RISE AND SHINE
What do you do when you first wake up?
Check your email? Scroll through Facebook or Instagram? Hit the snooze button…and postpone your wake up?
Well….chances are, you’re not using your morning to it’s fullest potential. A good friend of mine, Hal Elrod, wrote an amazing book called The Miracle Morning that speaks on this exact thing.
In his book, Hal shares his incredible wisdom about what got him out of a funk after barely surviving a head on crash with a drunk driver, being literally dead for 6 minutes and being in a coma for almost a week. It was all about the power of creating powerful habits, and using your sacred morning time to make sure it happens.
Why the mornings?? Well, once you leave your bedroom, the world (your emails, your family, your job, your chores, your lists, your spouse) all seem to want a bit of your time. But, the morning…is all yours. Hal suggests you make your Miracle Morning happen before 8am; some of my closest friends make sure to get their morning ritual in before the sun even rises.
This is something I’ve been in practice of, on and off, for years- but when I actually DO my morning ritual, my day, and therefore my week and month, are unstoppable. And, today, more than ever, I rely on my morning ritual to start my day off powerfully, get grounded and centered as to why I’m breathing and what my heart is beating for. Trying to inspire and empower 1 Billion people into their greatness is no small feat….so I need all the support I can get.
I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me lately and ask, “How do you do it all? What’s your secret?” THIS IS IT. And I want to share it with you.
MY MORNING RITUAL
(times vary as my schedule varies…but I always get up 1 hour before I need to start getting ready):
0-10 Min: CONNECTING: Snuggling with my Partner in Shine
10-20 Min: MEDITATION: Before my feet even touch the ground.
20-30 Min: AFFIRMATIONS: I always begin with this one which I wrote to remind myself of who I REALLY am:
I humbly bow before the infinite one that is everything…that is I…and leave behind all of my human needs for validation and approval to be filled with your inspiration and guidance on how I can best be of service with my life on this planet. Allow me the grace and humility to channel your wisdom and share your message in its purest form. I am the embodiment of YOU and therefore infinite and abundant with all I need.
I then add in whatever other affirmations that apply to what I’m currently calling in.
30-40 Min: VISUALIZATION: Spend 10 minutes watching a “visual vision board” I made on iMovie that shows pictures and video clips of what I am calling in, with text at the bottom, and my voice over the top of it repeating my intentions.
30-40 Min: WRITING- 2 min of “morning pages” (non stop writing the flow of thoughts in the brain to clear it out); 3 minutes writing my “gratefuls” (things I’m grateful for); 2 minutes writing a self love letter (all the reasons I’m grateful for who I am and what I’m creating in the world); 3 min writing a note to someone I love, someone I’m grateful for, or for a random stranger that I will leave in a public place
40-50 Min: GET CLEAR ABOUT WHAT I AM CREATING: Writing down in my special calendar (made by me!) my Daily Intention (the overarching way I want to create my day), one Daily Stretch (one action that feels uncomfortable but I KNOW will catapult what I’m creating in the world), and my TOP 3 things to accomplish today (starting with the scariest one!)
50-60 Min: LEARN: Read one of the many books by my bed until I have one beautiful takeaway to apply to my day.
This is just my MORNING routine….I also have an evening one. And yes, this may seem overwhelming, but remember: it takes EXTRAORDINARY action to yield EXTRAORDINARY results. What will first feel inconvenient and a struggle, will eventually be the thing you MUST make happen everyday because it leaves you feeling so damn good.
If you think you’re ready to reach new levels of success in your life- it begins in the morning. Read Hal’s book first to decide what works for YOU in the mornings. (*I get no commission to refer his book…it’s just awesome, so I wanted to share!)
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