There are two types of morning men.
The internet is full of "life hacks" promising to make you smarter, wealthier, or more fit. But I wouldn’t be so sure of these quick fixes. Instead, a good life is built by doing the simple things extraordinarily well over a long period of time.
Take the paradox of the 4:30am man from X user @BowTiedYukon. He writes:
"There are two kinds of men who are awake at 4:30 in the morning. One, full of caffeine on his way to the gym or work, is ready to own the day. The other, full of alcohol or narcotics, stumbling home trying to escape it."
Be the first man. Avoid the second man.
The difference between these two men is that the former is on offense, while the latter man is on defense. The man on offense is attacking the day. Up early and ready to do whatever is necessary to make a living, provide for their family, and further their goals. The message is clear — attack, attack, attack. There is no time for whining or complaining. Second place is unacceptable. You only find winners at the gym or at work that early.
The man on defense is most likely running away from his problems. He is living a life he wants to escape from. If he can drown his pain in alcohol or numb it with drugs, he thinks he will be better off. But that is almost never the case. It is hard to win a fight when you are constantly on defense and only reacting. The escapism may feel good in the short-term, but usually it compounds problems in the long-run.
And you can’t attack your day bright and early if you stayed out late partying the night before.
This concept is timeless. Benjamin Franklin, who died in 1790, once said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Ideas can only become timeless if they work. And being the person who wakes up early to attack the day never goes out of style.
This is an excerpt from my new book, How To Live An Extraordinary Life Volume 2. You can buy a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Extraordinary-Life-Two/dp/1804094153/
The internet is full of "life hacks" promising to make you smarter, wealthier, or more fit. But I wouldn’t be so sure of these quick fixes. Instead, a good life is built by doing the simple things extraordinarily well over a long period of time.
Take the paradox of the 4:30am man from X user @BowTiedYukon. He writes:
"There are two kinds of men who are awake at 4:30 in the morning. One, full of caffeine on his way to the gym or work, is ready to own the day. The other, full of alcohol or narcotics, stumbling home trying to escape it."
Be the first man. Avoid the second man.
The difference between these two men is that the former is on offense, while the latter man is on defense. The man on offense is attacking the day. Up early and ready to do whatever is necessary to make a living, provide for their family, and further their goals. The message is clear — attack, attack, attack. There is no time for whining or complaining. Second place is unacceptable. You only find winners at the gym or at work that early.
The man on defense is most likely running away from his problems. He is living a life he wants to escape from. If he can drown his pain in alcohol or numb it with drugs, he thinks he will be better off. But that is almost never the case. It is hard to win a fight when you are constantly on defense and only reacting. The escapism may feel good in the short-term, but usually it compounds problems in the long-run.
And you can’t attack your day bright and early if you stayed out late partying the night before.
This concept is timeless. Benjamin Franklin, who died in 1790, once said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Ideas can only become timeless if they work. And being the person who wakes up early to attack the day never goes out of style.
This is an excerpt from my new book, How To Live An Extraordinary Life Volume 2. You can buy a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Extraordinary-Life-Two/dp/1804094153/