After reading many personal development books over the years, I am somewhat skeptical when something new is brought to the metaphorical table. Is a book about how to get up in the morning, and what to do when you first get up, really necessary?
Since reading The Miracle Morning, and putting into practice the advice given, I can answer Yes.
Read on to find out why.Written by Hal Elrod, an established motivational speaker and author, The Miracle Morning focuses on a neglected subject area: how to wake up in the morning and begin your day in a manner which helps you grow as a person and function optimally.
Key Activities
After an introduction about Hal's background, (including an account of his near fatal car crash and subsequent recovery), The Miracle Morning cuts straight to the chase, discussing tactics for waking up (including tips on how to avoid hitting that snooze button!) and puts forward 6 activities you should incorporate into a morning routine which helps you develop.
These 6 activities make the acroynm, SAVERS:
- S - Silence
- A - Affirmations
- V - Visualization
- E - Exercise
- R - Reading
- S - Scribing (Writing)
... Hal prepends to this the word Life, creating the term 'LifeSAVERS' - a mnemonic which aids remembering the activities performed in the routine.
Hal explains how to create a morning routine designed for just you, which can be tweaked and changed if your circumstances or goals change.
It's also suitable for people with limited time in the morning. Most of us can find an extra 6 minutes in the morning, which if it came to it, is enough time to do this routine - however, there will be greater benefits if you can allocate more time. An example of a 6 minute routine is included in one of the chapters.
Besides the actual routine, there's also discussion on related matters such as the hours of sleep we need. For example, Hal mentions that often, it's the number of hours sleep we tell ourselves we need, that we actually need. I hadn't thought of sleep in this way before and after monitoring my self talk on this, it seems (up to a certain point) to be holding true for me.
For Both Night Owls and Larks
Hal also talks about how people who consider themselves 'night owls' can become morning 'larks' and that once the habit of the Morning Miracle is established, performing this on a daily basis becomes much easier.
I've always considered myself to be a morning person so such a routine is perhaps easier for me to establish. However, with the arrival of my baby boy I have developed into a night owl, working late into the night when he is asleep. With the help of this book, I'm finding it feasible to work late and wake early morning to perform my routine.
Final Thoughts
Has this book transformed my life like the cover claims it will? For me it is certainly helping me to transform my life. My days start on a calmer note, with a stronger feeling of purpose and with exercise included in the routine, I feel good about having accomplished something before I begin the rest of my day.
As Hal discusses in his chapter about habit, it takes 30 days for new habits to become established. Why not read this book, try out your own morning routine for 30 days and see if it will transform your life?
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)