If you want to reflect on your day and give your daily productivity an A+, you may want to crush your morning routine by using tips from The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
What is The Miracle Morning?
In The Miracle Morning: A Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Day (Before 9 am), Elrod shared a morning routine that has been transformative for him; and, it’s a routine that has gained quite a global following! The “miracle morning” is made up of 6 activities to be completed first thing each morning. Here are the details on each:
Silence. Silence is intended as a meditation. It’s a time to sit quietly and still your mind. Taking a moment—or 5 minutes—to sit in silence and quiet the mind can be really powerful.
Affirmations. Create a list of your own affirmations or use Pinterest or even YouTube to find some suggested affirmations that you can recite (either aloud or in your head). This is a practice that Elrod discusses in detail in the book.
Visualization. With visualization, you train your brain to see things as you would like them to be. You can even make a Vision Board to get you thinking forward. Visualization is thoughts and images of what you want. (Keep in mind that you don’t have to only visualize things, but you can also visualize the intangible, such as feelings or actions.)
Exercise. This one doesn’t need much of a description, and this one is hard for me personally, since I am more of an afternoon exerciser. But it is a great feeling when you have completed your exercise first thing in the morning; you get a great sense of accomplishment.
Reading. Spend some time each morning reading a personal development book or one that provides you with some enlightening, encouragement, and focus. There are so many motivational books out there. Two of my recent favorites are The Year of Yes and I Am Malala.
Scribing. I often combine this practice with a few of the others. Scribing or journaling does not have to be in paragraph form. It is a way to get centered on your thoughts and your day; oftentimes through writing, ideas become discovered that are way below the surface. The Pipeline Planner Journal is a nice place to start journaling because it was created with the intention of giving you prompts for reflection.
Focus on Progress Not Perfection
Obviously, the way in which one person practices the miracle morning may not work for another. So, the important part of this practice is to adapt it with activities that work for you. The miracle is in practice and making progress. The miracle is in showing up every morning to do these activities, the consistency of how these 6 practices can not only transform your health but also your emotional well-being. Don’t sweat it if you skip a day or don’t do it perfectly. It’s just like a diet, where if you skip one day, you should get back on the path. Don’t just continue eating poorly because you erred once. Addressing your morning activities and your systems is about progress nor perfection.
If you are looking for things to do right now to transform your business, why not start with a new morning ritual? If you’re looking for one, I’d try the Miracle Morning!