The Miracle Morning: A journey

Overview

Last week during the last of my three-week hiatus from all reasonable responsibility and professional roles, I, in typical true Jess fashion, picked up Hal Elrod's The Miracle Morning: The Not-so-obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM). I know, I know. I can only rest for so long. When you have a goal of reading 75 books this year, the work must be done.

Upon returning back to the desert, however, I found myself yearning for a deep-rooted change in my life. I was returning to the monotony of pre-vacation quarantine due to rising COVID-19 cases throughout the state, and my family's health. I will do anything to ferociously protect my family, so, as we begin to transition back to work, I found myself wondering how I was going to continue to do more of the same. Something had to change. The habits I had previously cultivated, although powerful, were inconsistent and I no longer had any semblance of a routine. My rhythms, although existent, were unrehearsed and tired. There seemed no better time than to embark on the alleged magic of The Miracle Morning. So, at 5:46 a.m. on the day before I return to work, here I am, sitting at my desk, acting out the final letter in S.A.V.E.R.S., the acronym Hal uses to execute his morning ritual. I am scribing (a.k.a writing) and then my first Miracle Morning will be complete.

As one of my goals this week is to write for 20 minutes four days in a row (as this is supposedly how a writer can truly begin to perfect her narrative), I decided to document my Miracle Morning with each of you. The first 10 days are supposed to feel unbearable, followed by 10 days of discomfort, and finally (yes!), 10 days of unstoppable. And that feeling during these days of isolation feels like something worth journeying towards. 

Day 1 Summary

I am not going to lie. When I failed to go to sleep last night at a decent hour, I kind of felt like I was doomed. This is the reason why I stopped working out in the morning to begin with. I am a night owl, which makes it significantly more difficult to be a morning person. I last looked at the clock around 11:47 p.m. after I had 11:14 p.m. tacos and some water. I told you, I no longer have a routine. Quarantine is a lawless land.

Despite my tardy bedtime, however, I heard my alarm (which I mistakenly set at 4:30 a.m. rather than 5:00), and rolled over to start my morning scripture reading. By 4:48 a.m. my daily devotional was complete and I was brushing my teeth as I walked in place, trying to get the energy flowing. I slapped some Frankincense on my face to promote further spiritual engagement, grabbed my water, and off to the office I went to kick off the first S in S.A.V.E.R.S.

Silence was relatively easy for me today. I chose to use the Abide app which has a 2-minute devotional each morning. This morning's scripture was relatable. Hebrews 3:14 says, "The world is unstable, but Jesus is unshakable." Given the state of our current nation, I can't think of a greater truth. The speaker went on to share that while we often feel that we are walking a tightrope of uncertainty in our lives, if we have a strong foundation in Jesus, that foundation will rise up to meet us, and we will find ourselves walking on solid ground. This set me up for a great visualization, which I will share in just a moment. 

Affirmations took a bit more time this morning. I hadn't previously written any affirmations, so I quickly spit a few out. This week as I am transitioning back to work, I decided to focus on my roles as Principal, Author and Wife. After jotting down my ideas, I said each aloud as I sat and meditated at my desk.

Visualization, as previously mentioned, was easy for me today. I combined the analogy with the tightrope and the foundation along with a few visions of what my life would look like if all of my affirmations came true. I imagined myself walking the tightrope of uncertainty with confidence, knowing that my God has me in his hands. I saw myself as a strong, loving leader having crucial conversations with my colleagues and families and being an unwavering advocate for social change. I was a published author with words flowing freely from my fingertips like the waters of Niagara Falls. I was a joy-filled wife who showered her husband with the attention he deserves. 

Exercise was trickier for me this morning, mostly because my abs are painfully sore after my first weekend workout in months. (I ate too much Skyline Chili at home, y'all!) I decided on a morning yoga sequence from my Fitbit app that only lasted about 10 minutes. I felt surprisingly energized, and it convinced me to drink the rest of my water (that was honestly only partially full at this point because I had dumped a pretty decent portion of my glass into the diffuser to start my day). I am ready for a coffee, but I promised myself that exercise had to come first! 

Reading will probably always be the easiest part of the Morning Miracle as I am a person who loves to learn. Today I picked up - you guessed it - the Miracle Morning. I only have about a quarter of the book to go.

Scribing, or writing, is what I am doing now. And as you can see, I am not only wrapping up the last part of S.A.V.E.R.S., but I am also well on my way to accomplishing my four consecutive days of writing for 20 minutes at a pop. It feels so good to already be on my way to accomplishing one of my weekly goals and it isn't event 6:00 a.m.! 

​Day 1 Evaluation

In conclusion, Day 1 wasn't too bad. But, Hal said it wouldn't be. I am filled with the energy of all things new. I must say, however, that I feel really accomplished and energized, despite only getting about four or so hours of sleep last night. Now, coffee.