#18: The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families - Amazing Book Takeaways

Hey guys, 

Welcome to another  bonus episode from the series Amazing book takeaways. In this segment  I share concepts and ideas  I read and loved in a parenting or a personal development book that I think you could benefit from. 

Have you heard of  the Miracle Morning series by Hal Elrod? His books have helped thousands of people enjoy a peaceful and focused start of their day. They are a wonderful mix between a self-care routine and a personal development practice. As a mom of three young children I am a passionate advocate for having a self-care routine in place. 

Today I want to present to  you my takeaways from  the book “The Miracle Morning for Parents and Families”, which   is especially tailored to the needs of the parents struggling with all the added responsibilities of parenthood and little time to dedicate to themselves and their personal development. I am convinced that implementing the morning ritual in our lives will not only help us keep our sanity but will influence tremendously the way we raise our kids.

Most parents of small children start their day when the kids run into the room full of energy and in need of attention, or when the baby wakes them up crying and hungry. Trying to meet the kids’ immediate needs, they let the small ones set the agenda for the day leaving behind the personal goals and plans. This overwhelming season of life will pass in a few years, however there’s no need to just wait for that passively. The authors  show you how you can master your mornings even if you think you are not a morning person.

Raising confident, honest and caring children is a top priority for almost every parent. Due to the high demands of our schedule the day usually goes by without us spending the intended time teaching and nurturing our kids, giving them emotional support and modeling the behavior we want. Being an intentional parent is hard. In order to even have a chance, we need to set our intentions daily, remind ourselves of what’s important and plan on how to deliver it to our children. Successful parents start their day setting their agenda in a quiet space, charging their batteries, getting ready for the challenges that await. And then when their kiddo storms into the room they meet them with the smile and the hug they deserve instead of a yawn and a thought “not again”. 

The acronym Life S.A.V.E.R.S stands for six practices you do every morning to put yourself in state to be the best version of yourself during that day. These are the best practices developed over centuries and condensed into a morning ritual. Many people do one of them daily. However if you go through all of them on a regular basis you’ll see the miracle effect. 

Each letter in S.A.V.E.R.S represents one of the activities that successful people around the world use to bring peace, clarity and motivation to their lives.

S is for silence

A is for affirmation

V is for visualization

E is for exercise 

R is for reading

S is for scribing

1. Silence

The period of silence could be any of the following - meditation, prayer, reflection, deep breathing or gratitude. If you are a first time meditator start with a guided meditation. The important thing is to slow down and focus, even for a short period of time. Think of daily meditation as a temporary vacation from your problems. Although your problems will still be there when you finish your daily meditation, you’ll find that you’re more centered and better equipped to solve them.

1. Affirmations

What makes a great parent? It’s the mindset. It shows up undeniably in your language, your confidence, and your demeanor. Your attitude affects the entire parenting process, whether you’re feeding your child breakfast or picking them up from school.

To change our mindset we need better programming. The affirmations are a tool for doing just that. They enable you to become more intentional about your goals and help your subconscious mind shift your behavior. 

Create your affirmations to become an exceptional parent and have a few things in mind:

• write down a specific and challenging outcome even if you’re not yet sure how you will do it. Then reinforce your commitment by a compelling reason why you’re willing to commit. Use the wording “ I am committed”.
• clarify the specific action or habit that is required for you to achieve your ideal outcome and state how often you will execute the necessary action.
• recite your affirmations every morning with emotion so you can both program your subconscious mind and focus your conscious mind on what’s most important to you.
• constantly update and evolve your affirmations

Let’s spark your creativity by an example of an effective affirmation:

“I am fully committed to protecting 20 minutes of my time daily for each of my children so they know they are important to me.”

1. Visualization

Most parents are limited by the visions of their past results, replaying previous failures and heartbreaks. Creative visualization enables you to design the vision that will occupy your mind and pull you to a compelling future. 

Where you are is a result of who you were, where you go depends entirely on the person you choose to be from this moment forward. 

Design your ideal day in your mind, combine the practices of visualization and affirmations and see yourself living it.

1.  Exercise

Even if you don’t care about your physical health, consider exercise as a way to boost your energy levels and increase your brain speed by 25-35 percent, thus enhancing your problem-solving abilities. As a part of your Miracle Morning, 10 minutes of exercise will happen before the day wears you out and before you have the time to come up with excuses why not to do it.

1. Reading

Parents, especially working parents, often don’t find the time to read. We all know though that the problems and situations we encounter and seek advice on are not something new and unseen, somebody has already found a solution and probably shared it in a book. Reading a book on the topic that concerns you, equips you with ideas that spark your creativity, motivates you to take action and also gives you the support you need by showing you that you’re not alone. 

Commit to reading at least 10 pages per day, in time this will add up and you’ll see the results.

1. Scribing

Write in your journal every morning or on a piece of paper if you prefer. By getting your thoughts on paper you gain valuable insights you’d otherwise never see. This is a way to document your visions, insights, ideas, lessons learned, parenting successes, etc. This is also a way to declutter your mind. Write down all the troubling thoughts that linger in your brain, just get it all out and you will gain the clarity you need to start tackling them.

The practices are customizable to fit your life and goals. However as parents people tend to encounter similar problems when it comes to this morning routine. The authors of the book address some of these hardships and offer some creative solutions which have worked for their family and other Miracle Morning enthusiasts. 

obstacle number 1

• “I just don’t have the time”

Hal Elrod recommends a 60-minute Miracle Morning routine which includes 10 minutes of silence, 5 minutes for affirmations, 5 minutes for visualization, 10 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of reading and 10 min for scribing. How on earth can an exhausted single mom with an already packed schedule afford a 60-minute morning routine? Don’t worry, you can start small. Develop a mini habit by doing a 6-minute practice with a minute for each of the S.A.V.E.R.S. These six minutes will set you up on the right path for the day and build up your confidence. You can always devote more time when an opportunity presents itself.

obstacle number 2 - “I had it all planned, went to bed early, set my alarm… but the baby was up all night with a fever”.

Stay flexible. The Miracle Morning is not another task on your to-do list. It’s designed to calm you down, get you focused and ultimately make you a better parent. Take care of your child and reschedule your routine for later when the baby is napping or simply try again tomorrow.

obstacle number 3

• “As soon as I started waking up earlier to get to my life S.A.V.E.R.S, my child started coming in and interrupting me.”

Children, especially the little ones, are so connected to their parents that reserving time for your Miracle Morning practice can be quite challenging. Resist the temptation to sit them in front of the TV in order to finish in peace. But don’t give up your practice that easily, this is the time for self care. Be creative. Sit the kiddo to play next to you and explain what you’re doing. Sometimes they only need your presence and will patiently do their thing and have an eye on you.

The added benefit is that when kids have been watching you doing your S.A.V.E.R.S for some time they become curious and at 3-4 years old they are ready to have a Miracle Morning of their own. Parents can help them come up with short affirmations like “ I am a brave boy” which they can draw on a piece of paper and later sing and chant. Arranged as a play a short Miracle Morning can do wonders helping your kiddos begin their day calm and smiling. After all, children thrive on repetition. It’s also a great way to introduce them early on to the practices of meditation, reading and regular exercise. Don’t forget that example is the best way to teach. 

I’ve been doing the MM routine on and off for years now. And I can definitely say that the mornings I commit time to doing my routine are more peaceful, I am more focused on the important things and I start the day with a feeling of fulfillment because I know I’ve already done something right. So why don’t you give it a try?