The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod

For a long time, I had been procrastinating on restarting a method I had tried before and knew was successful.

A few weeks ago, while reviewing my current habits, I realized that I had fallen into a very mundane routine and that I needed to make radical changes to overcome this.

Everything was stuck in the same old pattern. I would wake up just 10-15 minutes before work, rushing out as quickly as possible and losing myself in the daily grind. I would come home in the evening tired, constantly asking myself, "What did I actually do today? Why am I so exhausted?" On top of that, every time I stepped on the scale, I saw I was gaining more weight. It was as clear as day: the routine had to change. Certain events in my life had trapped me in a specific pattern, and no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to break out of it.

I first read the original version of this book back in 2014. I applied part of it and saw results quickly. At the time, it wasn't well known in Turkey—there were no Turkish notes or resources available. I always thought, "I wish there was a translation so everyone could read it." Last week, I searched for the book on Google and saw that a Turkish translation had finally been published. I immediately ran to the bookstore to buy it—I didn't even have the patience to wait for shipping. Within a few days, I devoured the book and brought those habits back to life.

I want to share the effects of the book on me in detail over time, because this journey is neither short nor superficial for me.

Below, I've underlined the parts of the book I consider most important and put them into writing so they might help others as well. I can safely say this is one of the best personal development books I've read in a long time.

I needed momentum. This book gave it to me.

I would also like to thank the author, Hal Elrod; Pegasus Publishing for the Turkish edition; Sevinç Seyla Tezcan for the translation; and you, for reading these notes.

Notes from the book:

