Award-Winning Leadership & Sales Speaker | 2x Bestselling Author | Former NFL & NBA Executive | Founder, Win Monday | Growth & Momentum Expert
When I finally got the promotion to the San Francisco 49ers executive leadership team, I was fired up to fit in (and impress). One of my responsibilities was sending out daily sales updates across departments. I was committed to hustle, transparency, and inclusivity, wanting to bring every other executive along for the journey. The grind was next level. I would wake up at 3 a.m. to collect the sales data from the previous day. I felt the NEED to send out these reports by 3:59:59 a.m., a self-imposed deadline, that no one asked for. I believed this effort would make me stand out, but I soon realized it wasn't sustainable. It wasn't the early hour, but the defensive mindset I had adopted. Eventually, I changed my perspective - from defense to offense. I stopped trying to impress others, stopped worrying about their opinions (perceived and real), stopped this winless and endless game of proving myself, and started showing up on my terms. But here's the thing, ironically, I still rise between 3 and 4 a.m., but now it's about personal development and uninterrupted focus. I do it because it’s what makes me feel my best, not to impress others. It’s the inner game of winning the unseen hours. Today, even when physically tired, I've never felt more alive. It's because I'm being true to myself, my energy is authentic, and I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. Today is a day to ask yourself: what decisions or actions am I making solely to prove myself to others? The reality is the only proof you need is in the mirror. Prove you to you. The right people will believe in you, the more consistent you are. That’s #PlayingOffense That’s a #BetterDecisionFaster
I love this. I’m so glad we are good friends. I would love to share some of your books at a large conference that I am speaking at at the end of the month. We should have close to 2000 people there and I would like to get a collection of the best books out there and give them away to people in the audience. You can answer some pretty tough questions. Paul I would be honored to share your book with this audience.
3-4? When do you go to bed normally?
Paul Epstein, inspiring!
A real throw back! Good to see that you are thriving.
Always bringing the inspiration and positivity, Paul. Keep going my friend!
Head of Sales at BiggerPockets.com
1ySeems rather impractical to subject your body to such a cycle. Waking up at 3 am isn't necessarily commendable if you're heading to bed as early as 6 pm. In the end, it amounts to the same hours of sleep as going to bed at a more reasonable time, like 10 pm, and waking up between 6-7 am. Moreover, if you're still sticking to the 10 pm - 11 pm bedtime and waking up at 3 am, operating on only 3-4 hours of sleep per night, it might become challenging to sustain that routine and maintain good health. We are all well aware of how crucial sleep is for overall performance. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/sse-167-sleep-and-athletes