Creating a life by design means owning your day – as the saying goes, either you run the day, or the day runs you. That means how you start your day is very important! Your plans and your actions immediately after waking up in the morning have a major impact on your whole day. A strong morning routine will set up your mindset, energy and give you a positive outlook for the day.
In this blog, I will explain the science and metaphysics why creating a magic morning empowers you to feel in control, improve your health and will increase your productivity.
Drink Warm Water & Lemon Juice
Meditation
Exercise
Drink Warm Water & Lemon Juice
Meditation
Exercise
Visualisation
Listen to a Motivational Video
Journaling
The term miracle morning was coined in 2012 by author and life coach, Hal Elrod in his life changing book Miracle Morning. A miracle (or magic) morning is a morning routine that is about starting your day on the right track and so you can take control of your day, be more productive and live a life-by-design.
Every morning I start my day with a 30 to 60-minute magic morning routine. Why? Because as the brilliant neuroscientist Dr. Joe Dispenza points out in his book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, we need to be in control and decide how we want to feel and think, in order to shape our future. As he says, there is no better time to do that than just after you get up!
Everybody’s individual magic morning will be different, and it is important to make it work for you, but mine includes a drink of warm lemon water, meditation, a bit of journaling, visualisation and often a morning workout.
You can find out even more about the Magic Morning and create your own Magic Morning routine by joining my FREE Magic Morning Challenge! Book your place NOW! This offer ends soon!
“Having a strong morning routine empowers you to feel in control. Not just of your day but your life, goals and what you want to spend your time on and how.”
– Alice Dartnell
Until around the 1970s, neuroscientists believed that the brain’s structure and function was essentially fixed throughout adulthood. Now as psychiatrist and author, Norman Doidge explains in his book The Brain That Changes Itself, the brain actually changes from cradle to the grave, and that radical improvements in cognitive functioning – how we learn, think, perceive, and remember – are possible even in the elderly.
Remarkably, the brain can reorganise itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. As neuroscientist Dr. Lara Boyd explains in her fascinating TEDx Talk, in November 2015. “All our behaviours change your brain. The adult brain can reorganise.”
This means that creating and then practising an effective magic morning routine will enable you to create new habits and behaviours that will hardwire your brain to become more effective and enable you to become more organised and productive.
Your magic morning helps set up a positive intention and energy for the day – mind, body and soul. Most people have very busy mornings, but the time spent on your magic morning is a wise investment. Investing in as little as 15-minutes each morning will save you even more time later in your busy day because you will be more focused, in control emotionally, being more effective and productive.
So what should you include in your Magic Morning?
The first thing I will do is have a mug of warm water and freshly squeezed lemon juice. As a rich source of vitamin C, lemon juice protects the body from immune system deficiencies and helps fight infections.
It also acts as a detoxifying agent and helps with maintaining digestive health.
Every morning I do a 10 to 20-minute meditation. Meditation is one of the best ways to reduce stress, control anxiety, promote a greater sense of well-being, increase focus and much more.
Lots of successful people include it in their morning routine. As author Tim Ferris explains in his book Tribe of Mentors, 80 percent of the successful mentors mentioned in the book have some sort of mindfulness or meditation practice first thing in the morning.
I am to include a workout to get my body moving every morning. Twice a week I have a morning workout with my PT but on the days I am not seeing him, I’ll do some pilates or yoga in my living room. Even if it is just 10 or 15 minutes. A quick morning workout routine will boost your energy, wake you up, and release positive endorphins. The other benefit of a morning workout is it’ll kick start your metabolism ready for the fuel you’ll feed it for the day ahead, helping to promote a healthier lifestyle!
As Hal Elrod explains in the book Miracle Morning, “The benefits of morning exercise are too many to ignore. From waking you up and enhancing your mental clarity, to helping you sustain higher levels of energy throughout the day, exercising soon after rising can improve your life in many ways.”
You’ll often hear successful celebrities and business moguls stating the importance of morning exercise. Actress Jennifer Aniston loves a spin class, yoga or strength training before her day and often gets up at 4:30am to do it! Presenter and Entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey starts her morning with at least 15 minutes of exercise to improve her productivity and boost her energy levels.
Every morning, I visualise my day flowing with ease and achieving everything I have set out to. I will also do a visualisation of future goals too.
Visualisation is a powerful technique that can help you manifest and attract what you want, whether that is with the short-term goals or a situation in this particular moment, as well as being used for your long term goals that maybe a year or two or five years in the future.
In her article Visualize Your Way to Success (Really!), Marla Tabaka explains how visualisation works and how visualising success has been used by phenomenally successful people all over the world, from athletes and entrepreneurs alike.
See my blog, Harnessing the Power of Visualisation to Create Success to find out more on how you can use visualisation to create success by harnessing the power of your subconscious mind.
Whilst getting ready, having a shower and putting on my makeup, I will listen to a motivational video on YouTube to lift my spirits and instil self-belief and a “I can do this, you’ve got this Alice” attitude.
Every day, it is important to listen to something that is going to help you take ACTION toward the person you want to become and YouTube is a fantastic source of these free videos.
Every morning, I do five to ten minutes journaling because I found it has been beneficial in so many ways, including
I don’t think there is one set way to journal but some prompts I like to think about each morning include:
American artist and novelist Julia Cameron explained the importance of journaling in her book, The Artist’s Way. Julia calls her journal the ‘Morning pages’ and describes journaling as the most cost-effective therapy she has ever found.
