How to Start Your Day During Your Expat Years and for the Rest of Your Life

Guestblog written by Diana

My Story

If I were allowed to read only one book on time management and goal achievement, I would pick up this one: “The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)” by Hal Elrod. Today, I can say with absolute certainty that it is, indeed, a miracle that has the potential of totally transforming anyone’s life. However, I haven’t been so enthusiastic about this book in the past. Miracle Morning has been on my Goodreads’ want-to-read list for years before I finally (reluctantly!) decided to give it a try.

The phrase ‘miracle morning’ sounded like a cruel mocking to me. How can a morning be miraculous? Especially a workday morning when I still used to live far north and work on a classical corporate job? Hearing my alarm clock ring made me wanna cry as soon as it woke me up. A hellish morning would be the right phrase to describe the beginning of the day. Deprived of sleep and any kind of motivation, I was to start the same routine over and over again, stressing, worrying, dreaming of going back to bed, rushing through to the first hour of the day, never managing to do anything on time.

Occasionally, I was able to incorporate some kind of positive routine into my mornings. A 15-minute meditation, a quick workout, or reflective journaling. However, I was never able to stick to it for more than a couple of months. Moreover, I was sure it was impossible to find time for more than one empowering activity in the morning. I got to choose just one and, sooner or later, gave up even on that. And there I was again – back to my disempowering habits, hating my alarm clock and wondering why there’s never enough time. The same kind of rushing continued throughout the day. The night was always arriving too soon, almost unexpectedly.

Did I have time to work on my goals? – Just forget it.
Was there enough time for my favorite activities? – Hell no.
Time for peace, silence, and stillness? – What is that? Never heard of it.

Then, one miraculous day, I put aside my resentment over this word pair that still sounded so sarcastic (miracle morning, really?) and quickly hit the ‘buy’ button, not giving myself a chance to change my mind. The Miracle Morning book has truly changed my life. Not just my morning but my very ability to organize my time, move towards my goals and focus on what really matters.

“All that matters is that you and I are committed to leaving the past in the past and making our lives exactly the way we want them to be, starting today.”

– Hal Elrod

Miracle Morning Routine

So, how does a miracle morning look like? According to Hal Elrod, it is a routine called S.A.V.E.R.S. https://halelrod.com/6-minute-miracle-morning/  that consists of six empowering activities, done first thing in the morning that help you prime yourself for success and productivity at the very beginning of your day. Miracle morning routine includes:

    S – Silence (meditation, breathing practice, prayer, sound healing, etc.)

    A – Affirmations (positive declarations, incantations, mantras)

    V – Visualization (with your eyes closed or looking at your vision board)

    E – Exercise (any exercise of your choice that gives you a boost of energy)

    R – Reading (your favorite pieces of writing, motivational literature, self-help books, etc.)

    S – Scribing (reflective journaling, gratitude practice, goals setting, etc.)

Miracle morning can be as short as 6 minutes (one minute per activity) or as long as 1.5 hours and beyond. On a busy workday morning, you might spare just a few minutes before starting your normal routine. But even this couple of minutes works magic. On another day, with a more relaxed schedule, you might want to go to some place in nature to perform your miracle morning ritual while watching the sunrise.

The most magical thing that happened for me, is that miracle morning came into my life without any resistance. I didn’t feel I had to sacrifice something in order to incorporate this routine into my schedule. I don’t even have to wake up earlier. I don’t have to cancel other activities to spare some extra time. I don’t have to choose between journaling and workout – I can do both! I don’t hate my alarm clock anymore. I wake up with a purpose and with more energy than ever before.

I look forward to my mornings, because I know that, no matter how hectic the upcoming day is, I will have a few moments of silence first thing in the morning that will remind me what is truly important and what to keep my focus on. My miracle morning keeps me on track in the afternoon and in the evening, during the workweek, and on weekends.

Almost immediately, my version of miracle morning expanded into my afternoons and evenings and affected my whole daily routine. My days have become more structured and organized which is sometimes so difficult when living a working nomad life in a new destination.

“The way you begin your day really does determine the extent of focus, energy, excitement and excellence you bring to it. Each early morning is a page in the story that becomes your legacy.”

– Robin Sharma

Other Empowering Ways to Start Your Day

Using your expatriate experience as a time to experiment with new routines and habits is a perfect opportunity. Create your unique morning routine that will pave your path to the life of your dreams. Try different combinations of Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing practices. S.A.V.E.R.S. will not only save your time – it will transform your life.

Here are other morning rituals of famous speakers and authors that you can incorporate into or combine with your miracle morning routine:

• Tony Robbins’ priming (breathing, gratitude practice, visualization)
• Tony Robbins’ morning questions
• Tony Robbins’ incantations
• Morning pages
• The 20/20/20 formula (intense exercise, contemplation, learning)
• Wim Hof method (breathing, cold therapy, commitment)

Make yourself a promise that your morning routine will continue throughout your workation and beyond. Make it your life-long habit and do your best to never miss two mornings in a row. Even if you encounter resistance, discomfort, or lack of motivation at the beginning, persist for at least 66 days, an optimal period necessary to form a lasting habit. After the initial struggle, your miracle morning will become as natural as brushing your teeth.

In order to follow through, always remember your ‘why’ – what is the ultimate goal behind performing all these morning rituals. What is your big dream? What kind of person do you want to become? How can your routine get you closer to this image?

Do not underestimate the power of small steps. Every minute, every tiny action matters. Many of my best ideas have come to me during the quiet moments of my miracle mornings. To discover your own hidden treasures, you must start searching every single day, first thing in the morning.

I wish you many miracles on this journey!

Guestblog by Diana