Too Busy for Success? How 37 Minutes Changed My Sales Career

I stared at the bankruptcy papers on my desk, empty beer bottles in the trash, and a sales pipeline thinner than my excuses. It was 5:43 AM, and I was already behind on a day that hadn't started.

Sound familiar?

Maybe you're not facing bankruptcy. Maybe your version is missing another quota, watching another promotion pass you by, or just feeling that constant knot in your stomach when you check your numbers.

Let me share my biggest lie: "There's NO WAY I can work out in the morning. Absolutely impossible. I'm not a morning person."

I said this for years. Believed it like a religion. Had all the evidence to support it. But here's the thing about excuses - they're like receipts we keep to justify staying stuck.

Something interesting happens when you're staring at bankruptcy papers - your excuses suddenly sound pretty hollow.

I'd love to tell you I had some dramatic epiphany. The truth? I just ran out of options. It wasn't motivation that got me up early - it was desperation. But here's what shocked me: It only took two weeks. Two weeks to completely transform my morning routine, my energy levels, and ultimately, my entire business.

In less than 12 months, my business doubled. But that's not even the most important metric. The real win? For the first time in years, I felt in control.

Here's what I discovered: The mornings I got up and followed a specific sequence were the days I dominated. Not just in sales, but in every aspect of my life. It wasn't about working harder - it was about working with intention.

The Reality Check

Let me paint you a picture of my old morning routine. Maybe it looks familiar:

• Wake up to emails (instant anxiety)

• Scroll LinkedIn ("market research")

• Rush through shower ("running late")

• Skip workout ("too busy")

• Hit traffic ("unavoidable")

• Start day reactive ("putting out fires")

By 9 AM, I'd already given away my most valuable asset: my peak performance hours.

The 37-Minute Solution

Why 37 minutes? Because it's specific enough to be real, long enough to matter, and short enough to actually do. Here's the sequence that doubled my business in 12 months:

Minutes 1-7: Physical Switch

• Not a full workout (yet)

• Basic movement to change your state

• Signal to your brain: Today isn't yesterday

Minutes 8-22: Mental Mastery

• Review top priorities

• Visualize key conversations

• Map energy to opportunity

Minutes 23-37: Revenue Rituals

• High-value prospect research

• Strategic outreach prep

• Peak performance blocking

But here's the real secret: Those first two weeks were brutal. Absolutely brutal. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Every fiber of my being fought against this change.

Then something clicked.

My energy levels shot through the roof. Not just for an hour, but all day. Suddenly, I wasn't dragging myself through afternoon meetings. I wasn't reaching for coffee at 2 PM. I was closing deals while others were hitting their afternoon slump.

Making It Stick

Here's what I want you to do right now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now:

1. Put your phone in another room tonight

2. Set your alarm 37 minutes earlier

3. Lay out tomorrow's clothes

4. Put water by your bed

"But Ken, what if I travel? What if I have kids? What if..."

Stop. These aren't questions. They're excuses. And I know because I used every single one of them. The truth? When I finally decided to change, all these "what ifs" became "how can I?"

The Real Transformation

This isn't just about mornings. It's about taking control of your life. In those quiet morning hours, before the world starts making demands, you have the opportunity to decide who you're going to be today.

In less than a year, I went from bankruptcy papers to doubling my business. But the real victory wasn't in the numbers. It was in the control. The confidence. The certainty that comes from knowing you're running your day instead of letting your day run you.

Are you ready to take back control of your mornings? Your success? Your life?

The next 37 minutes are waiting.

Stay Sales Fit.