Do successful business leaders do something different? Or do they get to the top by ruthlessly cheating and conniving?

Evidence suggests both ways work.

But which would you rather do?

Check out what some of the most successful business leaders do in their mornings:

1. Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder of Twitter and Square

He gets up at 5:30 AM, meditates, and then goes for a 6-mile jog.

2. Steve Jobs Asked Himself a Powerful Question

Every morning, Steve asked himself,”If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

If he truthfully answered “No” too many days in a row, he would change something. He revealed this at a Stanford graduation speech in 2005.

3. Kenneth Chenault, American Express CEO

Rather than wait till the morning to plan his day, Kenneth writes down the 3 most important things he needs to do the night before. That helps him start his mornings off with more focus.

4. Lord Alan Sugar, Host of The Apprentice

He heads straight to the office at 5 AM. When he doesn’t do that, he goes for a 50-mile bike ride in the United Kingdom countryside.

Oh…he’s also 68 years old.

5. Peter Jones, Dragon’s Den Investor

Hey gentlemen, how about a shower, shave, a bowl of cereal, and a cappuccino before going to work?

6. Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL

He gets up at 5 AM (seeing a pattern here?) to read and work out before testing products and sending work e-mails.

7. Simon Cowell – Well, You Gotta Know Who He Is

And of course, Simon does his morning routine in a completely different way than many other entrepreneurs:

• Resets his snooze button twice

• Eats a breakfast of hot water with lemon, papaya juice with lime, outmeal, tea, and 3 smoothies

8. Gary Vaynerchuk, Unorthodox Entrepreneur

Of course, Gary has a wildly different morning routine than others do too. It takes 3 hours – and goes like this:

• Read ESPN, Business Insider, and Nuzzel

• Tweets to his Twitter following

• 45-60 minute workout with his trainer Mike

• Goes home and says “good-bye” to his children as they go off to school

• Calls his mom, dad, or sister to see how things are going

• Calls his VIP of the Wine Library

9. Billionaire Entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria Does the Same Thing Every Day

For the first 5 minutes of his day, John just sits in bed and lets himself be. He quietly reflects and acknowledges what he’s grateful for – and that’s it.

Then he makes a cup of coffee or a cappuccino. Finally, he starts talking to the different team members at his various companies.

Interestingly, John:

• Does not text

• Does not use a computer

• Does not e-mail

And he’s said he “never will.”

What Works for You?

All these people are ridiculously successful. It’s clear there’s no one “right way” to start the day.

So now it’s on you: what could you do to make the start to your day refreshing and exciting?

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