April: Book Review

My morning ritual is sacred to me. 

Ever since I can remember, I have always been drawn to the morning and I have never really thought about it much. Something about getting up with a routine that makes the morning go smoothly and the rest of the day fall in place. Unfortunately, I am in no way a “morning person.” Not even close. My bed is pretty much my best friend and he tells me that mostly every night. So, what do you do when you wish you were a morning person, like the idea of a thoughtful, paced morning, but struggle to make it work? Well, if you are me, you pick up a new book.

While I was scanning Amazon.com the other day, I came across The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Usually, anything with the word “miracle” in it when it comes to advertising immediately throws up my skeptical face, but I read a few of the excerpts and really liked the approach. In fact, one chapter caught my eye in particular as it relates to LeaderShape and my work. The chapter is titled “Why did you wake up this morning?” What an interesting question, huh? I have seen lots of self-help books and programs that connect questions to your frame of mind, but in all that time, I have never come across that question, “Why did you wake up this morning?” I could have been a smart-ass and said because my alarm went off, but I really thought about it. What is the reason for me being in the world? What is the purpose I am going to pursue? What am I truly looking forward to today? All of these questions came to me as I was reading the very short and useful book. 

Made me think of a number of questions which then made me smile. Maybe the purpose of our mornings can be to ask good questions that get us focused on the work to do that day or the difference I want to make in the world. The ability to focus the start of the day with some space to get clear about our purpose, spend time with your inner most thoughts, and connect to the larger picture of your life. Great stuff to be wrapping our heads around in the morning. There are so many of these books around, but never forget that inspiration and motivation is some times like throwing velcro darts up against a wall…you never know when one of them will actually stick. 

Maybe that is why I do love the idea of mornings. Of course, after a cup of coffee. Let’s be real. 

Paul