The Miracle Morning (4 page)

Personally, I used to struggle with this, because I am a bit of an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, and anal about keeping my things looking clean and neat. Then I realized that I needed to get over it, because the purpose of a book like this is not for it to remain untouched, but rather to maximize the value we extract from it. Now, I mark up all of my books so I can revisit them anytime and quickly recapture all of the key benefits, without having to read the entire book again.

Okay, with your pen in hand, let’s get started!  The next chapter
of your life
is about to begin…

— 1 —

It’s Time To Wake Up To Your FULL Potential

“Life’s too short” is repeated often enough to be a cliché, but
this time it’s true. You don’t have enough time to be both
unhappy and mediocre. It’s not just pointless; it’s painful.
—SETH GODIN

You’ve got to wake up every morning with determination
if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.
—GEORGE LORIMER

W
hy is it that when a baby is born, we often refer to them as “the miracle of life,” but then go on to accept mediocrity for our own lives?  Where along the way did we lose sight of the miracle that
we
are living?

When we were born, everyone assured us that we could do, have, and be anything we wanted when we grew up. So, now that you’ve grown up, are you doing, having, and being anything and everything you’ve ever wanted? Or somewhere along the way, did you redefine “anything and everything” to include settling for less than you truly want? 

I recently read an alarming statistic:  The average American is 20 lbs. overweight, $10,000 in debt, slightly depressed, dislikes his or her job, and has less than one close friend. Even if only a fraction of this statistic is true, Americans need some serious waking up.

What about you? Are you maximizing your potential and creating the levels of success that you truly
want—in
every
area of your life? Or are there areas of your life where you’re settling for less than you really want?  Are you settling for less than you’re capable of, and then justifying that it’s okay?  Or are you ready to stop settling, so you can start living your best life—you know, the life of your dreams?

Creating Your “Level 10” Life

One of my favorite sentiments ever shared by Oprah was when she said, “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”  I couldn’t agree more. Sadly, so few people ever come close to living the life of their dreams that the phrase itself has become cliché. Most people resign themselves to a life of mediocrity, passively accepting whatever life gives them. Even people who are highly successful in one area, such as business, tend to settle for mediocrity in another area, such as their health or relationships. As bestselling author, Seth Godin has so eloquently put it, “Is there a difference between average and mediocre?  Not so much.”

There is nothing that says you have to settle for less than you truly want, just because everybody else does. You can become one of the few people that actually live the extraordinary life all of us deserve. Happiness. Health. Money. Freedom. Success. Love. You really can have it all.

If we’re measuring success, satisfaction, and fulfillment in any area of our lives on a scale of one to ten, we
all
want
Level 10
, right?  I’ve never met anyone who said, “Nah, I just want
Level 7
health. I don’t want to be too healthy and have too much energy.” Or, “You know, I’m really okay with a
Level 5
relationship. I like fighting with my significant other, enjoy
not
having my needs met, and don’t want us to be too happy.”

What if I told you that creating your best life—your
Level 10
life—and taking your levels of success, happiness, health, and financial prosperity beyond what you have ever experienced before is not only possible, it’s simple? 

What if I told you that it all starts with how you wake up in the morning, and that there are small, simple steps you can start taking today that will enable you to become the person you need to be to create the levels of success you truly want and deserve—in
every
area of your life?  Would you get excited?  Would you even believe me?  Some won’t. People have been jaded. They’ve tried everything under the sun to fix their lives, their relationships, and they’re still not where they want to be. I understand. I’ve been there. Then, over time, I learned a few things that changed everything. I’m offering you my hand and inviting you to the other side, the side where life is not only good, it’s extraordinary in a way we have only imagined it could be.

This Book Builds Three Imperative Arguments: 

§
 
You are just as worthy, deserving, and capable of creating and sustaining extraordinary health, wealth, happiness, love, and success in your life, as any other person on earth. It is absolutely crucial—not only for the quality of your life, but for the impact you make on your family, friends, clients, co-workers, children, community, and anyone whose life you touch—that you start living in alignment with that truth.

§
 
In order for you to stop settling for less than you deserve—in any area of your life—and to create the levels of personal, professional, and financial success you desire, you must first dedicate time each day to becoming the person you need to be, one who is qualified and capable of consistently attracting, creating, and sustaining the levels of success you want.

§
 
How you wake up each day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life. Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days—which inevitably create a successful life—in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life. By simply changing the way you wake up in the morning, you can transform any area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible.

But Hal, I am NOT a “Morning Person”

What if you’ve already tried waking up earlier, and it hasn’t worked?

“I’m not a morning person,” you say.

“I’m a night owl.”

“There’s not enough time in the day.”

“Besides, I need
more
sleep, not less!”

That was all true for me, too, before
The Miracle Morning
. Regardless of your past experiences—even if you’ve had trouble waking up and getting going in the morning for your entire life—things are about to change.

The Miracle Morning
works for
everyone’s
lifestyle (I’ll break it down in
Chapter 8:  Customizing The Miracle Morning To Fit Your Lifestyle and Achieve Your Highest Goals & Dreams
) and you’re going to be blown away by how much more energy, motivation, and time you’re going to have, with increased productivity, significantly less stress, improved health and way more vitality and joy. I know this because thousands of people around the world have already transformed their lives using
The Miracle Morning
. The ripple effects I’ve experienced in my life, and observed from countless
Miracle Morning
enthusiasts, are jaw-dropping.

