Successful people wake up earlier, it’s a fact. If you want to take your life to the next level, I guarantee you that starting your day early will be a huge component. You wanna shine? You gotta rise! Here’s why… First, the world doesn’t run at 5 am. Most people don’t have their eyes open this early. You’re capitalizing on hours that other people are sleeping away. What does this mean for you? Zero distractions! Nobody else gets to dictate your schedule. Nobody is going to be texting you or asking you to meet with them. There’s nothing good on TV. You’re fully in charge of your time. You can eat breakfast and work on mind, body, & spirit before other people’s alarm clocks even go off. You’ll be able to develop a consistent routine that sets your day up for success. Let’s be honest. Most of us go to bed around midnight, some even later. Here’s the funny thing though, barely anything productive happens after 9 or 10 pm. From 9 til midnight most people are just chilling, watching TV, browsing the internet, etc. Late nights limit your potential. HOW TO DO IT, CONSISTENTLY… #1- Prepare for one bad night’s sleep. Most people who want to start getting up early start by going to bed early. If you’re just getting started, this is a waste of time. Your body is used to going to bed at midnight, so even if you lay down at 9 or 10, your body still isn’t going to be ready to sleep. So just be ready for one bad night’s sleep. Go to bed at your normal time & force yourself to get up tired the next day. Adrenaline will carry you through the day and by 9 the following night, your body will be ready to get to bed early. Your body will adjust quicker than you think! (Side Note- No Naps! Keep yourself busy until you’re ready to crash in the evening) #2- Open your eyes. Just open your eyes for 30 seconds & get out of bed. No snooze button! Your alarm is your first goal you’ve set for your day. Hitting the snooze button is starting the day with a failure. #3- Eat a healthy breakfast as soon as you get up. Your body associates your eating schedule with your sleeping schedule. Start the day with a healthy breakfast and it will give you the energy to capitalize on your day while everyone else sleeps. We’ve got the why. We’ve got the how. Now it’s just a matter of choice. What’s more important to you? A few senseless hours of TV late at night, or maximizing your time, dictating your own schedule, and leveling up in life?

If you study leadership at all, nothing in today’s post should be new info to you. Regardless, it’s extremely important. I want to talk about John Maxwell’s five levels of leadership. It’s important to understand the five levels, to know where you’re at, and to work to level up. Level 1 – Position – If you’re a level 1 leader, people follow you because they have to. You are the manager, or the boss, and they don’t have a choice. You’re above them on the hierarchy and this is why they follow you. This is the most basic leadership level. If you’re at a level 1 right now, that’s fine, but you should be working relentlessly to level up. Level 2 – Permission – At level 2, people have granted you permission to lead them. They have made the decision that they want your leadership. In my opinion, this is where leadership truly begins. At level one, you’re simply managing by title. Once you’ve hit level 2, you’ve earned some degree of influence and people are consciously accepting your leadership. Level 3 – Production – At level 3, people are following you based off of your results. You’ve proven yourself and your value to the business and people have taken notice and began to follow you based on your success. Level 4 – People Development – This is where you’re starting to become a strong leader. At level 4 people are following you because of what you can do for them. You’re developing other leaders and reproducing your past success in others. This is true leadership. Developing others and making changes in their lives. Level 5 – Pinnacle Leadership – Level 5 is true leadership mastery. This is where people are following you because they respect who you are and what you represent. It’s not just about your past accomplishments, or what you can do for a person. It’s a reflection of who you are and the fact that people recognize it and respect it highly. Level 5 leadership comes from years of developing yourself and others. So what level are you currently operating at? What do you need to do to level up? I encourage you to take a step back and assess where you’re at and see what you need to do in order to grow. If you’re not sure, ask the people on your team. Ask your peers and your leadership above you. Then you just need to GRIND to level up!