Morning Rituals: Setting Yourself Up for Success

Updated: Mar 2

In a meeting with my team last week, I was introduced to a concept called "The Miracle Morning." This popular (but previously unknown to me) concept comes from a book by Hal Elrod. In it, he goes over his method of devoting a portion of your morning to a specific set of tasks aimed at enriching your life. A few members from my team swear by his methods, and I can see why.

As I listened to a presentation going over the steps Mr. Elrod suggests, I found that most of his recommendations are already part of my morning ritual. I don't have a clever name for my method, and it doesn't come with an acronym, but it works for me.

I have nine core elements that are included in my morning every day. If I have more time or if I feel like I need something extra, I also have a few things that I will add in every once in a while.

It may seem intimidating to try to add nine things to your morning, but you can honestly devote just a minute or two to each and still reap the benefits. I work for myself right now, so I have plenty of time in my morning to devote a full hour to my rituals, but that won't be the case for everyone.

If you are still convinced you can't find even one more minute in your day, I recommend you try this fun and crazy exercise that will help you find that precious time you don't think you have but desperately want.

And now, to my morning.

1. Morning pages. As soon as I open my eyes, I reach for my notebook and purple pen and start to write. In these pages, I will sometimes visualize my day or my future. I will make to-do lists if something is pressing on my mind. I will write down my dreams and maybe analyze them for myself. Whatever is going on in my brain, I dump it out on paper.