In the Miracle Morning summary, based on the Hal Elrod book, we’re told that anyone can achieve a better life through waking up early and following a specific routine.
In that routine we simply have to commit to following certain personal development principles:
- Silence
- Affirmation
- Visualisation
- Exercise
- Reading
- Writing
The Miracle Morning was borne of two huge incidents in Eldrod’s life – a near-fatal car crash in his 20’s and the collapse of his business coupled with depression in the 2008 financial crisis.
Through these experiences, Elrod realised two things:
- He had to take responsibility for creating the type of life he wanted
- To achieve success, he had to develop into the type of person capable of achieving it
Therefore, he developed the ritual that would form his ‘Life SAVERS’, which we’ll cover shortly.
Challenge Mediocrity
95% of people settle for mediocre lives, without realising they contain greater potential.
Why is this such a frequent phenomenon?
Rearview mirror thinking
Humans have a tendency to evaluate current opportunities through the filter of past experiences.
By subconsciously narrowing our frame of reference to previous accomplishments, we limit our potential.
We need to do two things:
- Focus on affirmations which inspire confidence
- Become forward-focused, reprogram our beliefs and move in the direction of our goals
Purpose
Many people drift through life, bereft of direction.
We must pick our purpose and align ourselves with it.
Diminishing the impact of tiny actions
We wrongly assume that small choices today are unimportant in the overall scheme of life.
For example, skipping exercise today is fine, because tomorrow is a new day.
However, every action (or lack of) that we take at this moment is a vote for the type of person we want to become.
Therefore, maintaining discipline with our commitments is key.
A questionable ‘circle of influence’
We inevitably emulate the people we spend the most time with.
Associate with lazy and unmotivated people and we’ll become them, while the opposite is true for success.
We all need accountability, so look towards positive, uplifting people to help you live your desired life.
Lack of urgency
Many of us are someday people, and display a worrying lack of urgency.
Now is the most important time you have. What we do today determines our tomorrow and the ultimate direction of our life.
So, draw your line in the sand and determine who you want to be, then start acting today.
A level 10 life
“Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development” – Jim Rohn
None of us want to settle for a level 5 in our health, finances, relationships, career etc.
In order to achieve level 10, we must first transform ourselves into a level 10 person.
- We must devote time each day to becoming the type of person who can attract and retain the levels of success we want
- We must start our mornings right. Focussing on personal development sets the tone for our days, which sets the tone for our lives
The miracle morning
We can change our lives by changing how we wake up.
Many of us wake up, hit the snooze button and eventually drag ourselves out of bed to face the day, which sets a terrible tone for what follows.
Essentially, we’re saying:
“I don’t want to wake up”
“I don’t want to live my life”
However, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. By telling ourselves we’re tired and demotivated, we become tired and demotivated.
Rather, we need to start each day like Christmas mornings as a kid, with energy and focus.
By infusing our mornings with passion and purpose, we set the intention for the rest of the day.
The miracle morning creates this energy. By following a routine, we can avoid the temptations to skip our non-negotiable activities.
If you have trouble getting up on time, try the following.
Wake up tips
- Set your intentions before bed – often the bed wake up routine starts the night before. Consciously create your intention for the following morning
- Move your alarm clock across the room – this will get you out of bed and your body moving immediately.
- Brush your teeth
- Drink a glass of water – dehydration overnight will cause fatigue
- Shower or dress in your workout clothes
- Move to another room – remove the temptation of returning to bed
The miracle morning
The miracle morning consists of the following practices:
Silence
Starting our day silently brings calm and presence. There are 5 main alternatives:
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Reflection
- Deep breathing
- Gratitude
Affirmations
Allow us to reprogram our subconscious mind, replace negative thought patterns and become the type of person we envision.
For increased effectiveness:
- We must read them aloud
- Decide what we want and why
- Determine how we’ll change
- Vocalise the steps we’ll take
Visualisation
We can use our imagination to visualise our greatest desires in life, painting vivid mental pictures of their accomplishment.
Tips:
- Engage all five senses to make the dream more lifelike
- Envision the type of person we need to become to achieve the vision
- Imagine what we need to do and how it will feel to achieve the image
Exercise
A staple of any morning routine. It will boost energy, concentration and improve our health, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
Could try:
- Aerobic exercise
- Sit-ups and push-ups
- Yoga video
Reading
Reading will help us gain the knowledge, skills and strategies to excel in life.
Why try to re-invent the wheel, when we can learn from others who’ve already achieved our aims?
Even a page a day compounds significantly over the course of a year.
Scribing
Writing in a daily journal allows us to:
- Reflect
- Gain clarity
- Record insights
- Identify lessons
- Capture ideas
- Spot opportunities
- Acknowledge successes
- Summarise the day
The miracle morning summary
Engaging in your own miracle morning will allow you to unlock your potential.
It can be customised to suit your needs:
- You can spend 10 minutes on each activity
- You can spend as little as a minute of each activity
- You can vary the times and sequence depending on importance
Even though you’ll be uncomfortable with your new routine initially, you’ll soon become unstoppable.
Waking up with passion and purpose every day will create the kind of miracle life we all desire.
Like this? Then browse more book summaries or check out some excellent habit books here.
