The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)

S
.A.V.E.R.S.
S is for Silence
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path
in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive
resolves itself into crystal clearness.
—MAHATMA GANDHI
You can learn more in an hour of silence
than you can in a year from books.
—MATTHEW KELLY
S
ilence is the first practice of the Life S.A.V.E.R.S. and may be one of
the most significant areas for improvement for our noisy, fast-paced and over-
stimulated lifestyles. I’m referring to the life-transforming power of
purposeful Silence. “Purposeful” simply means that you are engaging in a
period of Silence with a highly beneficial purpose in mind—not just for the
heck of it. As Matthew Kelly so eloquently states in his bestselling book The
Rhythm of Life, “You can learn more in an hour of silence than you can in a
year from books.” That’s a powerful statement from a very wise man.
If you want to immediately reduce your stress levels, to begin each day
with the kind of calm, clarity, and peace of mind that will allow you to stay
focused on what’s most important in your life, and even dance on the edge of
enlightenment—do the opposite of what most people do—start every morning
with a period of purposeful Silence.
The life-enhancing benefits of Silence have been well documented
throughout the ages. From the power of prayer, to the magic of meditation,
some of the greatest minds in history have used purposeful Silence to
transcend their limitations and create extraordinary results.
How Do Your Mornings Usually Begin?
Do you invest time in centering yourself and creating an optimum state
of mind to lead you through the rest of the day? Or do you usually wait to
wake up until you’ve got something to do? Do the words calm, peaceful, or
rejuvenating describe your average morning? If they do, congratulations!
You’re already a step ahead of the rest of us.

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For most of us, words like rushed, hectic, stressful or even chaotic might
best describe our typical morning. For others, slow, lazy, and lethargic might
be a more accurate description of how the morning begins. Which of these
scenarios best describes your average morning?
Mornings, for most of us, are typically pretty hectic and rushed. We’re
usually running around trying to get ready for the day, and our minds are
often plagued with internal chatter about what we have to do, where we have
to go, who we have to see, what we forgot to do, the fact that we’re running
late, a recent argument with our significant other or family member.
For others, we have trouble just getting going on most mornings. We feel
sluggish, lazy, and unproductive. So, for the great majority of us, the
mornings are either stressful and rushed, or slow and unproductive. Neither of
these represents the optimum way to start your day.
Silence is one of the best ways to immediately reduce stress, while
increasing your self-awareness and gaining the clarity that will allow you to
maintain your focus on your goals, priorities, and what’s most important for
your life, each and every day.
Here are some of my favorite activities to choose from and practice
during my period of Silence, in no particular order, followed by a simple
meditation to get you started:
Ö
Meditation
Ö
Prayer
Ö
Reflection
Ö
Deep Breathing
Ö
Gratitude
Some mornings I do just one of these activities, and other mornings I
combine them. All of these practices will relax your mind and body, calm
your spirit, and allow you to be totally present and open to receiving the
benefits that will come from the remaining Life S.A.V.E.R.S. which make up
the rest of your Miracle Morning.
It is very important that you don’t stay in bed for this, and preferably that
you leave your bedroom altogether. The problem with staying in bed—or
even in your bedroom, where your comfy bed is within your line of sight—is
that it’s too easy to go from sitting in Silence, to slouching, to falling back
asleep. I always sit on my living room couch, where I already have everything
set up that I need for my Miracle Morning. My affirmations, journal, yoga
DVD, the book I’m currently reading—everything has its place and is ready

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for me each day so that, in the morning, it’s easy to jump right in and engage
in my Miracle Morning, without having to search for anything.