It is no secret that the most successful and productive people on the planet start their days with strict rituals that involve getting the body and mind primed for the day.
Well, truth be told, I have not been super disciplined with my morning routines this past year. One of my primary goals in 2021 is to recommit to getting back into a strict morning routine. I am using the principles and guidelines laid out in Hal Elrod’s book, Miracle Mornings. And watching his new movie, Miracle Morning Movie, was the last push I needed to recommit to better morning rituals.
I mentioned this in my last week’s Friday’s Findings, which you can find at drbizjak.com (subscribers receive these three weekly insights every Friday), but I wanted to elaborate on them in this week’s blog. Elrod found that there six key rituals utilized by the most successful people. While each person did one or more of these, no one did all of them. So, he committed to doing all six each morning, and once he saw how impactful it was on his life, he shared them in that book, Miracle Mornings. He came up with a simple acronym to help remember each morning ritual… S.A.V.E.R.S. I’ll briefly explain each one…
SILENCE… Taking time to focus on breathing and clearing your head. It can be in the form of meditation, rhythmic breathing, or just sitting or lying in silence.
AFFIRMATIONS… Many people roll their eyes at this one, but it involves repeating a series of sentences or phrases stating what you want, who you want to become, what you want to achieve, or how you will impact the world. They are spoken in the present tense, as if they are already true. And this is important, as our subconscious mind believes what we say to ourselves all day long, and most of that self-talk is negative. So, to start the day by priming that powerful subconscious mind with positive and powerful affirmations makes a difference.
VISUALIZATION… This takes your mind through a rehearsal of what you want the day, week, month, and your life to look like. It helps the mind get clear, not just on what you want, but exactly what you want… and how you want to get there.
EXERCISE… Getting the body moving in the morning gets the blood flowing, the muscles pumping, and the brain firing. I used to lift heavy weights in the morning, but found my joints were stiffer then, and I didn’t enjoy it. So, I stopped. The problem was that as the day went on, things would come up, and I would miss those workouts. My morning exercise will be roughly ten minutes only and will consist of a combination of movements with bands, weights, and machines.
READING… Filling the mind with knowledge is important. Reading a little bit each morning starts the day by giving the brain the information it needs to help you be more creative, utilize more resources, and grow personally and professionally. Even just ten minutes a day adds up to a whole bunch of added knowledge over the course of a year. I combine reading physical books, as well as listening to audio books. And audiobooks allow you to combine a couple of rituals, such as exercising while listening to a book.
SCRIBING… Also called journaling, scribing is taking time each morning to write. And this writing can be whatever you want. You can write about goals, what you accomplished the previous day or week, what you plan to accomplish that day, things that you are grateful for, etc. Something powerful happens when you put pen to paper that helps calm your mind and organize your thoughts.
Pick and choose, or do all six, but create some morning rituals, and you’ll see a positive transformation in your life, guaranteed. Try it for just one week. I’ll post my exact morning ritual soon and keep you posted on how it is going for me.
