Good morning! It’s 6:35am, and I have already accomplished a few things off of my to-do list. I was a great morning person for years, and then I met my fiancé who had a weird “cop” schedule (all other cop wives know what I’m talking about – holy schedule changes), and all of a sudden I was staying up until 2 and dragging my booty out of bed at 8:55 to make my 9am meetings (I fortunately work from home). From there, it felt like I was playing catch-up all day long. I never had time to sit quietly or plan my day. I would look at my meetings and see where I could squeeze in a workout or shower. It wasn’t until I decided to launch my own freelance writing and realtor career (almost simultaneously) that I knew something had to change if I was going to succeed.

I began reading Hal Elrod’s “The Miracle Morning” on a whim and it was so informative and life changing, or at least morning changing. Before even finishing the book, I woke up at 6:30am the next morning and drank coffee in perfect silence. I spent a few mornings just drinking coffee, finishing the book and exercising before 9am. Hal calls his morning routine, “Life S.A.V.E.R.S” (Silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading and scribing), and while I don’t follow this method perfectly, I try my best! Most mornings, I read, exercise and write. I haven’t perfected the affirmations part or the visualizations, but I’m working on it. I also want to meditate more during my day to center myself and send out as much gratitude to God for all of my many blessings.

So why has this been “life changing?” Can’t I just sleep in and work at night or weekends? Well, sure. But that obviously hasn’t been working for me personally up until this point. In the past month of early wake-ups, I have been very productive. I’ve posted a lot of content on this blog, planned my day, created real estate contracts, responded to emails, read up and researched things I’m interested in to help with my writing, and enjoyed no rush exercise. I also find that I am most creative and innovative in the morning. This is definitely not the case for everyone, but my brain just works that way. I am tired at night and just want to relax on the couch after a long day – this occurs even if I wake up at 9am.

The great thing about Hal’s method is that you can technically do it any time of the day – as long as you’re completing the steps (in no particular order). So if you happen to be a night owl, feel free to try some of his S.A.V.E.R.S and see if it increases your mood and success. I saw such a difference in my energy levels, productivity and overall happiness in such a short time. I hope you see the same results!

Let me know how you start your day!