I’ve recently re-committed to one thing I know benefits me immensely — getting up early. The earlier I get up, the more I get done, the better my day goes.
The difference this time is that I don’t immediately grab a cup of coffee and head to my desk to work. Instead, I’ve implemented a morning ritual that helps me achieve my broader goals.
This new approach came from recently meeting Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM). Hal and I presented at the same business conference, and I got to spend some time chatting with him — he’s a fantastic guy.
Hal’s advice in Miracle Morning is simple yet profound. What he did was take proven practices — developed over centuries of human personal development — and turned them into a daily morning ritual.
The activities are silence (meditation, prayer, or reflection), affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and journaling. These are ways that people throughout history have advanced in their careers, their physical well-being, and their relationships.
I don’t do all of those as part of my new morning ritual, instead focusing on exercise, meditation, and reading. That’s what’s meaningful to me, and I think that’s the point. I may add in journaling after talking to my friend Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist) last week.
The results have been very real. One particular benefit has come from reading early in the morning, something I’ve never really done before. Each day, the simple act of reading a chapter or two of a book manages to spark a new idea related to what I’ll be working on later.
I highly recommend Hal’s book. And as of this writing, the Kindle version is only $1.99 — an absolute no-brainer purchase.
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Amazon Associates Link)
Keep going-
Brian Clark
Further
further: health
Aged Beefy
To keep our muscles healthy deep into retirement, we may need to start working out more now, according to a new study of world-class octogenarian athletes. The study found substantial differences at a cellular level between the athletes’ muscles and those of less active people.
Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better With Age
Sugar Less
In general, the food industry has been able to make nutritional labels as feeble and confusing as possible. For example, if a label disclosed that a can of soda has 12 teaspoons of sugar (as opposed to a measure of grams), how would you feel about drinking one? Would you feed your child 12 spoonfuls of sugar? You get the idea.
Could a Simple Tweak Lead People to Shovel Less Sugar Into Their Faces?
Habit Forming
There has to be a better way. And there is — to eat, train, work, and sleep. It starts with asking the right questions of the world’s top experts and ends with you making some simple changes to your daily habits.
How to Eat, Train, Work, and Sleep Better
further: wealth
Smarter Business
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Trust Fund
Trust is the backbone of business, which makes it critical that you cultivate it. You should stop worrying about whether other people trust you, however, and start doing things that actually encourage them to.
The Three Habits Of The Most Trustworthy Person In Your Office
Mission Critical
I could have easily put this in the Wisdom section, but if I can point to one skill that’s helped me succeed in business, it’s the ability to think critically. You can likely thank law school for that, but you can certainly develop the skill without enduring the paper chase.
Descartes’s 12 Timeless Tenets of Critical Thinking
further: wisdom
Turn Down That Noise
A new study has pinpointed how mindfulness training triggers changes in neural networks. These changes in brain connectivity allowed veterans who were “stuck” in a psychological rut of repetitive loop-like thinking and rumination learn how-to “turn off” their negative thoughts.
Mindfulness Training Optimizes Brain Connectivity
Silent Partner
If you’re thinking of incorporating some form of silence into your new morning ritual, here’s the science to back up why it works.
Why Silence Is So Good For Your Brain
Game, Mindset, Match
Engaging your mind is the best way to keep it sharp, but in the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to fall into a slump. If you need a mental pick-me-up, check out these fascinating TED Talks. Get inspired. Get engaged. Give your brain a boost.
6 TED Talks You Should Watch To Up Your Mindset
further: sharing
Thank you for sharing Further … it truly helps!
