Classic Reread: Miracle Morning

This book is an invitation to start taking your self to the next level so you can take your succes to the next level.

Hal Elrod in the Miracle Morning

Miracle Morning was written by Hal Elrod and published in 2012, but got really popular in 2015. Back then it was all the rage. The bloggers who were into it most notably were Merel from De Groene Meisjes (she did it for a FULL YEAR back then!), Cynthia from (then Miss Lipgloss but now) Cynthia.nl. I talked about it with Drew on a podcast back then – you can listen to it here.

I decided to dust it off and reread it over the summer.

The Basics

The most important thing about this book is the six practices Hal Elrod suggests you take up if you want to start living a better life. There’s a lot of talk in the beginning of the book on ‘untapped potential’ and I gotta be honest: I think you can totally tap into your whole potential without spending your entire life chasing the most productivity and growth. Also, he has a real boner for A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.S. and I was 1100% done with that before I even got halfway into the book. But hey.

I do like the premise of self care and getting ahead of your planning and things that otherwise easily go to the back burner, and that’s what the six practices do.

The Six Live S.A.V.E.R.S.

  1. S is for Silence, which is meditation, prayer, reflection, deep breathing or gratitude.
  2. A is for Affirmations. This practice is to improve your self talk and change the way you think about yourself or some areas in your life.
  3. V is for Visualisation. Here you spend some time using your imagination to mentally rehearse the things you want to see happen in your life. Just like Affirmations, this is not really my area but I suppose it is a powerful tool.
  4. E is for Exercise. Now THIS I can do! This is for working out in the morning, and it can be intense but also some light stretching or an early morning walk.
  5. R is for Reading. This is so you take some time to relax and/or study the things that would benefit your personal growth.
  6. S is for Scribing. Aka writing. You end your Miracle Morning with some time to journal, jot down your thoughts, ideas and plans.

The Basic Schedule

  • Silence: 5 minutes
  • Affirmations: 5 minutes
  • Visualisation: 5 minutes
  • Exercise: 20 minutes
  • Reading: 20 minutes
  • Scribing: 5 minutes

Most of the stuff you can personalise and customise by the way, this is just a guideline, just like the activities in the Life S.A.V.E.R.S. are the suggestions. There is also a 6 minute version for those mornings you’re in a rush but CAN spare 6 minutes!

Useful stuff from the book

5 steps to get out of bed snooze free?

This is a part of the book that made it easier for me to get up early again instead of just snoozing forever, which is a lose-lose-lose because I’m not really sleeping anymore, I’m not getting anything done and my boyfriend is bothered by the sound of my alarm every 9 minutes.

  1. Set your intention to wake up and do [whatever the thing you want to go do] and try to be a bit excited about it.
  2. Keep your alarm clock across the room (or in another room!)
  3. Brush your teeth immediately
  4. Drink a full glass of water (wakes you up)
  5. Get in your workout clothes

A way to look at 30-day challenges

I actually talked about this with Andrew on a previous podcast episode, in Miracle Morning there’s a system to look at 30 Day challenges that’s very useful, dividing it up into 3 blocks.

Day 1 tot 10 is Phase 1: Unbearable. This is true: it is SO HARD. It’s a lot of resistance and ‘argh’ and getting out of your comfort zone.

However, this IS temporary.

Day 11-20, Phase 2: Uncomfortable. After getting through the first 10 days, the following 10 days are…bearable. Sure, still not easy and a bit uncomfortable, but no longer as impossible.

Days 21-30, Phase 3: Unstoppable. Once you’ve made it to THIS mark? It is so much easier to keep it going for the final ten days (or maybe even after that!)

Some help visualising

Visualisation is not really my tool of choice. It used to be when I was younger but I let that go because once I start daydreaming I drift off to nowhere and do nothing in my actual life, but I do see its value.

Hal Elrod writes: “Visualise you major goals, deepest desires, and most exciting, would-totally-change-my-life-if-I-achieved-them dreams. See, feel, hear, touch, taste and smell every detail of your vision. Involve all of your senses to maximise the effectiveness of your visualisation. The more vivid you make your vision, the more compelled you’ll be to take the necessary actions to make it a reality.”

“Once you’ve created a clear mental picture of what you want, begin to visualise yourself in total alignment with your vision. See yourself engaged in the positive actions you’ll need to do each day (exercising, studying, working, writing, making calls, sending emails, etc) and make sure you see yourself enjoying the process.”

Short review

It’s a nice self help book: Quite “American” in its wild enthusiasm and motivational lingo, but has some surprisingly useful practical tips AND the Miracle Morning Routine IS -if you can stomach getting out of bed for it- a great way to get in some self-care and fun.

Should you still want to get a copy, you can get it in English for 13,99 here* and for 14.99 euros here!*

*Affiliate links, I get a small fee if you buy a book through these links! If you want to support me in a different way, buy me a coffee here!

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