It’s been over two years since I started doing the Miracle Morning.  I’m still not crazy about the name.  But I can’t deny the effectiveness of Hal Elrod’s idea:  Get up early and start doing your Life SAVERS. 

Silence/Meditation

Affirmations

Visualization

Exercise

Reading

Scripting/Journaling

I’m still doing the MM every day.  Or mostly every day.  Hal recommends that you spend an hour on it, but you can shorten it if you want.  When in a rush, you can even do a six minute MM, spending a minute on each of the SAVERS.  Sometimes it‘s more important do a little bit, instead of nothing.

Unfortunately, I got into the habit of doing the abbreviated version for a few weeks.  It works in a pinch, but I wasn’t finding the shortened version helpful over the long run.

I usually do a 30 minute version now because I have a few other tasks in my morning routine.  I must be at work by 8am, so it depends when I wake up on how much time I have for it. 

I created a 30 minute recording and added alarms within it, which is helpful.  So I know how much time to spend on each item without having to check my watch.

Silence or Meditation is the hardest thing to fit into my schedule.  So, it’s important to take advantage of it when I can.  I like that it’s the first thing on the list because sometimes I’m still a bit sleepy when I do it. 

The amazing thing for me is how easy it has been to make it a habit.  It didn’t take any willpower to put in place.  Once I had the framework of it, I just did it. 

Sometimes I don’t want to get up early. But it’s usually when I think about it too much. I trust my body will give me enough sleep to work on.  Working from home during the pandemic has enabled me to take an occasional nap if required…

The great thing about the habit is that it stuck.  And I’ve been able to maintain it for most of the time. 

Have I missed any days?  Of course!  I’ve even missed some consecutive days here and there.  But I feel it when I miss a day.  The day is off kilter.

And the consistency of the habit makes it a great anchor to add  other habits to it.  So, my Miracle Morning keeps growing.  But the time I have for my SAVERS shrinks a bit. 

The SAVERS are adjustable time-wise.  If you are going to do a full hour, you could spend 10 minutes on each item.  Some items need more time and some you can get by with on less. 

When I’m doing a 60-minute MM, I usually break it down like this:  20 minutes on meditation.  5 minutes each on affirmations and visualization.  And 10 minutes on exercise, reading, and journaling.

The biggest benefit has been my journal writing.  I’ve journaled for decades but it was sporadic.  And if I didn’t do it first thing in the morning, I wouldn’t remember in the evening.  I still miss the occasional day of journaling, but that’s only when I miss my MM.  For the past two years, my journal writing has been the most consistent in my life!

The act of having a routine makes everything else easier.  And if I want add a new habit, the easiest thing is to tag it onto my morning routine.  I’ve added daily gratitude, mental stretching, and listening to something inspirational.

© 2021 Peter Gruner