Success Advice
What Waking Up at 5am Everyday Has Taught Me

I’ve always been amazed at people who wake up early. I like to think I’m a morning person, but I’ll be honest, it’s pretty challenging to pull yourself out of bed at 5 am every morning. After doing a ton of research on the benefits of waking up early – the conclusion came to the same thing. Successful people wake up early. Happy people wake up early. And the most productive people wake up early.
Everyone from Oprah, Michelle Obama, Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, President of Ariel Investments, Mellody Hobson, and even Kris Jenner rises at 4:30 am to get in her exercise regimen. All of them wake up between 4 am-5 am.
Now I had to ask myself, “what in the world we’re all of them doing this early in the morning?!”
It all came down to one thing. They were all investing in themselves before the day started. And two of them kept coming up, which were, exercising and mediation.
Michelle Obama said, “If I don’t exercise, I won’t feel good. I’ll get depressed.” Kris Jenner said, “So I feel like I’ve done my cardio; I’m prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically to go and tackle a day.
Science is proving waking up early equals better quality of life
Tim Cook has even said that he goes to the gym every morning to keep his “stress at bay.” Even Oprah says she meditates for about 20 minutes and does a morning workout afterward. Ok, there is clearly something here that I am missing.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. Science is proving this. A study published in the Harvard Business Review concluded that those whose performance peaks in the early hours are, on average, in a better position for career success. In addition, it revealed that morning people are generally more proactive and are more likely to anticipate problems and deal with them effectively.
And to add, according to a study carried out at the University of Leipzig – it proved that there is a strong association between early risers and greater satisfaction with life and reduced vulnerability to mental health problems.
Now I thought to myself, “well, I’d like to be successful, happy, and productive, so maybe I should give this early rising thing a try.”
I knew the only difference between these super successful people and me was their habits. (And of course, their money, power, and fame).
But I knew if I could model their habits, positive change would inevitably occur in my life, yielding me greater satisfaction, health, and productivity. So that’s what I did.
I think I tried every textbook “waking up early strategy” I could.
From moving my alarm to another room, forcing myself to rise from bed to go to another room to turn off the alarm. To setting three alarms within 10 min of each other. I even laid out all my gym clothes the night before so it would be easier to get out the door.
Each of them somehow, I found an escape route. Because I had two phones, I would set one alarm and move it to another room, but when it ranged off in the morning, I’d use my other phone in my bedroom to call my alarm phone so that it would turn off.
There were even moments where I did wake up, and I would tell myself, “just five more minutes.” You know how this goes. Five minutes turned into another 45 min. Eventually, I would finally get up and be upset with myself throughout the rest of the day.
I also had to get over going to sleep at a decent time. I needed a bedtime. This was new to me. I honestly thought “bedtimes” were just a childhood thing. Wrong!
With all the distractions, pings, social media timelines – you can easily distract yourself well into the night, which can have huge ramifications when you wake up in the morning.
Feeling groggy, tired, and my eyes-burning was something I absolutely hated, but I kept doing it to myself every night for some odd reason. Falling asleep with my phone – trying to scroll to see that last picture on Instagram or finishing an email I need to send off in the morning.
I challenged myself to wake up early for about two months. It was tough, but it wasn’t until one morning that really did it for me.
Something had to change
One morning I arose, and just like I always do, my phone alarm rang in the other room, and I woke up quietly trying not to wake my fiancée, Kiara, to tippy-toe to the other room to turn off the alarm.
After I turned it off, I crept back into our bedroom, and Kiara said, “back in the bed again, huh?”
That’s when it hit me. I was pathetic. All I could see in my head was a pathetic husband and future father who couldn’t show up for himself to be a caretaker and provider. Ok, as you can see, my mind definitely exaggerated a bit! But this is how I felt standing there in the cold dark room trying to ease my back into bed at 5 am.
I kept thinking something was going to change, but nothing was. I knew I had to make a change if I truly wanted to see results in my life.
It’s like that famous saying goes, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Well, this was me, and according to this quote, I was insane to think that my life would change if I didn’t change myself first. I didn’t change, so the same results continued to manifest. Who was I kidding.
After Kiara said that, I immediately put on my clothes and went straight to the gym. Something clicked, and my willpower went right into action.
After my workout and shower, I started working from home and experienced an enormous sense of satisfaction around 9 am that day.
The satisfaction stemmed from knowing that I can muster up the willpower even when I feel like I don’t want to do anything and, of course, the famous “runners high” after you get from a good workout.
After waking up at 5 am for a week after that day, I felt like I was getting some “pep in my step.” I felt like I wasn’t at the effect of circumstances in my life. I felt like I was in control of my life. Not only that, but I also felt like life was working for me, rather than against me.
It was a sense of ease and flowed throughout my day, which I fell in love with. This control over my day yielded me the ability to bounce back from adversities quicker.
Since that cold dark morning of March 2020, I’ve continued to wake up at around 5 am every morning because of the benefits its provided me.
Here are some suggestions you can implement into your morning routine:
- Gratitude journaling
- Meditation (my favorite and by far the most significant habit that’s played a role in my success and health.)
- Hitting the gym
- Reading an inspirational, self-help, or leadership book for 20 min
- Visualization exercises on your future goals
Change Your Mindset
You Become What You Absorb: How Input Shapes Your Life
We let the world dictate who we spend time with and what input we allow in, rarely stopping to consider the effects it’s having on us

