“Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams. Don’t think you have to choose one over the other.” — Hal Elrod

If you knew one hour a day could change everything, how would you spend it? What about one minute?

I know the struggles of work and life. I’ve been there, and I almost lost everything.

I lacked the energy, the focus, the drive, and the hope. Then I discovered how to get it all back.

It only took me one minute. Want me to show you how?

It’s your life

I’m assuming you’ve already reviewed your life’s big picture. If you haven’t, my prior post will guide you.

Once you do that, fit your morning around you. If you’re used to waking up at 6 PM because you work the night shift, build around it.

After you’ve created your ideal life, you’ll make your own schedule. Until then, use what you have. Something is better than nothing.

Your miracle morning could be 30 minutes or one hour. It could be two or even four hours before you commit the day to other obligations.

The key is that you do it before you do anything else. Whenever it is, you own it. You shape it.

Mold your morning into a powerful weapon to forge your ideal life.

My first attempt

I didn’t use to care. I managed to crawl through the day and slog through my goals. You know how that is. Don’t you?

Then I read The Miracle Morning.

Hal Elrod’s story shook me to the core. It was inspiring. But I still wasn’t convinced I needed it or even could.

I got up 6 AM my entire life. What difference would one hour make?

I decided to try it. I set my alarm for 5 AM and woke up groggy and tired. The rest of the day sucked.

I tried it again the next day. And then a few more. That lasted a week.

I gave up. I didn’t think it mattered. I forgot about the effort, but then something happened.

The big idea

During the months after I failed, I listened to over fifty audiobooks. I devoured several hundred podcast episodes on personal development.

I made many positive changes in my life, but something was still missing.

As a teacher, I’m often exhausted when I get home from work. I depended on long vacations. Even after I made massive changes in my life, I struggled with consistency.

I knew I had more to offer, but I needed intentionality. I couldn’t give lip service to clarity and focus. I needed to live it.

I used to tell myself five was too early. I convinced myself my most productive time was late morning and early afternoon.

But after reading Mindset by Carol Dweck, I didn’t believe that anymore. And then I read Mini Habits by Stephen Guise.

An idea struck me.

The second time

If I couldn’t push back the clock the full hour, I could push it back twenty minutes.

My heart fluttered. I had that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you know something is going to work. And like the first attempt, I failed.

But this time, I wasn’t going to quit.

I chose not to let failure press my face into the muddy, smelly ground.

The dozens of books I read, the podcasts I consumed, and the book I wrote lit a fire deep inside my gut.

The trick

The answer was right in front of my face.

I needed to cheat.

I would sleep one minute earlier and wake one minute earlier each day.

I would take the effort of one night and spread it out over two months.

It was like multiplying myself and dividing the required willpower by sixty. Sounds easy. Doesn’t it?

It worked!

After two months, I created the habit of waking up at five.

And then...

The final step

Three years of personal development built up to a crescendo. If waking up at five was great, four would be amazing.

I followed the same steps. I pushed back the clock one minute a day for sixty days. A couple months later, my miracle morning started at four.

I finally made my day work for me instead of getting worked by my day.

Avoid this pitfall

Plan for seven to eight hours of sleep nightly. You will have late nights. But don’t encourage them. Your morning starts the night before, so be intentional.

If life snags your one-minute trick, get back up. Start again the next day.

You’ll get there if you commit to seeing it through ’til the end, pitfalls and all.

Once your routine is in place, the same rule applies. If the unexpected forces a late night, get your seven hours of sleep. But roll it back the next day.

It will be easier once you develop the habit and your body adjusts. The hardest part is getting there in the first place.

Imagine this

“So easy to do. So easy not to do.” — Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge.

Now think of a time something amazing happened to you. Shut out everything else and picture it in your mind. Take a deep breath. Imagine the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes around you.

Remember the buzz of adrenaline that lasted for days? That warm feeling that spread throughout your body? What if you could create that feeling every morning? What if you could make it last all day?

Imagine how you’ll feel if you use one minute a day to shape your ideal life?

What’s stopping you?

Call To Action

Are you ready to find your ideal self? Let me help you discover what Jim “The Rookie” Morris called “A simple, effective plan to change your life and attain your goals.” Download YOUR COPY now!

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