I’m gonna be honest here, I freaking LOVE mornings. I am, by definition, a “morning person.” I especially love getting up before the sun. There are numerous reasons I enjoy the morning. I like witnessing the transition from dark to light. It’s an incredible and magical daily occurrence, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it. I like the calmness the early twilight brings before the hustle and bustle of daily activities. Literally shining a new light on the day before us.
Morning routines are nothing new. There are numerous high-performing, successful people that swear by their morning routine. Hal Elrod, the author of Morning Miracle, researched and combined these morning habits and teaches them with an acronym. The down and dirty of the book is to wake up early with intention, choose to start your day off right, create a routine, and rock it.
The idea of discipline is brought up throughout the book as well. If I’m honest, this is one of my weaknesses but one that I want to be more mindful of and develop. It ties in with self-integrity, something I value, committing to your word. Following thru with your actions. If you say you’re gonna do something, well then you gosh dang better do it or don’t say it at all.
“When you do choose to do the right thing and follow through with your commitments, especially when you don’t feel like it, you are developing the extraordinary discipline (which most people never develop) necessary for creating extraordinary results in your life.”
Hal Elrod
Set an intention to wake up 30 minutes earlier.
No one likes to wake up early, but we all love the feeling of waking up early. Like that workout we dread, or that run we want to skip, we’re so proud of ourselves once we do it. It’s a great accomplishment! It’s a small win worth celebrating. By hitting the snooze, we’re creating resistance and limiting the life we say we want. Discipline will create the lifestyle you crave and desire.
So, in Morning Miracle, Hal suggests, when we go to bed at night, set an intent to wake up to the alarm. Your first thought in the morning is usually your last thought at night. Try it!
Skip hitting the snooze.
Hitting snooze is giving ourselves permission to not follow through with our intention and acting out of integrity. So stop hitting snooze, and get up when you said you would get up. Put the darn alarm clock across the room, and make yourself get up.
“Always remember that who you’re becoming is far more important than what you’re doing, and yet it is what you’re doing that is determining who you’re becoming.”
Hal Elrod
My favorite part about The Miracle Morning is the acronym SAVERS. This is what has significantly changed my life and is something that I think everyone should try.
Keep it simple
Silence
Affirmations
Visualization
Exercise
Reading
Scribing
Mine looks like this:
Coffee
10-minute meditation using the Headspace App
Affirmations and some advice here can be powerful, scary, and unbelievable at first, so I suggest dialing it back a notch. For example, instead of saying, “I am a millionaire,” I say, “I am practicing wealth-building habits.”
My absolute favorite is visualization. Lately, I’ve reconnected with my imagination and creativity. Anything goes here, be it wild or crazy. Just go for it! Write it in the present tense, so you are able to step into the feeling of already having it done.
For example, instead of saying, “I will pay off my last student loan this month,” say, “I made my last student loan payment this month!” Act as if all you’ve ever wanted and dreamed has already happened.
Exercise is a must for me. I have to move my body. Sun salutations are an easy start followed by 40-45 minutes of weights, HITT training, and core. I follow this with taking the dog for a walk around the block, it is usually light enough by then.
Reading. I know reading isn’t for everyone either. Keep it simple. Set a timer for 10 minutes or a goal to read 10 pages. Pick a topic that’s interesting to you. This could include a topic that you’d like to work on improving: health, finance, daily habits, etc. There are so many fun, short, easy-to-implement books out there. Start with The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. It’s fast and easy to read and might help spark a motivation flame. Or start reading Hal Elrod’s book, The Miracle Morning; he’s almost died twice now; he has crazy stories to share.
Scribing or journaling. Again, not for everyone. I know people who will stare blankly at the paper in front of them. So start with three things that you’re thankful for. “I am thankful for _______, _______, ________,” It doesn’t have to be fancy; use a sticky note, an old notepad that’s shoved in the back of a drawer, or a napkin. Lots of great ideas have been jotted down on napkins, it seems.
Once the creative juices start to flow, I allow for a quick “dump” of shit I’m worried about or frustrated with to get it out. Dump those thoughts that don’t matter. I follow the dump with affirmations and visualization mentioned earlier.
Repeat!
There is a 30-day challenge to help you commit to your Miracle Morning Routine. That’s what I implemented this time after re-reading the book. Over the cold dark winter, I got up at my first alarm; no snooze! I did the MM for almost three months, and by the time COVID came around, I was well into feeling good mentally and physically. I felt like I was many steps ahead and could maintain some positivity during the initial scare.
I wrote this post back in 2019. I’ve been following this routine on and off ever since. It changes and flexes; I’ve also missed days at a time. I’m not perfect. Some days are hard, and the last thing I want to do is get up at 5 am. But when I do, I feel like I can conquer the day. When I have a good month-long streak, I can conquer the world!
Tips for waking up early tomorrow:
- Say that you’re going to wake up 30 min earlier tomorrow. Set your intention the night before.
- Create and set up the space you will journal, set out the book you’ll read, and decide on the exercise or workout you plan to do and the time you’ll do it. Start small, and set a timer for 10 min. Journal for 10 minutes, read for 10 minutes, sit silently, or focus on taking 10 breaths initially.
- Set your alarm and place it across the room.
This routine has helped me transition through multiple moves and recent career changes. I wouldn’t be writing this blog without it. Don’t overthink it; think about getting up 30 minutes earlier tomorrow than you did today.
