I was doing seminar after seminar in the Midwest, and finally, I had a chance to slow down and to have dinner with one of my friends, who had grown up on a farm.

We had a great chat. He talked about his daily routine as a kid, and I shared with him what it was like to have attended a one-room, red schoolhouse, in the wilds of Michigan.

We exchanged country aphorisms, and I recited one of my favorites, attributed to Benjamin Franklin:

Plow deep while sluggards sleep, and youll have enough corn to plant and to eat!

Dawn just broke as I wrote these words, and with it, my appreciation has been renewed for the idea of getting an early start on the day.

Theres nothing quite like it, for some key reasons:

(1) You start the day in the right way, with an achievement.

(2) Wee hours achievements give you momentum to face and to overcome what youll confront during the remainder of the day.

(3) You can relax, knowing that youve set a comfortable, winning pace.

(4) If youre competitive, you can be sure that very few of your peers are up and toiling. Keep it up, and youll definitely leave them in the dust!

(5) Youre part of a great tradition, one that built many countries and civilizations, including our own.

Its a pity that more of us havent been exposed to the rhythms of the farm or ranching or to the simple wisdom that comes from these pursuits.

But it is consoling to know that some of the great thinkers and doers of American society, such as Ben Franklin, preserved these insights for all generations to share.