If you're looking to be more productive and intentional in your daily activities, you might want to look into your morning routine or Hal Elrod's The Miracle Morning. He suggests these six activities that will help you start the day off on the right foot: silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing. After all,

“Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days…in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days.” - Hal Elrod

Here are my 3 Takeaways.

1. Can’t change it? Don’t sweat it.

I first heard of Hal’s inspiring story from Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast episode 140. Hal was at a particularly high point in his career when he got into a car accident that changed his life. Despite being pronounced dead for six minutes, then in a coma for 6 days, and then told he could never walk again, he bounced back from all that and became a successful speaker, author, and inspiration for many people.

“Can’t change it” is a motto he applied in response to his tragic situation at that time. He said, “…after the conversation with my dad when I told him if I never walk again, I'll be the happiest person you've ever seen in a wheelchair because if I can't change it, I won’t ever let it determine how I feel.”

Powerful stuff, right?

Simply put, we need to stop fussing over things we can’t change. It’s the only way to get back up and moving again.

2. Create a morning routine and stick to it.

Hal proposes a six-step method for your morning routine that combines some of the most effective personal development practices, calling it the Life S.A.V.E.R.S. Here's the breakdown:

S - silence

If you spend the first few minutes of waking with a period of silence, you'll gain the necessary focus to tackle the day ahead instead of being frantic and stressfully rushing through your activities. Just take a moment to sit calmly and breathe deeply. Meditate or pray, if you like.

A - affirmations

Take your most important goals and recite affirmations about why and how you are capable of achieving them (because you are!). This will help you gain a stronger resolve to actually achieve them.

V - visualization

Visualize yourself completing your each of your tasks and having a stress-free and productive day. Once it's clear in your mind, it'll all be easier to put forth into action.

E - exercise

No one can dispute the benefits of regular exercise but there's no need to hit the gym for two hours in the morning if you're pressed for time. Simple jumping jacks, push ups, or any other movement that gets the blood flowing and oxygen to your brain will suffice.

R - reading

Sometimes a couple of pages is all it takes to learn something new to improve yourself, your relationships, or your business/career/work.

S - scribing

Writing has tremendous benefits ranging from expanding your vocabulary to better expressing yourself. Use a journal to write five things you're grateful for, emotions you'd like to release, and thoughts you may want to remember or analyze.

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3. "Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams."

Since we all aim for "level 10" in all aspects of our lives, scheduling self-improvement activities like a morning routine will really help get it done and not be put off only for days or times that are convenient.

There's no point in stressing over the present if you're not yet in your ideal situation. How far you've come and how much you've overcome are just as important as where you ought to be. Just keep at it and take it one day (or morning) at a time.

3 Takeaways

Since one of the best ways to improve ourselves is to commit to continuous learning, this post is part of the blog mini-series called 3 Takeaways where I discuss three insights from thought-provoking leaders, books, and podcasts.

My purpose initially was to simply read more books, but the learnings were too valuable to keep to myself. My goal has since been to share the vital lessons that will help you be productive and free.