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During lockdown, the practices discussed in my latest Leadership Learning Series book review have enjoyed a resurgence. Because our underlying stress levels are higher, simply down to the fact that we are experiencing great change and a strong sense of the unknown. This month, I’m reviewing The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod.
Hal starts by bringing us up to speed with his background. He’s been through some challenges throughout his life, including successes, failures and, perhaps most importantly, depression. He shares that he tried running to counter his depression which he says helped but he was still letting certain behaviours – which didn’t help his state of mind – continue.
At this point, it’s worth remembering that our minds are incredibly powerful. Our inner voice is insistent and can be loud and often critical. Affirmations work for some people but I find I need to use them in a certain way. I couldn’t stand in front of a mirror and compliment myself but I have used a type of affirmation – for example, saying “I can and I will” while running, which puts me in a much more positive frame of mind.
Hal quickly realised that it was his morning routine that was key to how he showed up for the day. It was failing to set him up for success. Over many years he has developed and refined a morning routine, which he calls The Miracle Morning. It has an easy to remember acronym, SAVERS, and here’s how it works.
The SAVERS process
- S – silence
This is about the opportunity to be silent; it’s similar to meditation but without necessarily insisting you actively meditate. Instead, simply give yourself the permission to be silent each morning, to just sit and be. - A – affirmation
As you would expect, this involves telling yourself what you need to, about yourself, for the day ahead. He cites Muhammed Ali, who would say “I am the greatest” over and over again, and then became that. - V – visualisation
This is about generating positivity by thinking about what you want. It’s a proven approach used by highly successful athletes and there are many excellent examples out there to help with this. - E – exercise
Our bodies respond incredibly well to exercise. It doesn’t have to be anything extreme, gentle yoga might appeal more than running, first thing in the morning, the main thing is to get yourself moving and stimulate those feel-good hormones. - R – reading
It’s important to find something useful or inspirational rather than necessarily sinking into your favourite fiction. There are lots of resources out there, such as ‘a poem a day’ and other such reading which will get your brain cells fired up and encourage some thinking, reflecting or imagining. - S – scribing
Journalling is another thing that’s become very popular in our forcefully slowed-down world. It’s a great way to offload anything that might slow you down for the day or to generate some helpful and positive thoughts.
How to make it work
Now, I’m willing to bet that many of you are wondering how on earth you could fit this type of routine into your morning. Our lives already feel busy and mornings particularly can be especially pressured, especially so since we start to send children back to school and our working week is re-established.
However, as with many things, it is quality, not quantity, that counts. Imagine starting by just doing one minute of each of these activities. You would still build a highly constructive, positive start to your day and, the chances are, as you moved into a more upbeat and inspirational place, you might choose to extend this time and start your day earlier to accommodate more of the activities that really work for you.
Why not have a go at The Miracle Morning and let me know how you get on?
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