How to improve your day with a 'miraculous' morning routine

'The Miracle Morning Routine' from Hal Elrod expounds 6 ways to brighten up the start of your day

Raiyaan Tabassum Imita
Published : 1 Jan 2023, 05:01 AM
Updated : 1 Jan 2023, 05:01 AM

“Lose an hour in the morning and you will all day looking for it."

- Richard Whately, English academic

Morning is always known as the prime time for productive work. As the darkness gives away to soothing light, the quiet allows a deep focus that allows us to accomplish work.

I’m writing this article at 6am and I feeling like my brain is moving ten times faster than at midninght. This calm and refreshing atmosphere not only boosts my energy for the rest of the day, it clears the gutter of the mind and fills it with optimism, which works wonders in easing several mental health issues as well.

Hal Elrod, the American author of the best-selling book The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM), has given us a miraculous formula to start the day early.

Called, the Miracle Morning Routine, this method allows us to kick off the day full of motivation and enthusiasm to improve ourselves physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. However, the routine requires us to wake up a little bit earlier than usual and start the day with six self-healing activities called S.A.V.E.R.S. combining some of the most important morning habits into a step-by-step process to focus on ourselves.

S.A.V.E.R.S. stands for-

1. Silence

Start the day with a few minutes of peaceful silence. Let your mind be calm and think about the things you’re grateful for. You can do some deep breathing, practice mindfulness, meditate and say your prayers. Purposeful silence brings out the best of us in our chaotic, dynamic and intense life.

2. Affirmation

Positive self-talk is a powerful tool that can help us to live a self-fulfilling prophecy. It helps you to design and improve your mindset according to your affirmations. It can dramatically impact your personal and professional development, taking it to the next level. Some examples of positive affirmations include:

  • I choose to live above negativity by letting go of negative thoughts and feelings

  • I accept and love myself for who I am

  • I am strong, resilient, and brave, and no one can take that from me

3. Visualisation

The process of visualisation involves imagining exactly what you want to achieve and then mentally rehearsing the things you’ll need to do to get there. If you have a vision board, this would be a good time to look at it. Often, only talking or thinking about success isn’t enough. You need to use your imagination to visualise your success and work accordingly to reach your destination.  

4. Exercise

You don’t need any equipment to complete this step. You can simply do some yoga or free hand exercises like push-ups, arm circles, high steps, or cobra stretches. When you exercise in the morning, it significantly increases your energy, improves your health, boosts your self-confidence and emotional wellbeing, and helps you to focus and concentrate better.

5. Reading

Reading other people’s positive ideas and thoughts will help you improve yourself. This is the first step to change any area of your life. Elrod especially suggests reading self-help books in the morning to focus on personal development. If you’re a big fan of reading, it’s possible that this step will take up the majority of your time during the morning routine.

6. Scribe

Writing down your thoughts has a huge impact on your subconscious. You can bring amazing ideas from your head to the real world through this. How you choose to write is up to you, but Elrod offers a few recommendations.

  • Visualise any positive thoughts through illustrations

  • Reflect on the past and write about how far you’ve come

  • Record your thoughts and feelings about recent events

  • Write down things you’ve learned through your reading

By implementing these steps in real life, you can start your day revitalised, optimistic and productive. These small habits act like a positive catalyst, enhancing your mind and persona to achieve your goals, to become what you truly desire. All you need to do is to take the first step!  

This article was written for Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication with a focus on culture and society from a youth perspective.