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Recently I was introduced to the famous little book,  Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life Before 8 am by Hal Elrod, about taking life by the horns and getting more accomplished through a miracle morning routine.

 

This was an interesting book to read because I am in the process of writing my own nonfiction book that teaches something.  So, at first, I was fascinated at how similar the structure of the book is to the way I am being told to write my book.

The Beginning of a Movement

Miracle Morning starts with the author’s story about the various lows he has experienced in his life: the first being a horrific car accident he suffered at 20 years old; the second being the depths of despondence he suffered a few short years later. During one of Hal's worst moments, a friend suggested that he go running.  Having nothing better to do, he tried it.

 

He was listening to an audio lecture by Jim Rohn that stated: 

 

“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development because success is something you attract by the person you become.”

 

Gobsmacked, he ran home determined to change his life for the better. What he ended up conceiving and implementing is what Hal calls his Miracle Morning Routine, a series of six practices that help to prepare anyone for a successful day.

 

As he experienced the success and focus achieved through his routine, he began sharing the routine with others.  One day, he stumbled across a random Youtube video of a stranger raving about his Miracle Morning Routine.  He had started a movement!

 

Yellow tulips, a person waking up to a bright morning: Life begins each morning quote by Joel Osteen
A determined fist and a carefree happy woman: You've got to wake up with Determination for bed with satisfaction
silhouette of a man before an impossible upside down city: don't let limiting beliefs of others apply to you

Routine and Ritual to Start the Day

 

Hal really wants to convince you, Dear Reader, of how beneficial his morning routine is.  He helpfully sprinkles throughout the text lots of cheery motivational quotes that encourage one to get out of bed and get going, such as:
 
“Your first ritual that you do during the day is the highest leveraged ritual, by far, because it has the effect of setting your mind and setting the context for the rest of your day.”
– Eben Pagan

 

I really enjoyed the chapter where Hal explains how he experimented with his sleep schedule to see which made him more tired: the amount of sleep he got, or the attitude he had towards the amount of sleep he got.  He came to an interesting conclusion (which I highly suggest you check out for yourself, as I won’t do it justice in these few words I’m writing!)

 

 

Tips and Strategies for Your Best Morning

 

Next is a collection of tips and strategies on how to wake up early with the best attitude.

 

After describing many of the benefits and doing his best to convince you to get started, Hal then lays out each of the six elements of the Miracle Morning Routine, why it is so beneficial, and tips on how to succeed.  He even has a handy acronym to help you remember the six “Life S.A.V.E.R.S.”

 

  • Silence: activities like meditation, prayer, reflection, deep breathing, and gratitude
  • Affirmations: statements to program yourself for better habits and attitudes
  • Visualization: create your new reality by imagining it and seeing the next steps toward it
  • Exercise: to get your blood flowing and your body ready to go for the day
  • Reading: take a few minutes to learn something new through reading
  • Scribing: writing or journaling some of your thoughts and insights

 

Of course, Hal goes into much more detail about each step of the suggested ritual and includes many recommendations to help you succeed (including what looks to be a wonderful list of resources offered at his website www.TMMBook.com)

bright yellow; pictures of exercise equipment in a pile and a guy sleeping on a couch: the only exercise most people get
red alarm clock on purple background; hitting the snooze button in the morning doesn't make sense: I hate getting up! over
fantastic image of hands holding miracle of life: the moment you accept responsibility for everything is when you can do all

Optimization of Your New Habits

 

After he’s introduced his core morning ritual, he then offers some suggestions for making it fit into your busy life.  For instance, he suggests trying a 6-minute version for people who are really busy (basically one minute per activity). He also discusses whether or not the Miracle Morning routine should be continued on weekends as well as how breakfast impacts your day.

 

Hal closes out the book with a short discussion on habits including the difficulties and strategies of incorporating a new habit (or morning routine) into your life.

 

I have to say, after reading the book (which I read during my usual just-before-bed time), I felt inspired.  But I did not manage to find the motivation to put any of the book into practice.

 

Personally, I don’t really have a good enough why for my subconscious and conscious mind to make the effort to get up extra early and follow-through.  So the book has been on my nightstand, waiting to go back to the library for weeks!

 

Sigh.

 

The Next Step

 

Just because the book isn’t magically changing my life (funny how reading a book only changes your life when you take ACTION on it….), doesn’t mean it can’t help transform YOUR life!

 

So if any of this review sounded the least bit interesting, go check out a copy of The Miracle Morning from your nearest library or buy the book here at Amazon (yes, this is an Associate link and if you click through I may receive a commission at no expense to you).  Start a new habit and then let me know how it goes.  I might just be inspired enough to start taking action on a new morning routine myself!

 

P.S. Hal also mentions how helpful it is to get an accountability partner or join his Facebook community so that others can support and encourage you to succeed.  Also, if you’d like to get started today on transforming your life, he offers up a free Miracle Morning Crash Course which includes two free chapters of the book as well as free video and audio training to help someone start learning the process.  Find links to both at www.TheMiracleMorning.com.

 

And seriously: let me know how it goes!  I’ll support and encourage you all I can!

 

woman before an adventure; feet in a confined circle: life begins at end of your comfort zone Walsh
images of early morning: person napping, rising sun, turning off the alarm clock: I don't have time to wake up early

 Liked this review?  Let me know what you'd like me to read next: email me at Jessica@BetaVirtualAssistance.com

Read my other book reviews on my other blog: 

Limitless by Jim Kwik

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

 

Buy the book on Amazon here: (follow the button to the right for an Associate Link)