“Two months ago, if you had told me I’d become a morning person, I would have laughed out loud,” a client recently shared. She then paused, and I realized she was fighting back tears with what she said next: “My new morning practice has changed everything: my work, my productivity, how I parent, how I feel about myself. It has transformed my life!”
She is one among many clients and ASPIRE Success Club members sharing this transformation. What a difference a day – or just a morning – makes!
When your alarm rings in the morning, what are the first thoughts to enter your mind? What actions do you take immediately upon waking to set the tone for your day? Do you typically wake up like a kid on Christmas – or like a person wishing for a much more generous snooze alarm?
I’ve written extensively about my morning practice (like this Huffington Post article) and, though originally developed somewhat out of necessity, I have found it to be one of the most meaningful parts of my day. So I was thrilled to discover Hal Elrod’s book, The Miracle Morning, last year and have spent the first quarter of 2017 discussing concepts from it and other resources in ASPIRE.
Elrod’s Miracle Morning consists of 6 components, or SAVERS: Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing (writing). He describes his daily process in fair detail and encourages readers to adopt something similar, whether you dedicate a full hour or just six minutes to the routine.
Since I already had my morning practice firmly in place when I discovered this book, my takeaways might prove a bit different than other readers’:
Say ‘NO’ to Mediocrity.
In many areas of life, we tend to settle – whether by habit, limited thinking, or fear of the unknown that comes with trying something new. “Your entire life changes,” Elrod reminds us, “the day you decide you will no longer accept mediocrity for yourself.” Don’t settle.
Say ‘YES’ To Purpose.
While the actions each morning are important, I love how Elrod focuses more on the reasons behind them: To live a life of intention and purpose. Focusing on personal development, committing to growth, and beginning each day positively pulled him out of inconsistent results and a less-than-stellar lifestyle.
Take Responsibility For Your Life.
We cannot control everything that happens to us, as Elrod well knows: He was hit head-on by a drunk driver, suffered permanent brain damage, and actually died for six minutes. We can, however, choose our response to everything that happens. “It begins with accepting total responsibility for every aspect of your life and refusing to blame anyone else,” he writes. “The degree to which you accept responsibility for everything in your life is precisely the degree of personal power you have to change or create anything in your life.”
The Miracle Morning offers practical, actionable ideas you can implement immediately to begin changing the course of your work and life. Elrod’s powerful personal story, encouraging support, and ability to connect small daily actions to the bigger topics of meaning and purpose make this a truly worthwhile read. I highly recommend reading and implementing. Miracles await!