Outside of my mentors and defining moments, books have accelerated my learning both professionally and personally and I truly believe that reading is the single most important thing you can do to better yourself. In light of this, on Mondays, I will be reviewing a book that has impacted me.
Today’s book is The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life Before 8 a.m. by Hal Elrod.
“Life isn’t about wishing you were somewhere or someone that you’re not. Life is about enjoying where you are, loving who you are, and consistently improving both” –
Brief Summary of The Miracle Morning:
Hal Elrod was no different than any other professional trying to make a living. At age 20, he was the #1 sales rep at his marketing company breaking every single record there was. But then that year he had a horrific accident where a drunk driver hit him head-on. He was pronounced dead for 6 minutes. Miraculously, he came back to life, though he spent 6 days in a coma and woke up to the news he would NEVER walk again.
After 11 fractured bones, permanent brain damage, and necessary rehab to walk again he used these challenges to motivate and inspire himself. He did not back down or give up. A few years later, he is walking, talking, and sharing his story with the world. He has become a keynote speaker, author, ultramarathon runner, and the creator of The Miracle Morning routine which thousands of people use every day. He shares with you the Miracle Morning routine, and how this accident changed his life for the better, and how we can all persevere through the toughest moments of our lives.
Things I learned from this book:
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New Ideas and methods to add to my morning ritual
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A good morning routine can be 6 minutes or 60 minutes. Both are very powerful.
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A morning routine can change your life and be the #1 reason for being happy and successful.
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Everything happens for a reason. You must find the deeper meaning of a situation good or bad because you can learn from every moment.
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Be grateful for what you have in life. Reading this book re-confirmed one of my beliefs, “give it all you have every day.”
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If you are going to try to change a habit, you must have a well thought out plan prior to trying to improve.
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Morning rituals or routines should fit your lifestyle. It is not a one size fit all.
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Waking up tired has nothing to do with how many hours you get to sleep. It is actually your belief of how many hours YOU NEED to feel rested. So before you go to bed, think about how many hours you truly need to be rested. The average person at age 30 needs about 6 to 7 hours.
Other learnings I took away:
The 95% Reality Check:
Step 1: Acknowledge that 95% of society will never create and live the life they really want
The challenge for most people is that they don’t want to take ownership of anything. They do not realize that to accomplish anything in life, it starts with themselves. Instead of looking at people you admire and saying, “I can’t be like them”, you need to start realizing that you can. And you need to realize YOU are in control. No one is responsible for your success, only YOU.
Step 2: Identify the Causes of Mediocrity
- Rearview Mirror Syndrome:
Staying present and moving the conversation forward is one of the hardest things for people to do, especially in the world we are in today. The way we were raised in school was all about pass or fail, which gives us a false perception of what success truly is. It is not always about winning or losing, it is about effort.
To review the past is ok as long as you take something away from it- regardless of success or failure. However, you must continue to look forward and not stop moving. Like I mentioned in my last post, wake up today and think different or you will never move forward towards your goals.
2. Lack of Purpose:
We all have a purpose. You need to ask yourself, “Why do I wake up every day?” Trust me, there is a reason, and that is your purpose.
3. Isolated Incidents:
We tend to believe that each choice we make only impacts us at that specific moment, but unfortunately, it all adds up. As you know, I believe every day it is day one so I am 50/50 on this point he makes here. I believe sometimes you just need to move on rather than spending unproductive time worrying about if a choice you made yesterday was wrong.
4. Lack of Accountability:
This is extremely difficult for most people, and where a lot of us fail. It starts though with you. If you can follow my methods of building a day one mindset you will start to hold yourself accountable. I do agree with Hal that the best and easiest way to hold yourself accountable is finding an “Accountability Partner”. For me, my wife and son are my accountability partners. I can’t and won’t let them down.
5. Mediocre Circle of Influence:
This is simple. Hang out with people who share your interests and inspire you. You are who you hang out with. Look around at your friends. If they are not motivated to do anything, you most likely will be the same way.
6. Lack of Personal Development:
When I interview people for my team, I always hear the standard phrases “I love learning and I want to grow”. My response to that? “Wow. That is great. So, tell me what have YOU done in the past year personally or professionally to grow your skills and develop yourself?” Easy answer here: READ BOOKS.
7. Lack of Urgency:
One of the best pieces of advice my dad has ever given me was this: “Jeff, as a salesperson all you got is time”. I have taken that and applied it not just to sales, but life. You cannot waste time doing things that will not move you towards your goal.
Step 3: Draw your line in the sand
Today is your day. It is your moment. No more BS. We are going to change who we are today. It’s that simple.
5 Step Snooze Proof Wakeup Strategy
Step 1: Set your intentions before bed
Step 2: Move your alarm across the room
Step 3: Brush your teeth
Step 4: Drink a full glass of water
Step 5: Get dressed in your workout clothes
Life S.A.V.E.R.S a morning routine for anyone to use:
- S – Silence
- Meditate
- A – Affirmations
- Write down how you want to live each day. Check out my affirmations here: http://www.wakeupitsdayone.com/day-one-ritual/
- V – Visualize
- See your day ahead and visualize the success you’re going to have
- E – Exercise
- Run, do sit-ups, do push-ups, running in place, lifting weights, treadmill, running outside, lifting a 5-pound dumbbell. Just do something to get your body moving.
- R – Reading
- Read a book, article, blog, or anything that interests you.
- S – Scribing
- Write your thoughts about anything. It is an excellent way to see your progress, capture ideas, gain clarity
How has this book impacted me?
I have been getting up early for work since I started my first job. For me, this book cemented what I had been doing for quite some time but also taught me how valuable a morning routine is. I used to get up early just because I didn’t like to work out at night. Now, I have a purpose to get up. I built out my own routine based on the strategies in this book which includes reading, reflection, and a motivational video. The result has been amazing. My colleagues have wondered why I seem to have so much energy, and I owe a lot of that to Hal’s book. I am so grateful I read it because as I get older it is harder and harder to get up which makes my morning ritual more important than ever.
Check out my step-by-step morning ritual on http://www.wakeupitsdayone.com/day-one-ritual/
Now, WAKEUP! It’s Day One. It’s time for you to build your morning routine! Purchase the book here!