1: Yesterday, we explored the idea of living a new, more intentional life.
All this requires?
Getting up an hour earlier to create a “Miracle Morning,” the title of Hal Elrod’s terrific book.
Now what?
We create new habits around the different aspects of our identity: Physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.
2: The design of our miracle morning is 100% customizable.
My miracle morning is different from the one Hal outlines in his book. Which will be different from what you decide to do.
Hal does, however, give us a handy mnemonic S.A.V.E.R.S., which will help us generate lots of ideas on how to spend this precious hour.
S is for Silence. Purposeful silence. Rather than start our day stressed and running behind, what if we instead set aside time to pray, meditate, or reflect?
A is for Affirmations. My note: This practice is not something I currently do. But I understand the potential value, especially if we suffer from A.N.T.s (automatic negative talk). Hal tells us we can change our programming by saying or writing affirmations in various aspects of our lives – health, finances, relationships, etc. In time, our subconscious minds begin believing and acting on it.
V is for Visualization. I do this practice in combination with my scribing or journaling practice below. This is a great time to review and reflect on our annual goals. To actively imagine what it is we want to achieve and why. We can write about and visualize achieving our goals. What will happen? When will it happen? And how will it feel?
E is for Exercise. The idea here is to get our bodies moving. If we’ve blocked off one hour, we likely won’t have time to go to the gym or do a long run. Hal recommends yoga. I do a 10-minute exercise routine every morning that includes pushups, sit-ups, a core workout, and some light weights. Again, lots of options.
R is for reading. What a great way to start the day! Self-development books fit nicely with the overall theme of personal development. That said, I use my reading time to read the Bible and pray. Ten years ago, reading the One-Year Bible changed my life. The bottom line? Whatever we choose to read, we will be surprised at how many books we can read in as little as 20 minutes each day. The key is consistency.
S is for Scribing, i.e., journaling – another topic I’m super interested in. Through the years, I’ve experimented with different types of journaling. I currently keep a daily gratitude journal where I write about something I found delightful from the prior day and a “Three Wins a Day” journal that I learned from reading The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy.
3: There are lots of ideas here. Which is great.
But what about those mornings when we don’t have time for a full-hour miracle morning? Hal tells us to relax and fit in whatever makes sense. He shares a condensed, six-minute version:
Minute 1: Purposeful silence
Minute 2: Daily affirmations
Minute 3: Visualize our day going perfectly
Minute 4: Gratitudes
Minute 5: Reading
Minute 6: Move your body
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Reflection: What are the benefits of becoming more intentional about my life?
Action: Get up one hour earlier tomorrow and begin experimenting with my own version of the thee S.A.V.E.R.S.
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