As a very young boy I delivered the morning paper in my neighborhood. Six days a week for about six years I got up at 4:30 in the pre-cell phone, pre-internet days. I was totally alone (and very cold in the winter!) riding my bike from house to house.

I loved the silence that really isn't silence most of the time. At that hour you hear rabbits and house cats and in the summer the birds are already up talking to each other.

Ever since that time I've enjoyed "alone time" with just my thoughts. My wife understands, and doesn't mind because I get up early and do first my morning mobility and the house chores before having breakfast and going to the gym.

This ritual is not only good for thinking, but also keeps me grounded in reality that even if I make a lot of money and am succesful in business, I can fold laundry, empty the dishwasher and help fix breakfast.