The Miracle Morning (12 page)

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Gratitude

Some mornings I do just one of these activities, and other mornings I combine them. All of these practices will relax your mind and body, calm your spirit, and allow you to be totally present and open to receiving the benefits that will come from the remaining
Life S.A.V.E.R.S.
which make up the rest of your
Miracle Morning
.

It is very important that you don’t stay in bed for this, and preferably that you leave your bedroom altogether. The problem with staying in bed—or even in your bedroom, where your comfy bed is within your line of sight—is that it’s too easy to go from
sitting
in Silence, to slouching, to falling back asleep. I always sit on my living room couch, where I already have everything set up that I need for my
Miracle Morning
. My affirmations, journal, yoga DVD, the book I’m currently reading—everything has its place and is ready for me each day so that, in the morning, it’s easy to jump right in and engage in my
Miracle Morning
, without having to search for anything.

Meditation

Since there are plenty of great books, articles, and websites that concentrate on meditation, I won’t go into too much detail in describing the proven benefits and the various approaches to meditating. Instead, I’ll just mention a few of what I believe are the most significant benefits, and give you simple step-by-step meditation that you can begin immediately.

The essence of meditation is simply silencing or focusing the mind for a period of time. You may or may not be aware of all the extraordinary health benefits of meditating. Study after study shows that meditation can be more effective than
medication
. Studies link regular meditation to changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other mind and bodily functions. It can alleviate stress and pain, promote sleep, enhance focus and concentration, and even increase lifespan. Meditation also requires very little time. You can take advantage of the benefits of meditation in just a few minutes a day.

Well-known celebrities, CEOs and highly successful people like Jerry Seinfeld, Sting, Russell Simmons, Oprah and many more have publically stated that regular, often daily, meditation has become an invaluable part of their life. Tupperware
^TM
CEO Rick Goings told
The
Financial Times
that he tried to meditate for at least 20 minutes every day, stating, “For me, it’s a practice that not only burns off stress, but gives me fresh eyes to clarify what’s really going on and what really matters.”  Oprah told Dr. Oz that Transcendental Meditation
^TM
has helped her “connect with that which is God,” according to the
Huffington Post
.

There are many genres and types of meditation, but generally speaking you can divide them into two categories:  “guided” and “individual” meditations. Guided meditations are those in which you listen to another person’s voice and receive instructions to help guide your thoughts, focus, and awareness. Individual meditations are simply those you do on your own, without assistance from anyone else.

Miracle Morning Meditation

Here is a simple, step-by-step individual meditation that you can use during your
Miracle Morning
, even if you’ve never meditated before.

§
 
Before beginning your meditation, it’s important to prepare your mindset and set your expectations. This is a time for you to quiet your mind and let go of the compulsive need to constantly be
thinking
about something—either reliving the past, stressing or worrying about the future—but never living fully in the present. This is the time to let go of your stresses, take a break from worrying about your problems, and be fully present in
this
moment. It is a time to access the essence of who you
truly
are—to go deeper than what you have, what you do, or the labels you’ve accepted as “who you are”—which most people have never even attempted to do. Accessing this essence of
who you truly are
is often referred to as “just being.”  Not thinking, not doing, just
being
. If this sounds foreign to you, or too “new-agey” that’s okay. I used to feel the same way. It’s probably just because you’ve never tried it before. But thankfully, you’re about to.

§
 
Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. You can sit up straight on the couch, on a chair, on the floor, or sit on a pillow, for added comfort.

§
 
Sit upright, cross-legged. You can close your eyes, or you can look down at the ground, approximately two feet in front of you.

§
 
Begin by focusing on your breath, taking slow, deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and be sure to breathe into your belly, rather than your chest. The most effective breathing should cause your belly to expand, and not your chest.

§
 
Now, start pacing your breath; in slowly on a count of 3 seconds (one, one-thousand, two, one-thousand, three, one-thousand)… hold it in for 3 seconds (one, one-thousand, two, one-thousand, three, one-thousand)… and then breathe out slowly on a count of 3 seconds (one, one-thousand, two, one-thousand, three, one-thousand). Feel your thoughts and emotions settling down as you focus on your breath. Be aware that as you attempt to quiet your mind, thoughts will still come in to pay a visit. Simply acknowledge them, then let them go, always returning your focus to your breath.

§
 
Remember, this is a time for you to let go of your compulsive need to
constantly
be thinking about something. This is a time to let go of your stress and take a break from worrying about your problems. This is the time to be fully present in
this
moment. This is often referred to as just
being
. Not thinking, not doing, just being. Continue to follow your breaths, and imagine inhaling positive, loving, peaceful energy, and exhaling all of your worries and stress. Enjoy the quiet. Enjoy the moment. Just breathe…
Just be.

§
 
If you find that you have a constant influx of thoughts, it may be helpful for you to focus on a single word or a phrase, and repeat it over and over again to yourself, as you inhale and exhale. For example, you might try something like:  (On the inhale) “I breathe in peace…” (As you exhale) “I breathe out love... I breathe in peace…”  (inhale)…  “I breathe out love...” (exhale)…  You can swap the words
peace
and
love
with whatever you feel like you need bring more of into your life (confidence, faith, belief, etc.), and whatever you feel like you want to give more of to the world.

§
 
Meditation is a gift you can give to yourself every day. It truly is an incredible gift. My time spent meditating has become one of my favorite parts of my day. It is a time to be at peace, to experience gratitude, and a time of freedom from our day-to-day stressors and worries. Think of daily meditation as a temporary vacation from your problems. While your problems will still be there when you finish your daily meditation, you’ll find that you are much more centered and better equipped to solve them.

