could your morning routine use an upgrade?
Hello friends! I am so excited to share my first guest poster with you–my dear friend, fellow sorority sister, and awesome co-founder of Crop Tops & Kale, Dana Palumbo, aka D-Money. She is not only one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, but she is a brilliant writer, graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and on a mission to help women feel good everyday. Today, she’s going to fill us in on an ah-mazing resource that will help you start the day with purpose and ease. You know I’m a huge advocate of morning rituals, so I freaking love this. Enjoy!
It was the day after Christmas and I knew I wanted to get a jump-start on feeling fantastic for the year to come, but how?
What could I do that would have the greatest return on investment of time and energy?
What could I incorporate into my routine that would have the greatest impact?
I needed a good reason to drag my ass out of bed earlier than usual, ya know? It’s cold out there and my bed is warm.
I’d never been able to develop any kind of morning routine that felt empowering before. I would try to wake up early but, for what? What was I going to do with the extra time?
Enter: The Miracle Morning: The Not So Obvious Secret To Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM) by Hal Elrod.
Super long title, I know.
What I loved about this book though, is that he essentially hands you an awesome, personal development routine on a silver platter. You don’t have to figure it out for yourself.
(Ok, here comes the cheesy acronym: Hal’s Life S.A.V.E.R.S.)
Silence
First step: Sit your buns down on a pillow, cross your legs, close your eyes, relax your shoulders and just breathe. This is an amazing way to start your day. Breathe in, breathe out. We’re always in such a big, damn rush that we never give ourselves time to just be, to just sit in silence and feel how it feels to breathe and be in our own bodies. I have to say, doing this as literally the first thing in the morning for 30 days has felt beyond fantastic. Awwwww shit, you guys. I’m finally meditating!
Affirmations
Second step: We all have some form of limiting beliefs swirling around in our minds. In order to get in the right mind space to accomplish what we want in life, we need to program some new beliefs to replace the ones that aren’t serving us. In this step, we simply repeat positive statements of our choice until they seep into our subconscious and become our core beliefs. Boop. He even gives your some basic affirmations to start with. It couldn’t be easier.
Visualization
Third step: Athletes have been using visualization to excel on the field for ages. They basically play out the game in their minds ahead of time, picturing how everything will go just the way they’d like it to. We can do this for any aspect of life; a big meeting, an interview, a first date. Just close your eyes and daydream away as everything unfolds exactly the way you had hoped it would. Visualization is really powerful.
Exercise
Fourth step: When we get our bodies moving, our lungs and heart pumping, we’re invigorated with energy and positive emotions. What better way to zap yourself awake, right? Any type of exercise will do.
Reading
Fifth step: Life is busy. We don’t always have time to get to those self-help books we’ve been meaning to read. Now is the time. Spending a few minutes each morning reading something interesting or uplifting can be really powerful. Reading causes us to shift our perspectives, to learn and to grow.
Scribing
Final step: OK, he really means ‘writing’ but, admits he chose ‘scribing’ because he needed an S to finish up the acronym. I love his honesty. Scribing though, is a great way to gain some clarity around your daily intentions, gratitude and goals. It’s basically journaling for just a few minutes to finish up the routine.
BAM! A plethora of super effective personal development techniques all rolled into one seamless, easy and enjoyable morning routine. I have been loving it!
Since completing the 30 days I’ve notice a more balanced, uplifted mood throughout the day and a greater sense of ease. I feel calm and centered and like I have more time. I’ve also been sleeping like a champion and I’ve definitely taken more action towards my goals in the past 30 days than probably the past few months combined. It’s awesome.
The book suggests starting anywhere you feel comfortable and even customizing the order of the routine to your liking. I set the intention of doing each Life S.A.V.E.R. in the order listed above for 5 minutes (for a total for 30 minutes a morning). It’s been a fantastic, empowering addition to my life.
Now that the 30 days are up, I will definitely continue on. I’ve never stuck to a new routine so easily before and I know it’s creating a positive ripple effect throughout my life. I may even start working towards the full, recommended hour.
What do you think? Could your morning routine use a makeover?