“Input” is anything from the outside world that influences your mood, mindset, and emotional state. It includes the media you consume, the books you read, the podcasts and music you listen to, and the movies and shows you watch. But it also encompasses much more: the environment you live and work in, the conversations you have, the people you surround yourself with, and the events, personal or global, that unfold around you. (more…)
Success Advice
This Overlooked Skill Drives Real Business Growth
It strengthens relationships, enhances decision-making, and fosters trust.

In every successful leader’s toolkit, one skill stands out above the rest: the ability to listen. While good leaders are known for making confident decisions, great leaders understand that those decisions are only as strong as the information they’re based on. And that information? It comes from truly listening to their teams, peers, and even critics. (more…)
Scale Your Business
Tired of Wasting Money on the Wrong Marketers? Here’s How Smart Entrepreneurs Are Finally Hiring Right

If you’ve ever Googled how to hire a Facebook marketer or best TikTok marketing agency only to spend thousands on someone who couldn’t deliver…congrats, you’ve joined a very expensive club! For many entrepreneurs, hiring a digital marketer feels like more like visiting a casino and gambling with your runway, than it feels like securing a partner who’ll help build your business. Often, it feels like you’re betting on a stranger to grow the dream you’ve poured your savings into.
And way too often, you lose that bet.
You don’t need another list of the “Top 10 Agencies” with five-star testimonials and polished logos. You need to know which marketer can actually drive results for your business. Not in theory. In practice.
This is where entrepreneurs are learning to pivot. And it’s why a new platform called TruthMetric.com is turning heads across the startup world.
Why Most Startups Burn Through 3–6 Marketers Before Finding the Right One
Here’s the hard truth: most startups don’t fail because of their product, they fail because they can’t get sales or sell it fast enough. And in trying to fix that, founders usually go through five or six marketers, burning tens of thousands before finding someone who truly knows how to convert.
You build your product, get your website live, maybe even launch an ad campaign. But when you search for help and look up how to “hire a YouTube ads agency” or “top Facebook ad expert for Shopify”, you get hit with a sea of shiny portfolios, “ninja” titles, and endless promises.
Three months later, you’re still waiting on your first profitable campaign, and you’re most likely out tens of thousands, feeling utterly defeated…and maybe grinning with an affinity for that upcoming boxing class with a picture of that marketer’s fac……nevermind.
If this sounds like you, it’s time for what one entrepreneur called a strategic shift to scale smarter, not harder.
Introducing TruthMetric.com: The Transparent Marketplace for Hiring Marketers Who Deliver
TruthMetric.com isn’t just another freelancer platform or agency directory. It’s the first hiring solution where you can see three years of real, verified marketing performance before spending a dime.
That includes:
- Verified ad campaign performance
- Actual return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Industry-specific experience
- Platform specialties (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Google Ads, and more)
Whether you’re looking for a Facebook ads expert, a TikTok marketer, or a YouTube growth strategist, TruthMetric.com lets you filter and compare based on what actually matters, results.
This level of clarity is something you won’t find on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. And it solves what many founders know too well as the New York Pizza Problem: where every marketer claims they’re “the best,” just like every pizzeria in Manhattan says they’re #1. Often without showing you results, you get sucked into this dream of collaboration, until the nightmare commences the moment you fork that first invoice payment. Hence the deception that leads to many business owners losing their hard earned savings and budget to launch their grand idea.
