Book of the Month

The practice of Silence can be simply that: spending some time in complete silence. However, you can also make time for silence in the form of meditation, reflection, deep breathing, and gratitude (Elrod, 2012). Scheduling time for silence means taking a few minutes first thing in the morning to sit quietly with your thoughts. This may be a hard habit to pick up at first for several reasons, such as if you’re not used to quiet environments and/or if you naturally have a lot of thoughts running through your head (Elrod, 2012). Nonetheless, it is certainly a habit that can be easily practiced on a daily basis when you start with a few minutes a day. 

The practice of creating and speaking positive affirmations can be an easy habit to start for some, hard for others. The most important thing to remember about affirmations is that they should be honest and tailored to the person’s goals (Elrod, 2012). Elrod suggests that the affirmations should be created with purpose. In addition, it is important that the affirmations are believable to the person for them to be beneficial. Be consistent with practicing affirmations if you choose to include them in your morning routine (Elrod, 2012). If the person achieves in an area of life, they may not need to use a certain affirmation if it has already fulfilled its purpose.

The practice of visualization is similar to the practice of meditation. The goal of visualization is to vividly see yourself not only achieving your dreams and goals, but also seeing yourself doing the necessary actions to achieve said goals (Elrod, 2012). You should practice seeing yourself enjoying the tasks that will achieve your goals. If you have a hard time visualizing the enjoyment from working toward a goal, then consider if it is a goal worth pursuing. When you practice positive visualization in the morning, you are taking the time to prepare yourself to have a good day. Elrod recommends starting with 5 minutes of visualization in the routine. The more often you practice visualization, the more real your goals become.

Elrod emphasizes the importance of exercise as part of the Miracle Morning routine. This is because exercise can be done in the morning, no excuses, in as little as 60 seconds. Then, more exercise time can be added once accustomed to daily exercise. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine can be as easy as it sounds when you start small. Because exercise would be over with in the morning, this habit gives more sustained energy for the rest of the day, compared to exercising later in the day. Some suggested exercises include yoga, jumping jacks, and other aerobic exercises (Elrod, 2012). Whatever exercise you choose to do, it’s best to get it done in the morning so you don’t make excuses for exercising later. Most importantly, make sure that you are careful about not straining your body if you have not exercised in a long time.

For the practice of reading, Elrod recommends 10-15 minutes of reading per day if you are starting or restarting a reading habit. You can read books on a variety of subjects, so you could pick subjects that would match up with your goals and try books that introduce new interests. If you are already familiar with annotating books from school, you should continue this habit when reading personal development books. For the personal development books you want to read, annotate them for ideas, strategies, and other important information you want to reference later (Elrod, 2012). When you read these books, think about the purpose for reading each one. Read the book while being mindful of the outcomes you want to get out of the book. Lastly, re-reading books is an important habit to keep so that you will remember the ideas you found at a later time (Elrod, 2012). Think about how the ideas you learned can be applicable to your own life. The continuous practice of reflection on what you read will strengthen your reading habit.

The prescribed form of scribing that Elrod recommends is journaling. His suggestions are flexible, considering gratitude, goals, and much more to write about each day. As Elrod (2012) implies, you shouldn’t feel guilty that you didn’t have as much time to journal as planned, as long as you record something from your day you thought was significant. One suggestion for keeping a daily journal habit is by using a dated journal. Elrod (2012) recommends this so you would notice if you missed a previous day’s entry and motivate you to keep your journal habit strong. A brief mention of a different format is writing a book. This is based on Elrod’s belief that everyone has a story to share with the world. The book you decide to write someday does not have to be a fiction novel: rather, it could be your autobiography or writing about another topic you’re passionate about. Keep in mind that when you choose to scribe as part of your morning routine, you must schedule your writing time, because “there’s just no time” should no longer be an excuse if you are already scheduling time in your morning for other practices. If you want to start a scribing habit of your own, try 5 minutes per day and adjust to a length that’s most comfortable for you. The most important factor in scribing is consistency. Gain momentum in your scribing habit to reap the full benefits.