Monday Motivation, 11.5.18

Written by: Ben Rogers

Every Monday, The Rogers-Long Team meets for one of its two weekly meetings. The Monday meeting always ends with “Monday Motivation” in which a few minutes are spent listening to one team member presenting a quote, a quick reading from a book, a scene from a movie, or anything else they find motivating to provide a “spark” to the whole team on a Monday morning.

#FOTG

One of The RLT’s favorite business partners sent me an article yesterday morning that was titled “How To Make The Ridiculous Time Change Work For You“, and it was spot on. I found it a good opportunity for me to prepare my Monday Motivation based on one of the most common questions I’m asked: “Why do you get up so early?”

First of all, I truly believe that there is no magic pill to achieving your goals. There isn’t any kind of secret sauce. But, if there were ONE THING that I know gives me a leg up on he competition, it’s a little something simple I refer to as FOTG.

We all want more time, and most of us need more time. Most of us get “busy”; oh that dreaded word. To me, “busy” means out of control. It means that you’re making an excuse…it means that you’re not prepared. I get it, things come up. Your day starts spinning out of control. But there’s a way to be prepared for that.

We all want a head start. We all want the “quick fix”. We want to find a way to win, we want to find a way to outlast. Once again, I get it. There are challenges, the competition is fierce, and sometimes you fall short. But there is a way to get a head start.

When people ask me why I get up so early, the answer is simple: it creates more time, and it gives me a head start. Not to mention, it’s the only part of my day that I have 100% control over. If I win my morning, I’ve already won my day. Once those victorious mornings start stacking up, the victorious days start piling on. And now we’re on our way to accomplishing our bigger goals.

The acronym “F.O.T.G.” means Feet On The Ground. If I can get my feet on the ground before you, I’m already winning. I’m already ahead. I’ve already created more time for myself. Next time you encounter someone that you would peg as “successful”, ask them what time they get out of bed in the morning – I guarantee it’s earlier than you think.

Having trouble getting up early? Here are some tricks of the trade:

1. Prepare your morning. Before you go to bed, create more time tomorrow by making some small decisions tonight. Decide what you’re going to wear to your workout and lay it out. Decide what you’re going to wear to work and lay it out. Decide RIGHT NOW what you’re going to eat for breakfast tomorrow and have it separated from the rest of the food in your fridge or pantry. If you can do that tonight, tomorrow will be on cruise control.
2. Establish your routine, and don’t stray from it. What time will you get out of bed? What time will you leave your house? Where are you going to the gym? What are you going to eat for breakfast? Whatever your answers are, do it…and stick to it. Yes, I suggest eating the same thing for breakfast every morning. The only way to prove if something works is to do it over and over again.
3. FOTG – write it down. When your alarm goes off, get your pretty little feet on the ground. Stand up. Brush your teeth. Splash water on your face. Your alarm is not an annoying notification that the day has started, it’s a reminder that an opportunity awaits you. Get out a piece of paper and write on it FOTG: ____. Write down the time you’ll have your feet on the ground, not the time that your first alarm goes off.

Getting up early is hard. It’s challenging. It’s uncommon. But if you’re anything like me, average is unacceptable. Average people hate their alarm; excellent people appreciate it. Average people show up late; excellent people are early or on time, every time – and it all starts with the first appointment of the day…the time you get out of bed in the morning.

Here’s your challenge. Tonight, prepare your morning. Go get a workout in before the rest of the world wakes up. Pick a routine and stick to it. Write down what time you’ll get your FOTG. Then tomorrow, do the same thing again. By Friday, you’ll be on cruise control. You’ll have more time, and you’ll have a leg up on the competition.

I would say “good luck”, but you don’t need it. Just get your #FOTG at the same time every day this week and you’ll create more time for luck to find you.

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If you’re interested, here is what my morning routine looks like…every single weekday morning.

4:10am: FOTG

4:25am: Leave

5:00am: Gym

6:30am: Home – chicken, eggs, coffee, read, journal.

7:30am: Shower

8:00am: Morning Huddle 

Ben Rogers, The Team Leader of The Rogers-Long Team, has been in the real estate business since 2012. In 2014, he began The Rogers-Long Team with Kevin Long, which produced over $25,000,000 in volume production in 2017. In addition to selling homes and leading the team, Ben hosts a podcast show called the “The Bottom Line”, which can be found by clicking here. The Bottom Line is a Podcast that links lessons learned from sports, business, and life and is targeted at those who are striving for excellence, while ‘Average Sits on the Bench’.