Inspirational leaders have to have had experienced the lows in order to guide us to the highs.
This turns out to be the life story of Hal Elrod, the creator of The Miracle Morning.
A Close Encounter Last Saturday
I sat at the world premier of the movie “Miracle Morning” and experienced with Hal his lows, following his story and how he responded to what life dealt him. I also enjoyed Hal Elrod talk about his priorities in life this last weekend at the Illuminate Film Festival. I was moved by how many people were inspired to begin or tweak a morning ritual. This morning routine is the answer to when life gets us down as well as when we are not living up to our potential.
You may recognize this in yourself as well as your friends and family:
We settle for less than we really want and are capable of having way too often. When that happens, life is not so much fun, in fact, it can become a struggle.
We may question: Is that the life I want to live? A life of settling for less than what we can have, in our success, in our relationships, in our career, in our health, in our enjoyment of life?
How do we change that around?
The saying that changed around Hal Elrod’s life was one from Jim Rohn:
Your level of success will rarely exceed your personal level of development because success is something you attract by the person you become.
This means that personal development is the key, because in developing personally, we become the person we want to be. Then that, almost by default, creates the life we want to live.
How do we use this key?
In Hal Elrod’s estimation, that means waking up in the morning before we “have to” in order to go through a morning ritual that supports the person and life we want.
That means going through a 6-step morning routine. Whether you spend 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or 1 minute on each step of the Miracle Morning routine, the impact on the rest of our day is enormous, Hal has seen.
What is involved?
Hal looked at the routines of the most successful people. He realized that they had several things in common, and even any one routine could head us toward success. Being an overachiever, however, Hal Elrod decided to combine all six of the routines practiced by successful people to kick-start their day.
His acronym is SAVERS for the six practices which opens up our days to experience miracles.
I realized that I have my own versions of these practices. I have found ways to use intention in my life, combined with receptive allowing in order to live an extraordinary experience.
What are the practices?
The first, and in my opinion, the most important, is what he means by Silence. Quiet inward time atthe beginning of the day connects us with what is greater than ourselves. It allows us to serve that as our day unfolds. This quiet inward time is practiced as meditation, prayer, breathing, centering, or whatever quiets the chatter of the mind in order to rest in our true nature.
My version of that is The Ishayas’ Ascension, which I consider the premier form of meditation and beyond. Simply by closing the eyes, watching the mind, and introducing the first Ascension Attitude, I touch peace and Stillness. There is an alternation with thought coming and going, with the attention firmly fixed on the Stillness. Twenty minutes of that clears the nervous system of stress so that I can go about my day open to the opportunities waiting for me. Devoid of that accumulated stress, I flow through the day, experiencing joy and love in what comes to me.
The second and third are Affirmations and Visualizations. I put them together in my list of what I want to expand in my life.
When I read this list, beginning with “I am enjoying . . .” I often see an image of how that is appearing in my life now, how it appeared in the last week, and how it may appear in the future. Reading this list of the best of what I want in my life, my experience expands.
It is as if I am setting my GPS to find those things and experiences in my life, therefore, they cannot help but show up. Also, how they show up becomes more and more: more and more complete, more and more frequent, more and more joyful just by reading my “I am enjoying” list.
The next, the “E” in SAVERS, is – you guessed it – exercise. Some people may skip it, or perhaps they do exercise grudgingly or as an ingrained routine. Attitude toward exercise is an important factor in how the exercise affects our bodies. Therefore, we get the most out of exercise when we do things we enjoy, and approach it with appreciation and delight.
I love to walk in nature. I also enjoy a strong, fit body, and like to include guided exercises for strength training with bursts of intensity.
I believe that including fun exercise is important, and even 60 seconds – one minute – of fun exercise will start to get hormones moving in the body to get the day going and the mind more alert.
The “R” stands for reading, qualified as reading inspirational books or listening to them in the audio version. By opening ourselves to new ideas and perspectives, we may round out our experience and expand it as well. There is no end to motivational and inspiring books, and we must choose those that speak to where we are in life and not just pump us up. We can intuitively choose what appeals to us, and it will open doors.
Scribing, or journaling, is the final step in the morning routine. It is to “provide me with enhanced clarity, heightened self-‐awareness, and an increased level of commitment to the goals, dreams, and miracles that I want to create for my life.”
You may want to set and track goals; however, I use journal entries to give gratitude ahead for the life that rewards me in the future. I combine visualization, by describing in great detail, not only the look of it, but also the smell, taste, sound and touch of it, with a flowing knowing from my soul about what I truly want in my life. I let my hands be guided to type or write whatever comes out from the depths of my soul, which is my deepest desire for my life. I give gratitude ahead for these things in my life,
Sometimes this even substitutes for the affirmations when I read it day after day.
In summary, I believe it is useful to have a GPS, and also allow life to live me.
How we start in the morning
I agree that a morning routine sets the tone of the day. Taking time, perhaps by getting up earlier than usual, to do the morning routine reinforces the idea that I am committed to success being attracted to me as the person I want to be.
Personal development does not have to be a drudge or an intellectual exercise. Life presents us with what is needed for our growth quite naturally, and we see it when we are paying attention. If we are not paying attention, we also can see it when we are hit over the head or in some way cannot avoid seeing it.
Growth is a part of life. When we do it intentionally, we may experience more joy and can avoid suffering. There is lots of joy and fulfillment in living a purposeful life, full of the things we enjoy and love. This purpose can be supported by the habits we cultivate daily, and one of those habits can be a morning ritual.
Are you ready for miracles?
Please comment on your morning practices and how they support you.
