I blame my adolescence.
I dated my now husband all through high school (shout out to all of the high school sweethearts out there!), and we were known for late night phone conversations and dates that would last all the way to curfew. After most of those dates, I would chat via AOL Instant Messenger with my best friend all about the date, and then I’d kick back with a tortilla filled with melted cheese and watch SNL until 1a.m.
Ahhh, those were the days.
But because of my deep love for the late night quiet, I was hard to awaken early in the morning. During basketball season, my one true love when it came to sports, I would have to drag myself out of bed at 5:30a.m. and head to the gym to get my 100 free throws in before game night.
Fast forward to college, and my patterns stayed the same. I stayed up late to finish homework and hang with friends, and would make my classes in the morning but crash for an afternoon nap because my body couldn’t hang thanks to the early morning wakeup.
You could say, from the get-go, I’m most definitely NOT a morning person.
When my husband and I married, we would go to dinner with other couples who would talk about running 5ks on Saturday mornings, or going to the early church service on Sundays, and those things felt foreign to us. We valued our “sleepy Saturdays,” sleeping in until sometimes 11am or later… That is, until we had kids.
My daughter was born, and all of a sudden, we had no choice. The kid was born a morning person, as is evidenced by my Facebook Memories of her chirping and singing at 5am at just 6 months old. Talk about a whirlwhind when it comes to remembering those early years with her. I would get my second wind/night owl energy around 9pm, crush out some work, and go to bed by midnight. I’d wake to feed her during the night and then yep, up by 6am to a chirping little Miss.
So when I started my home-based business, which later evolved into owning a fitness studio and now creating online courses as a virtual entrepreneur, I started hearing these common phrases…
“If you want success, you’ve got to wake up earlier.”
“Join the 5am club! It’s what rockstars do.”
“Your morning ultimately determines your success. Wake up early, while the rest of the world is asleep.”
It was repeated so much that I started to fear I would never be successful. After all, each time I’d try to set my alarm for 5am, or heck, even 6am to “make time for me,” I’d fail miserably by not even hitting snooze, and turning the phone off entirely and diving back into a deep sleep.
But slowly, over the course of time, I DID start to see success in my business. Our Team achieved 2X Elite and Top 200 in the network, my gym was rocking, and I was beginning to look into ways to expand my reach through online marketing and opportunities. I had gained momentum, and I had never once been awake before 7a.m.
But yet, the voices kept saying, “Join the 5am club! Wake up earlier!”
Until one day, I was chatting with a new mentor of mine… a multi-million dollar earning online marketer and entrepreneur, and I asked him about his morning routine. His answer stunned me. He said, “Well, I’m not really a morning person. I prefer to wake up around 7 or 8am. I workout later in the day, and I usually just feel creative in the evenings.”
WHAT?!
Could it be? Someone can be successful as a night owl after all!
And then, I started hearing similar stories everywhere. Podcaster Samantha Gladish (Healthy Hormones for Women podcast) said the same. And on an Amy Porterfield podcast where multiple women were interviewed about their morning routine, about 30% of the women shared that mornings were NOT their jam.
I felt reaffirmed.
After all of these years, I figured I was an anomaly to the 5am rule, when as it turns out, I think the 5am club might just be what early birds like to call themselves themselves as a humble brag. (If you don’t know me, I’m joking here.)
I’ve come to believe that some people are wired for the first half of the day. They wake up easily, or perhaps require less sleep, and they find their creativity at its best in the morning. Others, like me, don’t feel too motivated in the morning, perhaps require more sleep, and find our creativity at its best later in the day.
And guess what?
Neither is wrong.
And neither is better.
Turns out, you can be successful whether you’re a morning person OR a night owl.
But there is ONE commonality that successful people DO share, regardless of when they wake or turn in for the night, and that is…
They are masters of managing their time.
The 5am club find success ultimately because they own the first couple hours of their day, before their kids wake up and the day gets hectic. They might workout then, to ensure it gets done, work hard on their “frogs” (big tasks that propel them forward), and stay on top of their goals with consistent action thanks to their morning routine.
The 9pm club (my new name for folks in my crew) find success ultimately because we make the same things happen, only in other ways… perhaps in the evening, or during our child’s naptime/while they’re at school.
Both parties have nonnegotiables every day that, when accomplished, regardless of time of day, move them toward success.
The bottom line is this, my friend…
You don’t have to wake up at 5am with automatic energy and zest for life in order to make true success happen in your life.
While the 5am club works hard, I sleep.
And when the 5am club sleeps at 9pm, I work hard.
But you DO have to stick to a routine, and outline nonnegotiables that move the needle for you.
So, to whomever wrote the book “5AM Club” that I’ve heard recommended about 5,000 times… I won’t be reading your book. I’m sure it’s great, but one random Tuesday morning spent with me will show you I ain’t your girl. If I have to be the first person to write the “9PM Club” book that’s yet to be written, I will.
Don’t be afraid to do you, boo.
Let your light shine.
Even if it shines with the moon and not the sunrise.
xoxo,
Jenny Swisher, Founder of Body Electric