No two people’s magic morning should be the same and there is no one-size fits all solution. We all have very busy lives and no two people are the same, so why should design your own Magic Morning. My circumstances are going to be completely different from yours, so this is not about copying my magic morning (or anyone else’s) minute by minute but being inspired by the creation of a morning routine that empowers you!
Also remember, something done is better than perfection not done! If you want to meditate for ten minutes but can only manage one, then that is good enough. If you want to spend fifteen minutes journaling but can only manage two, then that is better than nothing. Plus, over time, like me, you might find you naturally expand on it, so don’t put pressure on yourself. Start small. Take time everyday to build your Magic Morning routine into a life-time positive habit.
You can find out even more about the Magic Morning and learn how to create your own Magic Morning routine by dropping an email to alice@alicedartnell.com.
Plus, I also regularly run a FREE Magic Morning Challenge! Find out more by emailing me at alice@alicedartnell.com.
© Magic Morning is the copyright of Alice Dartnell Limited
Everyone has a morning routine, regardless of whether it involves two steps or 20 steps. Having a morning routine is often an indicator of successful people, but realistically, we all have some form of a morning routine. Some start by rolling out of bed and heading straight to the coffee pot. Other morning routines involve rising with the sun and taking in the fresh morning air.
Maybe you haven’t thought about what exactly you’re morning routine is and what it says about you. That’s what this quiz is for! How many cups of coffee do you need before you’re fully awake? Do you even drink coffee, or do you prefer tea? Do you make time to meditate or exercise? Or, do you prefer to just roll out of bed and get right to your computer?
So, take this wonderful and informative quiz on the Bainfall Web Site and figure out what your morning routine, or lack thereof, says about you!
The Brainfall Web Site one of the largest quiz websites in the world and full of useful lifestyle information and more!
Thought is the most powerful force in the universe. Our thoughts are the controlling factor in what we manifest and create in our lives. The idea precedes the thing. In my article Harnessing the Power of Visualisation to Create Success you can find out more about how you can use visualisation to create success by harnessing the power of your subconscious mind.
Vision boards are a powerful way to keep you focused. In my article, Vision Board — A Powerful Tool to Achieve Your Goals, I explore the science behind how to construct a vision board and find out how using a vision board will keep you focused, motivated, and help you fulfil your goals.
Are you stuck in your comfort zone? Read my article, How to Expand Your Comfort Zone to Achieve Your Goals to understand what a comfort zone is and why it is important to step out of your comfort zone in order develop new skills, experience new things and fulfil your true potential.
Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique of time management? Read my blog Why Pomodoro Technique Increases Your Productivity, to find out how it will transform your time management and help you be more productive especially if you are working from home.
Are you suffering from burnout? Are you exhausted and irritable? Are you showing the early signs of burnout? Burnout – What it is what the warning signs are and how to prevent it, Dr. Eleanor Akaho, shares her personal experiences of burnout, explains signs and symptoms of it and gives her tips how to recover from it.
The Online Self-Study Time Management Course is an easy-to-do self-study course for time-poor professionals who are ready for quick-wins that’ll empower you to master your time management and unlock hours!
This is THE time management course for busy professionals that don’t have time to learn about time management! All modules are broken down into bite-sized content that is easy-to-digest, learn and implement which you can do at your own pace so it fits within your busy life!
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This self-paced, self-study course made up of short, easy to implement, bite-sized modules is for you if..
You’ve tried to be organised with time blocking, to do lists, tools like Trello… but it hasn’t really stuck.
You know that positive time management habits like daily planning, setting intentions and a morning routine would be so beneficial… but you don’t have time to learn or implement that!
You find yourself saying things like “there’s just not enough hours in the day” or “I don’t have time for…”
You sometimes feel flustered and snappy because there is just too much to do and not enough hours in the day for it.
You do your best to manage it all but feel like your time and days are pressured, and you don’t have enough down time in the week.
You’re easily side tracked with interruptions & distractions, so the day evaporates (and this often means then having to work late or longer than you could have!).
This is the course for the person who want to feel organised and be productive and wants the tools to make their time management actions work for them.
Unfortunately, you have missed the highly successful and transformational January 2022 “Own Your Day” time management course. But you can get your free copy of the mini-training – “The Perfectionist’s Guide to Boosting Productivity and Finding Balance” HERE.
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This article is written by Alice Dartnell, life and success coach of Alice Dartnell Limited. Alice empowers busy professionals to be successful, transform their lives and achieve more by improving their confidence, mindset and time management.
For more information please see www.alicedartnell.com
Copyright ©️ 2022 Alice Dartnell Limited
Disclaimer
This blog is published by Alice Dartnell Limited solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The author and publisher are not offering it as legal, accounting, health care or other professional services advice. While best efforts have been used in preparing this blog, the author and publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind and assume no liabilities of any kind with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be held liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or incidental or consequential damages caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained herein. Every person and company are different, and the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Alice Dartnell or Alice Dartnell Limited is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised in this blog. You should seek the services of a competent professional as appropriate. You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results. Always consult your own General Practitioner if you’re in any way concerned about your health.