These newbie “early risers”—from entrepreneurs, salespeople, and CEOs to stay-at-home moms, high school and college students, and everyone in between—are so excited about the profound, positive changes they’ve experienced that many are even posting videos about their results on YouTube, and then sharing them with their friends on Facebook and Twitter.

How Will
The Miracle Morning
Transform Your Life?

I’ve received hundreds of emails and messages from people about how
The Miracle Morning
has completely changed their life. For some, it has allowed them to tap into a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. For others, it’s meant increased productivity, less stress, greater happiness, and increased income. For most, it’s given them more purposeful, priceless
time
to pursue their dreams and the projects they’ve been putting off for far too long.

Just read a few of the Success Stories in the opening pages of this book, and you will see the profound effects. You’ll see real-life results, such as,
“My life is changing so fast, I can’t keep up… My business was struggling, but after I started The Miracle Morning, I was amazed at how, just by working on myself every day, I was able to turn it all around.”
  And,
“I’m on day 79 of The Miracle Morning and haven’t missed a single day. This is the FIRST time I’ve ever set out to do something and actually stuck with it longer than a few days or weeks.”
  Even,
“Since starting The Miracle Morning 10 months ago, my income has more than doubled and I am in the best shape of my life.”
And one of my favorites: 
“I have already lost 25 pounds using The Miracle Morning!”
  Increased income, improved quality of life, more discipline, less stress, and even weight loss—it’s all here.

I’m blown away by it, frankly, and humbled to be the lucky guy to have stumbled onto something that can so quickly and profoundly transform
every
area of your life. It doesn’t matter if, until now, you’ve settled for less than you envisioned for any aspect of your life. Even if you’ve struggled in certain areas, I believe you’re ready for a profound shift—a breakthrough to the next level—or you wouldn’t be here.

In the next chapter, I’m going to walk you through how I used
The Miracle Morning
to transform my entire life, starting from my lowest point—a failing business, buried in $425,000 of personal debt, deeply depressed, and physically in the worst shape of my life—to building multiple successful businesses, paying off 100% of my debt, more than doubling my income, and achieving my dreams of becoming an international keynote speaker, having my story featured in the bestselling
Chicken Soup for the Soul
book series, being interviewed on radio and TV shows across the country, and performing at my mental and physical peak by completing a 52-mile ultra-marathon—all in less than 12 months. You’ll also discover some “not-so-obvious secrets” that will make your success virtually guaranteed.

The Miracle Morning
is not only empowering, it’s simple and fun, something you’ll soon be able to do without effort—for the rest of your life. And, while you can still sleep in any time you want, you might be surprised to find you no longer want to. I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they now wake up early—even on the weekends—simply because they feel better and get more done when they do. Imagine that.

Time and time again practitioners of
The Miracle Morning
compare waking up every day to the feeling they had as a kid, waking up on Christmas morning. It feels that good! Imagine how great it will be to start every day like that.

Here are a few of the most common, yet profound benefits you can expect to gain from
The Miracle Morning
: 

Ö
 
Wake up every day with more energy, feeling excited and empowered with the tools to fulfill your potential.

Ö
 
Immediately lower your stress levels.

Ö
 
Quickly overcome any challenges, adversity or limiting beliefs that have been holding you back.

Ö
 
Improve your overall health, lose weight (if desired), and get in the best physical shape of your life.

Ö
 
Increase your productivity and enhance your ability to maintain laser focus on your top priorities.

Ö
 
Experience more gratitude and less worry.

Ö
 
Significantly increase your ability to earn and attract more monetary wealth (if desired).

Ö
 
Uncover and begin living your life purpose.

Ö
 
Stop settling for less than you truly desire and deserve (in any area of your life) and start living in alignment with your vision for the most extraordinary life you can imagine.

I know these are bold claims to make, and this list of benefits might even sound like a bit of overpromising—a little
too good to be true
, right?  I assure you there is no hyperbole here.
The Miracle Morning
will give you purposeful blocks of intentional, focused and uninterrupted time each day to invest in achieving your most important goals and dreams (especially those you’ve been putting off.) You can improve any area of your life. You’ll be blown away by how quickly you see results and make progress towards your highest wants and aspirations. Don’t be surprised when your friends, family, and co-workers begin to notice your positive transformation and are suddenly more drawn to you.

I’m also going to give you the
Life S.A.V.E.R.S.
—six powerful practices which combine to make up
The Miracle Morning
and are guaranteed to save you from missing out on the extraordinary life you deserve to live—the one which, statistically, 95% of our society will sadly never experience. With your help, I believe we can change that statistic.

Finally, you’ll be ready to embark on
The Miracle Morning 30-Day Life Transformation Challenge
which will develop the mindset and cement the habits you’ll need to easily and continuously attract, create, and sustain the levels of success you desire and deserve, in
every
area of your life. Never forget that
who you are becoming
is the single most important determining factor in your quality of life, now and for your future.