Mindset Makeover.
“I am so fat!” “I am bad at my job” “I don’t make enough money” “I am a loser” “ I will never be successful” …
These are statements we say to ourselves every day in the mirror. But what happens when you constantly say these things about yourself or to yourself?
You start to believe them. Then you can’t let yourself celebrate even the smallest of successes, because you have convinced yourself they don’t count. Trust me, I have been where you are! I still struggle. But both Corey and I have a few tools that help us!
First up, I love the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM). It’s foundation is the S.A.V.E.R.S that you do each morning. These can vary in length, for my experience it was easier for me to start with about 2-3 minutes per step and work my way up. Some days, I would even get up and do them while taking a bath. How luxurious is that, starting every day with time and a relaxing bath. I thought it might make me tired, but it really did the opposite. It allowed me to start my morning calmly, instead of rushed to get ready and out the door. I got my mind right. My parents have always done this, they would wake up and read the paper with their coffee. It seemed so silly to me as a kid, why waste those precious sleeping hours. But now it totally makes sense. Hal’s theory is that you do this all before 8am, but that doesn’t have to be set in stone. And while I very much appreciated the routine in the morning, sometimes I do part in the morning an part at night. Just depends on my day.
So what are the S.A.V.E.R.S?
Silence: Start out by sitting in silence, try and empty the mind into meditation. It might mean prayer or it may mean focusing on the sound of falling rain outside. (Heck, sometimes I would find a nature station on Spotify and listen to the sounds of the ocean).
Affirmations: These are somewhat of a mantra or just positive things you can say about yourself and your life. TBH, I had to google affirmations. I didn’t really know what I wanted mine to be, but I put together a list after reading a few blogs! And you know what, I believe in myself!
Here is our favorite affirmation clip:
Visualizations: What does your day look like, if all went perfect? What does your life look like? All those vision boards are no joke, by putting the image together in your mind or on paper, make it more likely to actually come true. If you visualize the perfect day completing tasks, enjoying lunch, spending time with your family…whatever it is. It is more likely to work the way you wanted.
Exercise ;-): Thanks Hal for making this a priority! It doesn’t have to be your full hour long swole sesh! Just get up and stretch your body, do some basic sun salutations, jumping jacks, high knees, whatever is clever – just move your body! Maybe take a walk in the cool summer morning while you do your savers!
Read: Read something, even 2 pages or a book. Expand the mind, read the news, read a book (read Miracle Morning), read a poem.
Scribe: Scribing or journaling is the act of getting thoughts out of your head and on paper so you can move on from them. Maybe it is a to do list, a dream you had, feelings from last night or hopes for the day, month, and year!
So now that we know the methods, here is how I modify sometimes. It is probably best to follow Hal’s instructions to start, but once you get in the rhythm, make adjustments that seem right for you.
I personally Read and Scribe at night. For me, it fits my day. Doesn’t mean it is right or right for you. But it works for me. I also downloaded the 5 Minute Journal App on my iPhone. I love the format and it makes it way less daunting than a blank empty page. It asks me what went well and what could I do better (sound familiar team?). These concepts are not new, but very big reason why we are unhappy and unmotivated – we have not focused on the positive in a long time!
So jump in front of you mirror with a hairbrush and tell the world how great you are!