worked for me by becoming a mindset that now navigates those necessary behaviors. If it worked for me, i am confident. It will work for you as well. Contact me to share what successes you have gained from similar actions.
