The FIVE AM Club is a real thing.

15 years before Robin Sharma’s genius book The 5 AM Club, my dad taught me to implement a practice that would change my life and the course of my business.

One day, he called to ask me to meet him for breakfast. I had been in the construction business for about a year and things were not going great.

Harold Clark, my dad, was a colorful and intense person. He was also a very early riser. So when he called and said he wanted to meet at Denny’s at 4:45 AM, I rolled my eyes but grudgingly agreed. With a new baby at home (Shawn), I was not accustomed to getting up so early — I was getting up later and getting into the office around 8 AM every day.

On the day of our breakfast meeting, I arrived at 4:45 AM, barely awake. Before I even had the chance to have a sip of coffee, I was fielding the first sarcastic question from Pop:

"Have you thought about what you are going to do next?"

That early, there was nothing I could do but take the bait. "Dad, what’s your point?" I asked.

This prompted a lecture about how no one can be successful in the building business getting in at 8 AM. This was sometimes two hours after the first folks had arrived. That day, he challenged me: "Bob, for 90 days, try to get in at 5 AM every day. I will never bring it up again if you don’t think it makes a difference."

With nothing to lose, I took my dad’s advice and did it for 90 days. 90 days then turned into 35 years!

Try it. See for yourself.

I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions, but if you want to use this time of a brand new year to try a new habit that could revolutionize your life and your business, then the first thing I would recommend is to experiment with the 5 AM Club.