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

Causes of Mediocrity (and Immediate Solutions):
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Rearview Mirror Syndrome
One of the most crippling causes of mediocrity in life is a
condition I call Rearview Mirror Syndrome (RMS). Our
subconscious minds are equipped with a self-limiting rearview
mirror, through which we continuously relive and recreate our past.

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We mistakenly believe that who we were is who we are, thus
limiting our true potential in the present, based on the limitations of
our past.
As a result, we filter every choice we make—from what time
we will wake up in the morning to which goals we will set to what
we allow ourselves to consider possible for our lives—through the
limitations of our past experiences. We want to create a better life,
but sometimes we don’t know how to see it any other way than how
it’s always been.
Research shows that on any given day, the average person
thinks somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 thoughts. The
problem is that ninety-five percent of our thoughts are the same as
the ones we thought the day before, and the day before that, and the
day before that. It’s no wonder most people go through life, day
after day, month after month, year after year, and never change the
quality of their lives.
Like old, worn baggage, we carry stress, fear, and worry from
yesterday with us into today. When presented with opportunities,
we quickly check our rearview mirror to assess our past capabilities.
“No, I’ve never done anything like that before. I’ve never achieved
at that level. In fact, I’ve failed, time and time again.”
When presented with adversity, we go back to our trusty
rearview mirror for guidance on how to respond. “Yep, just my
luck. This crap always happens to me. I’m just going to give up;
that’s what I’ve always done when things get too difficult.”
If you are to move beyond your past and transcend your
limitations, you must stop living out of your rearview mirror and
start imagining a life of limitless possibilities. Accept the
paradigm: my past does not equal my future. Talk to yourself in a
way that inspires confidence that not only is anything possible, but
that you are capable and committed to making it so. It’s not even
necessary to believe it at first. In fact, you probably won’t believe it.
You might find it uncomfortable and that you resist doing it. That’s
okay. Repeat it to yourself anyway, and your subconscious mind
will begin to absorb the positive self-affirmations. (More on how to
do this in Chapter 6: The Life S.A.V.E.R.S.)

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Don’t place unnecessary limitations on what you want for your
life. Think bigger than you’ve allowed yourself to think up until this
point. Get clear on what you truly want, condition yourself to the
belief that it’s possible by focusing on and affirming it every day,
and then consistently move in the direction of your vision until it
becomes your reality. There is nothing to fear, because you cannot
fail—only learn, grow, and become better than you’ve ever been
before.
Always remember that where you are is a result of who you
were, but where you go depends entirely on who you choose to be,
from this moment on.
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