Book Summary – The Miracle Morning
Hal Elrod has an incredible background story. At 20 years of age, he was on top of the world making big dollars as a salesman for Cutco knives, driving a new Mustang, and receiving awards. In a moment, all that changed when he was struck head on by a drunk driver. The accident left him with a cracked skull, broken arm, and broken pelvis. He was clinically dead for six minutes before emergency personnel were able to revive him. He was given little chance of surviving, no chance of walking, and told he would never be able to live a normal life. He still, to this day fifteen years later, has permanent brain damage.
You know how the story ends. Elrod made a full recovery. He has rebuilt his life and is now a widely sought after inspirational speaker. And he’s written a beautiful book, The Miracle Morning, that recommends a simple six step process that anyone can use to start their day. The process he recommends is one that was born out of his own desperation and has been used by countless individuals to improve their effectiveness.
Before we get in to the actual process, Elrod starts with three simple principles:
- You are as worthy of success as anyone else in the world. You need to embrace this belief.
- The key to claiming that success is to dedicate time each day to your development.
- How you start your day affects your level of success in all areas of your life.
While few would disagree with the aforementioned principles, many would see them as “mumbo jumbo” and “feel good talk”. The difference here is that rather than espousing the principles and leaving the reader to figure things out, he provides a great framework that he calls SAVERS:
- S for Silence. Taking time to quiet your mind.
- A for Affirmations. Taking time to reinforce the person you want to be.
- V for Visioning. Taking time to mentally see the end state you desire.
- E for Exercise. Taking time to develop the body.
- R for Reading. Taking time to feed the mind.
- S for Scribing (Journaling). Taking time to put down in writing what you are thinking and feeling
What is fascinating about the SAVERS is that there is nothing revolutionary here / these are all things that are recommended and discussed widely. What is revolutionary is the way that he has packaged them all together and suggested that the key is to invest in these six things before anything else.
As I write this summary, I’ve completed eleven days of the routine. The improvement in my effectiveness is nothing short of amazing! Each of the SAVERS – with the exception of Silence/Meditation — is things that I have done previously. Just never all together at the start of the day.
There is one particular quote that Elrod shares that captures the essence of the routine. The quote from Jim Rohn is:
- Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.
What Elrod suggests is that by building a routine that forces you to focus on your development first thing each day, you will achieve success vis-à-vis the principle that Rohn espouses.
I could not agree with Hal more and am extremely grateful to him that he took the time to share what he has learned with the rest of us.
Hopefully you will do three things after reading this summary. First, pick up a copy of the book and read it yourself. It is a short, easy, fast enjoyable read. Second, have the courage to take Hal’s challenge and do your own 30 day “Miracle Morning” challenge. I am only 11 days in, but am 100% sold and 100% committed to finishing the 30 days. Finally, if the concept works for you, pay it forward and share it with someone else / help someone else on their journey to success.
If you would like to have a copy of this summary in PDF form to share with others you can click here
At F5 Financial Planning we focus on helping individuals and families find balance between faith, friends and family, fitness and finance. We make sure that they have the financial freedom to enjoy those things in life that are important to them. And while we believe the left-brain facts and data are critical; we work with our clients to get them in the right state of mind to focus on the goals they want to achieve.
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