With TruthMetric, you finally get the data to decide for yourself, BEFORE you hire. Now if only New York Pizza shops had the same transparency then maybe you’d finally find the best pizza in New York, perhaps the perfect post work out after a boxing sesh? I think so!
Why Founders Are Shifting to Results-First Hiring
Most entrepreneurs think they need to do it all themselves, until they burn out or burn through their budget. That’s exactly why this founder had to drop the Superman complex and hire a marketing genius.
What makes TruthMetric so powerful is that it turns hiring into a confident move, not a hopeful one. You’re no longer guessing. You’re choosing from proven performers. You know what vertical they dominate. You know their past client performance. You see the monthly results from the campaigns they ran, and the outcomes they achieved.
It’s not just efficient. It’s empowering.
Scaling Quickly Requires Automation and Eliminating the Noise
Founders who scale quickly understand one thing: growth isn’t just about hustle, it’s about systems. TruthMetric is the system for finding great marketers at speed. No more DM’ing ten freelancers or interviewing agencies feeling like you are asking the world of them to just see some prior results. Instead you get to see the information you need to make an informed decision and plug into verified talent, all ready to perform.
This difference allows for you to match perfectly with the right talent quickly. If you’re building your business to run lean and fast, this convenience plugged in with automation can help you scale your small business right alongside your new marketing hires.
Why TruthMetric Is Also a Boon for Marketers, Not Just Founders
This isn’t just a win for founders, it is a gift for great marketers, too.
If you’re a freelance marketer who’s been quietly pulling 10x ROAS for clients while being passed over for flashy agencies, you now have a stage where your results speak louder than your brand.
TruthMetric is a true meritocracy. No fluff. No sales tricks. Just data.
If you’re tired of being overlooked and ready to stand out based on what you actually deliver, this is your home.
The Secret Weapon for Investors and M&A Operators
There’s another angle here that some of our readers might miss.
Investors, private equity firms, and M&A advisors should be drooling at the thought of having a proven talent pool they can plug and play and the ability to use TruthMetric to revive underperforming companies. Imagine acquiring a business or becoming an active investor, then dropping in a verified operator with a history of explosive growth in that niche.
It’s plug-and-play. Scale on demand.
That kind of insight has never been available before. You couldn’t do this on Upwork. You certainly can’t do it through a friend-of-a-friend referral.
And when it comes to attracting high-performing talent, here’s how to hire top talent and keep them around.
Let’s Really Drive This Home…
If you’ve wasted money on agencies or freelancers who couldn’t deliver, it’s not because you’re bad at hiring, it’s because the game was stacked against you. Trusting dreamy charismatic sales pitches over data was a doomed approach from the start.
TruthMetric levels the playing field by showing you what no other talent marketplace does and that’s proof.
Real marketers. Real results. Real growth.
It’s time to stop guessing and start hiring based on data.
Visit TruthMetric.com and make your next marketing hire the one that actually works.
Personal Development
The Real Reason Successful People Are Never Late
More than just good manners, punctuality is a vital professional and personal trait.

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