I’m flying through these personal development books at the moment. I’m not sure if it’s a time of year thing (new years resolutions and all that), or if it actually says something about my state of mind right now.
The Miracle Morning
Regardless, this book ([amazon text=The Miracle Morning: The 6 Habits That Will Transform Your Life Before 8AM&asin=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1473632153/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8%26camp=1634%26creative=6738%26creativeASIN=1473632153%26linkCode=as2%26tag=httpwwwtin0ab-21ps://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1473632153/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8%26camp=1634%26creative=6738%26creativeASIN=1473632153%26linkCode=as2%26tag=httpwwwtin0ab-21], by Hal Elrod) had been on my wishlist a while after being recommended by Pat Flynn (who I might have mentioned once or twice before!) and when I saw it discounted to 99p (Kindle version) I couldn’t resist.
The general idea probably doesn’t sound that appealing to many of us. Get up at 5am and spend an hour on personal development before beginning your day.
However, when I read on, I realised that wasn’t the point at all. Yes, you do need to set aside time in the morning and yes, to do so you might need to get up a bit earlier than you do now, but it’s totally adaptable and you can fit it to your schedule and lifestyle (and not get up at 5am).
The recommendations for your own Miracle Morning
The six things Hal recommends doing, first thing in the morning, are:
- Meditation
- Affirmations
- Visualisation
- Exercise
- Reading
- Writing (he calls it Scribing)
I have to say, with the exception of affirmations (I can’t quite get my head around standing in front of a mirror, telling myself how awesome I am) I was sold on all of them, before even reading the book.
It’s really just about taking time out to do some positive things for yourself and by doing it first thing you set yourself up nicely for the day, as you’re in a good state of mind.
My own miracle morning
I’m taking tiny baby steps towards my miracle morning (it’s a start, right), by getting up earlier than everyone else, getting dressed, then meditating for 10 minutes. (I’ve subscribed to Headspace and I love it. I might even do a separate post at some point.) I then do my daily Spanish lesson (on Duolingo), then empty the dishwasher and get breakfast ready. (The last two aren’t in the book, but getting ahead of my chores makes me feel more organised – and I figure this is meant to be my miracle morning.)
I plan to start getting up even earlier and incorporating a bit of yoga into my morning too. I have to say, so far so good. It is a nice feeling to start the day in a more relaxing way and to feel on top of things.
The book itself is easy and quick to read however, I did think it felt very salesy. Don’t get me wrong, Hal comes across as a nice guy – but a nice guy who knows he’s onto something that will make him very rich!
Don’t let that put you off though. While I’m not convinced the results will be as life changing as he promises (but hey, who am I to knock it before giving it a proper try) I genuinely think everyone could take something from this book.