Recently, I joined the 5am Club.

Well, sort of!

Anyone who knows me will know, I am not an early bird. That is a story that I will always say, I am not an early bird. I am a night owl; I don't do the mornings. I'm not one of those that gets up at 5am. And it's a story that I've told myself for years and have told anybody who would listen.

I've usually only ever seen the dawn because I was going to sleep, not because I was getting up to see it. The exception has been on the times I've had to travel and get up at that time. However, it's never been something I desired or wanted.

My late nights stopped being an option and a change was needed as I had work to get done and being a night owl wasn't going to enable me to do it. I decided and my decision was to get up at 5am a few days in a row and get the work done. I went to bed early; I did set an alarm- I did not need it. I was up before dawn.

I'd already done an hour and a half of work before any of my family had stirred. I listened to the birdsong and watched the sun fully rise. I was incredibly productive at that time and hit the deadlines I had set for myself.

I have no intention of making this a full-time habit however what it shows is that stories you hold do not have to be true. That does not have to be your reality, you get to choose. I chose in those moments, to be the early bird, to be the lark, to join those 5am starters who swear by the practice.

Over 20 years ago Robin Sharma started what is now a cult phenomenon - The 5am Club - as a way for people to become more productive and improve their health and wellbeing. The idea is that you can start your day with a power hour of exercise, planning and study. No email or phone checking – dedicated time for you.

I did not completely follow this method but there is something to be said for an early start and giving yourself space before you get into the day.

In the moments I did rise at 5am, it was beautiful, enjoyable and I got what I needed to get done.

So that story that I tell about me being a night owl no longer holds. This is a story that I've told myself for over 30 years. It's how I studied for every exam from GCSE through to my degree. It's how I built my business in the early days of working in the night. I did believe for many years that I could never be somebody who got up at that time in the morning.

Even though when I've had to, I have done it ( never liked it), but I've done it and when I made the decision that I was going to do it, it wasn't hard to change. It required a few minor adjustments to get what I needed. I can choose whether I want to work at night or work in the morning.

What stories do you hold? What stories have you told for years or even decades that may stop you from doing things differently, from changing and trying something new, to be open, to learning, to growing, to seeing past limits that you put on yourself?

We can change our stories; we can change our realities.

If you want to know how, get in touch.