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Perhaps successful people do wake up earlier, but does that mean that the average person will become successful by doing so? Perhaps there are also many unsuccessful people that also get up early, but you don't hear about them!

I've also read a theory that says that you can become too focused on success, and in doing so miss out on serendipitous opportunities. I wonder how the succeed at all costs ethos sits with that.

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> Perhaps successful people do wake up earlier, but does that mean that the average person will become successful by doing so?

We're always trying to emulate traits of those we respect and want to become: be a jerk like Steve Jobs, swear like DHH, start your business in the garage like Apple, spend up all your money pursuing your business like Elon Musk, drop out of college like Bill Gates, etc. Pretty much every single example of success probably has numerous counter examples, but that doesn't prove or disprove the value of it.

Sociopaths rise in the dark to feast on ambition and solitude, before they subtly 'one up' everyone else by appearing in the office earlier.
This is cargo-cult, Walmart executive pointless extremism mentality. It's not about getting up at some magic time, but it's about productivity (best use of time) and energy (amount of time) in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can be deadly in terms of both a premature heart-attack and operation/near heavy machinery.
When do they go to bed though?