My Miracle Morning

It’s 5:00 AM when my alarm clock begins to do its thing. Like a little kid on Christmas morning, it lights up and begins radiating excitement in the form of noise. As I reach over groggily to put an end to the chaos, I feel as if I finally understand how my parents felt when I would jump on their bed and wake them up screaming “Merry Christmas!”

I pride myself on being a morning person and I usually like to include “jump” or “leap” when describing my morning exit from my bed. Today, however, the only verb that feels appropriate would be “dragged.” As I turn a light on and slog into the kitchen, I realize that this morning is going to be a challenge.

To make matters even worse, I grudgingly remember that I decided to give up caffeine a few months ago. After multiple months of no caffeine, you’d think that my brain would stop thinking about it, but on mornings like today, it’s all I can think about.

Why am I so tired today? Let’s just say that past Greg stayed up too late reading and present Greg isn’t very happy about that life decision.

Morning Motivation

It’s mornings like these that I rely on my morning routine to jumpstart my day. The beauty of having a morning routine that I look forward to completing is that I can always count on it to make me feel better. I feel a sense of accomplishment every time I complete it because it stacks six small wins in a row.

My current morning routine is based on Hal Elrod’s famous Miracle Morning and consists of meditation, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and journaling. In his book, The Miracle Morning, he uses the acronym “SAVERS” to remember the six steps:

1. Silence (meditation)
2. Affirmations
3. Visualization
4. Exercise
5. Reading
6. Scribing (journaling)

In the past, I have had various morning routines, some of which took multiple hours. It was when my morning routine was taking more than 2 and a half hours that I realized I needed to simplify. I settled on Hal’s Miracle Morning because it can be completed in one single hour. 10 minutes on each step and viola! You’re ready to rock and roll.

Let’s Get Specific

I’ve always enjoyed reading articles and listening to podcasts that are extremely specific. If someone’s going to tell me to drink a cup of green tea in the morning I want to know what kind of tea they use, how long they steep it, what their favorite tea kettle is, and if they add anything to the tea. So let’s add some specifics to each of the six steps.

Silence/Meditation

For this step, I usually listen to Vishen Lahkiani’s 6-Phase Meditation. I like this meditation a lot because it takes you through various stages that include compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness.

It also includes a visualization component where you visualize your ideal life 3 years in the future as well as visualizing your ideal day. I would recommend this option for people who are looking to combine the meditation and the visualization steps together.

Every few days I will challenge myself and do a silent meditation on my own. I do this because I value being able to meditate anywhere at any time, even if I don’t have access to my phone or headphones.

Affirmations

I used to think affirmations were a bit too “out there” for me. But then I started reading The Greatest Salesman in the World and listening to Marisa Peer talk about the power of reciting “I am enough.”

I began to notice huge shifts in my attitude, especially in regards to myself. The voice in my head began to be less critical and judgmental and it even began to cheer me on at times.

For this step, I have compiled a list of personal affirmations that I read out loud each morning. Some of my favorite ones are:

“I have an abundance of physical and mental energy”

“I feel like a superhero and I look amazing”

“I am the healthiest and strongest I have ever been”

“My immune system is stronger and more resilient than Sparta”

You get the picture. Have fun with these and create a list of affirmations that evoke a positive emotional reaction when you read them. The stronger the emotional reaction the better.

Visualization

One of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal is visualization, which I like to call “active imagination.”

The main reason I actively imagine my ideal future each morning is that it is difficult for the brain to distinguish between an imagined state and reality when we are able to incorporate genuine emotion. This is why it’s so detrimental to constantly re-live negative memories from the past.

We’ve all experienced a sudden mood shift when we remember a painful memory from the past, which is due to our brain releasing chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol.

If instead, when we imagine a positive future scenario, our brain begins to release dopamine and serotonin. And while the scenario we are visualizing is completely imagined, the chemicals being released by the brain are not. They have extremely positive effects on the body and can put you in a positive mood for the rest of the day.

I use visualization to create and refine my ideal future while giving my body a healthy dose of positive brain chemicals each morning.

Exercise

I love starting my morning routine with yoga. I have found that doing 30-ish minutes of yoga first thing when I wake up, completely changes the rest of my day.

I am more calm, centered, and the very essence of the day seems to be less stressful. Even time seems to act differently after a great yoga session. It feels as if there is more space between every minute, and realize that I don’t need to rush around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Check out my favorite yoga videos here!

Reading

I could go on and on about how many amazing books there are in existence currently. I smile every time I realize that I get to read amazing books for the rest of my life and that the list will never run out. Personally, reading is one of the activities that brings me the most joy because it combines relaxation with learning.

All I have to say for this step is to do the following:

Step 1.) Open book

Step 2.) Read book

Step 3.) Smile

Scribing/Journaling

Writing down my thoughts each morning has been a total game-changer for me. I use the process of journaling to organize my mind and plan out my upcoming day. I describe the emotional states I want to experience, how I want to feel, and what I am grateful for.

Writing each morning is the best gift we can give ourselves because it allows us to remove all the chaos circulating in our heads. With a clear mind, we can approach the new day with curiosity and wonder. Writing cleans my mind and makes me feel whole again.

Bringing It All Together

That’s all folks! It’s as simple as spending 10 minutes each morning doing these 6 activities. There is no order that is more correct than another so I’d encourage you to experiment with mixing things up. See what works best for you. I prefer to start my morning with yoga but you may prefer to start out slowly by reading and then journaling.

The choice is yours. But please know that once you start practicing your miracle morning, you may never be able to go back to haphazardly starting your days. You will experience such a positive rush of accomplishment and energy during this first hour of your day that you will never be the same!