Recently Mark Wahlberg shared his daily routine. It includes getting up at 2:30 AM, two workouts, work time, family time and personal time. It’s a jam-packed schedule! Even though there are a couple of question marks about how much time he puts in certain tasks, I’m still impressed!
The day after this was published I was having lunch with a few friends. Two of them couldn’t believe anyone would get out of bed before 7 in the morning, especially on the weekends. Another felt two workouts a week was sufficient, let alone two a day. But my take was different; 6 days a week I get up at 4:45 AM to get moving. Why? Because I believe if I don’t get my ass up, I’ll fail at something!
What am I afraid at failing at? Most of these early mornings include going to the gym or heading outside for a run. During these workouts I usually listen to podcasts or audio books, which will kick-off ideas for other things I’m working on. Then when I get home, I have about an hour before kids get up where I buckle down and get work done. I push hard because I know I’m focused. When I get to the office, who knows what I’ll be faced with so get it done now. If I don’t, I may fail to get it done later.
We’re all afraid of failure. It’s natural. But we all fear different things. For me, if I don’t get up, I could fail at:
- My next race
- A project at work
- Being a good husband/father
- Leading our church council
- Falling behind in the writings I’m working on
- Work around the house
- Helping co-workers or those I’m mentoring to be successful
- Letting myself down
Getting up at 4:45 AM isn’t for everybody (heck, it’s probably not for most). But we all need to have a reason to get moving. If we don’t, we might fail.
Bridge the Gap Consulting, LLC 