Last week, I encouraged you to get out your rut by sharing a few of my favorite books from 2016. As promised, I’d like to take a moment to share a bit more about my experience with The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
After I read the Miracle Morning, I knew I wanted employ some of the principles that Elrod lays out. Originally I thought I’d try it for a month, maybe two. Now, here I am more than a year later and I haven’t missed a day!
Elrod’s book is based on the idea that a simple, consistent morning routine can make all the difference. He breaks the routine down into six areas and calls them LifeSAVERS: (S) Silence, (A) Affirmations, (V) Visualization, (E) Exercise, (R) Readings, and (S) Scribing. While he gives other valuable tips and ideas, these six components really make up the heart of the book.
You already know about my commitment to reading. But, for me, the meditation and the journaling/scribing have been invaluable additions. I might miss the other components here or there but you’d be hard-pressed to get me to let go of those two. After doing them for a year, I feel more centered even though I am actually busier. In fact, during my first year of practicing the Miracle Morning, I launched a new business and published a book! Definitely busier!! But, I am convinced that meditating and journaling were critical pieces of my internal health during that time.
I’m guessing you have questions. Questions like: How long does it take? Do you have to do all six components every day? What if you miss a morning?
My answer? Try not to get too stressed-out about the details. Don’t make your goal perfection. Rather, embrace the idea that practice makes permanent. That said, here are my more direct answers. How long does it take? It can be done in as little six minutes – one minute on each component. Or, it can stretch to an hour. One minute of silence before you attack your day is better than none at all. Do you have to do all six components? Nope. I’d encourage you to – at the very least to shoot for the one-minute theory on all six areas. But, if you miss a component because you want to spend a little extra time reading, go for it. What if you miss a morning? Just regroup. Try to do it at lunch or after you get home from work before dinner. At the very worst, pick it up the next morning. Just promise me you won’t quit altogether. Make it work for you.
See what I mean about perfection? It’s not your goal. Your goal is to create a life-sustaining practice that carries you through all the stressors and distractions that will inevitably come your way.
If you haven’t already, I’d strongly encourage you to poke around the Miracle Morning community and get the book. I think you’ll be glad you did. If you do, circle back and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you!
And, in the spirit of Scribing, we’ll be looking at the topic of gratitude this month. Studies show it to be a powerful force in our lives. Check back for more on that later…