Final Thoughts On Silence

There’s no single right way to spend time in Silence. You can pray, meditate, focus on what you’re grateful for, or even engage in deep thought. For me, sitting in Silence—especially meditating—was at first rather difficult, probably because I have what doctors have diagnosed as ADHD. I don’t know that I agree with their diagnosis or even with the idea that ADHD is a “disorder” (that’s another conversation for another time), but I can attest that it’s definitely a challenge for me to sit still and quiet my mind. Thoughts tend to race in and out, bouncing around like a pinball, almost nonstop.

So even though I would
sit
in Silence, my mind didn’t stop racing. The fact that sitting still and clearing my mind was so difficult for me was precisely the reason why I had to commit to mastering it. It took me three or four weeks of practicing Silence every day before I felt competent. I got to a place where I would allow thoughts to come in, I’d peacefully acknowledge them, and then quietly let them drift away without getting frustrated. So don’t be discouraged if spending time in Silence, or meditating, is at first a challenge for you.

As for how long to do your period of purposeful Silence, I recommend starting with five minutes, although in the next chapter I’ll teach you how you can experience the life-enhancing benefits of Silence in as little as 60 seconds a day!  When I began this practice, I’d sit in Silence, calm and relaxed, say a prayer, meditate, ponder what I was grateful for, and just breathe deeply, for five minutes. It’s such a peaceful, perfect way to start each day.

Life S.
A
.V.E.R.S.

A is for Affirmations

It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. Once that
belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.
—MUHAMMAD ALI

You will be a failure, until you impress the subconscious with
the conviction you are a success. This is done by making an affirmation, which clicks.
—FLORENCE SCOVEL SHINN

“I
am the greatest!” Muhammad Ali affirmed these words over and over again—and then he
became
them. Affirmations are one of the most effective tools for quickly becoming the person you need to be to achieve everything you want in your life. Affirmations allow you to design and then develop the mindset (thoughts, beliefs, focus) that you need to take any area of your life to the next level.

It is no coincidence that some of the most successful people in our society—celebrities like Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Suze Orman, Muhammad Ali, Oprah, and many more—have all been vocal about their belief that positive thinking and the use of affirmations has helped them on their journey to success and wealth.

Whether or not you realize it, incessantly talking to one’s self is not just for crazy people. Every single one of us has an internal dialogue that runs through our heads, almost non-stop. Most of it is unconscious, that is, we don’t consciously choose the dialogue. Instead, we allow our past experiences—both good and bad—to replay over and over again. Not only is this completely normal, it is one of the most important processes for each of us to learn about and master. Yet, very few people take responsibility for actively choosing to think positive, proactive thoughts that will add value to their lives.

I recently read a statistic that 80% of women have self-deprecating thoughts about themselves (body image, job performance, other people’s opinion of them, etc.) throughout the day. I’m sure that men do also, although it may be to a lesser extent.

Your self-talk has dramatic influence on your level of success in every aspect of your life—confidence, health, happiness, wealth, relationships, etc. Your affirmations are either working for or against you, depending on how you are using them. If you don’t consciously design and choose your affirmations you are susceptible to repeating and reliving the fears, insecurities, and limitations of your past.

However, when you actively design and write out your affirmations to be in alignment with what you want to accomplish and who you need to be to accomplish it—and commit to repeating them daily (ideally
out loud
)—they immediately make an impression on your subconscious mind. Your affirmations go to work to transform the way you think and feel so you can overcome your limiting beliefs and behaviors and replace them with those you need to succeed.

How Affirmations Changed My Life

My first real-life exposure to the power of affirmations came when I was living with one of my most successful friends, Matt Recore. Nearly every day, I would hear Matt shouting from the shower in his bedroom. Thinking he was yelling for me, I would approach his bedroom door, only to find that he was shouting things like, “I am in control of my destiny!  I deserve to be a success! I am committed to doing everything I must do today to reach my goals and create the life of my dreams!” 
What a weirdo
, I thought.

The only previous exposure I had to affirmations was through a popular 1990s spoof on the hit TV show
Saturday Night Live
, in which Al Franken’s character Stuart Smalley used to stare into a mirror and repeat to himself,
“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” 
As a result, I always thought of affirmations as a joke. Matt knew better. As a student of Tony Robbins, Matt had been using affirmations and incantations for years to create extraordinary levels of success. Owning five homes, and one of the top network engineers in the country (all by age 25), I should have figured Matt knew what he was doing. After all, I was the one renting a room in
his
house. Unfortunately, it took me a few more years to realize that affirmations were one of the most powerful tools for transforming your life.

My first first-hand experience using affirmations came when I read about them in Napoleon Hill’s legendary book,
Think and Grow Rich
(which I highly recommend, by the way). Although I was skeptical that the repetition of affirmations was really going to make any measurable impact on my life, I thought I would give it a shot. If it worked for Matt, it might work for me. I chose to target the limiting belief I had developed after suffering significant brain damage in my car accident: 
I have a horrible memory
.

If you read my first book,
Taking Life Head On!
, you know that my short term memory was almost non-existent following my car accident. While this led to some pretty comical incidents, my memory was so poor that friends and family would spend hours visiting with me at the hospital, take a quick lunch break, and then return to have me greet them as if I hadn’t seen them in years.