– Start running: “It helps you feel better and think with a clearer mind.” – If you want to go to bed with satisfaction, you must wake up every morning with determination. – You must devote purpose-focused time. – If you want to improve, you must dedicate time to it every single day. – How you wake up every day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your success in every area of your life. – A friend's advice: Go for a run. – 6 Important steps (SAVERS): Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing (Journaling). – The Social Security Administration's 40-year study: After 40 years of work, 1 is rich, 4 are financially secure, 5 are still forced to work, 36 are dead, and 54 are broke and in need of care. – What can you do for yourself to ensure you aren't in that 95%? – If we don't start thinking differently from most people right now, we condemn ourselves to a mediocre life full of struggle, failure, and regret. – Ordinary people are exhausted, and their physical energy levels are always low. – To prevent this from happening to you, you should know what causes a person to find themselves living a mediocre life. – A good life doesn't happen by itself; it needs to be designed. – You must identify the root cause of mediocrity. – Rearview Mirror Syndrome: We fall into the misconception of equating our old self with our current self, limiting our true potential based on the constraints of our past. (I really liked this idea). – Research reveals that an average of 50-60k thoughts pass through a person's mind every day. – 95% of our thoughts are the same as those we had the day before. – Accept this approach: My past does not have to be equal to my future. – Practice self-confidence; your subconscious will believe it after a while. – Set limitations and clarify what you really want. – Where you are today is a result of who you were; where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be from now on. – Most people focus only on getting through the day, taking the easiest path and pursuing short-term pleasures, thus avoiding the pain and discomfort that could lead to their growth. – The secret to overcoming mediocrity: Living for a purpose. – You can change your life purpose whenever you want. As you grow, your purpose will evolve with you. – Every thought, choice, and action determines who we become, and who we become determines the quality of our lives. – Every time you hit the snooze button, you're reprogramming your subconscious to think it's okay to break your own promises (Important). – Statistically, 95% of those who read a book do not apply what they've learned, because no one holds them accountable. – If you spend time with positive and successful people, you will gradually become like them. – Proactively expand your circle of influence; look for people who add value to your life and bring out the best in you. – Procrastination leads to a life of regret. – The day you stop accepting mediocrity for yourself, your whole life changes. – “The first ritual you do during the day is by far the most effective, because it sets your mind and context for the rest of the day.” – The tone of your morning has a huge effect on the tone of the rest of the day. – How to wake up more energetic with less sleep: How you feel when you wake up is significantly affected not by how many hours you slept, but by what you tell yourself about how you'll feel when you wake up. – The first thought you have in the morning is usually the last thing you thought before going to bed. – Don't make self-sabotaging prophecies. Instead, say, “I woke up at 6 AM and I'm very happy.” – Before bed: “Thank you for giving me five hours of sleep tonight. Five hours is exactly what I need to feel rested and energetic in the morning. My body is capable of miracles, and producing an abundance of energy from five hours of restful sleep is one of them. I create my own experience of reality; I choose to wake up tomorrow morning with energy and excitement to conquer my day, and I am grateful for this.” – Waking up early, especially with a purpose, always makes you start the day feeling powerful. – Ways to increase your Wake-Up Motivation Level (WML-0 to WML-10). – Move forward with small steps. – Set your intention for the morning before you go to sleep. – Place the clock across the room (WML-1 > WML-2). – Brush your teeth (WML-2 > WML-3). – Drink a glass of water (WML-3 > WML-4). Dr. Oz's morning routine includes water with a quarter lemon. – Drink water if you feel tired during the day too. – Fill your water bottle the night before. – Put on your workout clothes; earn that shower (WML-4 > WML-6). – You can use a timer for bedroom lights to make waking up easier. – You can set the heater to turn on 15 minutes before you wake up. – “In one hour passed in silence, we can learn more than we can learn from books in a year.” – Matthew Kelly – “The soul finds its way in silence with a stronger light, and everything that is deceptive becomes as clear as day.” – Mahatma Gandhi – Start each day with a purposeful period of silence. – Silence is one of the best ways to rapidly lower stress while providing mental clarity. – Is everything you need for the morning in its place? Journal, workout clothes, book. – Successive studies have found meditation to be more beneficial than medication in many cases. – You can see the benefits of meditation by devoting just a few minutes a day. – “Repeated affirmations open the way for belief. When that belief turns into a deep conviction, things start to happen.” – Muhammad Ali – “Unless you impress your subconscious with the conviction that you are successful, you will fail—which is possible by making an appropriate affirmation.” – Florence Scovel Shinn – We all have an internal dialogue. Most of it is unconscious; we don't choose it. – We often let bad past experiences replay in our heads over and over. – The conversations you have with yourself have a dramatic effect on your success. – Your expressions work for or against you depending on how you use them. – If you don't consciously choose the expressions in your mind, you risk re-experiencing the fears and limitations of your past. – Designing your affirmations based on what you want to achieve and repeating them out loud every day creates an immediate effect on your subconscious. – Affirmations are one of the most effective tools for transforming your life. – “Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.” – Henry Ford – Create positive expressions for every area where you want progress: health, finances, relationships, self-confidence. – If you don't actively change your own programming, your potential goes to waste, limited by the fears of the past. – When you repeat affirmations enough, your subconscious starts to believe them and acts accordingly. – Writing down affirmations helps bring them closer to reality. – Wanting is rarely enough; you need to clarify why you want it. Find the deepest reason. – Affirmations: The clearer the steps, the better. Be specific about frequency, amount, and timing. – Write down your goals and decide when to increase them. – Involve your emotions in your affirmations. Feel the reality of them, otherwise the repetition doesn't matter. – Visualization: Take a deep breath and start visualizing. – “Ordinary people only believe in what is possible. Extraordinary people visualize the impossible and start to see it as possible.” – Cherie Carter-Scott – “See things not as they are, but as you want them to be.” – Robert Collier – Every morning, you should speed up your pulse, boost your circulation, and fill your lungs with oxygen. – Morning exercise: It improves everything from mental clarity to energy levels all day long. – “We are shaped by the books we read.” – Matthew Kelly – Repetition can be boring (which is why few people "master" anything), so we should re-read books. – The way to get what you want is to follow the example of successful people. – Reading 10 pages a day results in 12-18 books a year. – Don't hesitate to underline books and take notes. It makes reviewing easier. – “Whatever you write, leaving a mark with words on a page is a therapy that doesn't cost a penny.” – Dina Raab – “Ideas can come from anywhere at any time. The trouble with noting them in the mind is that ink can fade very quickly.” – Rolf Smith – Keep a journal. When you look back, you'll see how far you've come. – Writing gives you clarity, captures ideas, and allows you to track progress. – There are many types of journals: gratitude, dreams, nutrition, exercise, goals, lessons learned, etc. – You are what you eat. – To prevent procrastination, handle your most important, least enjoyable tasks first thing in the morning. – If it becomes boring, it's your responsibility to make it fun again. – “Successful people are not born that way. They become successful by making it a habit to do things that unsuccessful people don't like.” – Don Marquis – “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn – Your quality of life is created by your habits. – If you don't control your habits, they will control you. – When a habit is reinforced with enough repetition, it becomes difficult to change. – Failure to acquire habits usually comes from not knowing what to expect and lacking a winning strategy. – Any habit can be changed in 30 days—three phases of 10 days each: Unbearable, Uncomfortable, Unstoppable. – The first 10 days are the most difficult; knowing this is temporary makes it easier to persist. The reward is a chance to recreate your life. – Between days 10-20, it’s not as hard as it was, but discipline is still key. – Between days 20-30, the transformation takes place. you begin to see yourself as someone who lives that habit. – Taking a break from a habit makes it harder to restart. – Your future success depends on sustainability between days 20-30. – Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing. – “Where you are is a result of who you are, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be.”