This week we will be breaking down Chapters 3-5 of The Miracle Morning. If you haven’t read the breakdown for week 1 yet, go do so before continuing on with week 2.

Don’t Be Part of the 95%

In Chapter 3 of the book, the author focuses on the topic of what is “normal” in our society in regards to the type of lives most of us live. He says, “Approximately 95% of our society settles for far less than they want in life, wishing they had more, living with regret and never understanding that they could be, do, and have all that they want.”

Are you part of this 95 percent?

I sure hope not. But based on the statistic, there is a good chance that you may be.

The book also says that “According to the Social Security Administration, if you take any 100 people at the start of their working careers and follow them for the next 40 years until they reach retirement age, here’s what you’ll find: only 1 will be wealthy; 4 will be financially secure; 5 will continue working, not because they want to but because they have to; 36 will be dead; and 54 will be broke and dependent on friends, family, relatives, and the government to take care of them.”

I don’t know about you, but I want to be one of the 5 percent – the ones who are either wealthy or financially secure!

So how do we make sure we are in the 5 percent? The book outlines a 3 step process we can use:

1. Acknowledge the 95% Reality Check. If you want to be different from the other 95 percent of people, you have to think different. Hal says we must “commit to thinking and living differently than most people now.” He breaks it down into 4 areas – physical, mental & emotional, relational, and financial – areas where we must examine what is “normal” and challenge ourselves to take a different approach. Ask yourself what is normal in each of these areas, and then ask yourself what you want in each of these areas. If your answers are the same, you may need to change the way to think in that area.
2. Identify the Causes of Mediocrity. Most people struggle to be part of the 5 percent due to issues with mediocracy. So what causes this? Some of the examples outlined in the book include the rearview mirror syndrome, lack or purpose, isolating incidents, lack of accountability, mediocre circle of influence, lack of personal development, and lack of urgency. Review these ideas and make sure they are not part of your life.
3. Draw Your Line In the Sand. Once you have acknowledged the difference between the 95 percent and the 5 percent, and have identified the causes of mediocracy in your life, it is time to take a stance. The book says we have to “make a decision as to what you are going to start doing differently from this day forward.”

Do You Have a Purpose When You Wake Up?

In Chapter 4 of the Miracle Morning, Hal talks about how the way we way up has massive impacts on the rest of our day, and ultimately our lives.

He says, “If you’re like most people, you wake up to the incessant beeping of an alarm clock each morning and reluctantly drag yourself out of bed because you have to be somewhere, do something, answer to—or take care of—someone else.”

Is this true for you?

The fact of the matter is that the “normal” thing to do is to sleep until the last possible moment, and somewhat dread the idea of getting up to start the day. Hal says, “When you delay waking up until you have to—meaning you wait until the last possible moment to get out of bed and start your day—consider that what you’re actually doing is resisting your life.”

So how should you start your day?

The book tells us that we should start every day with enthusiasm and excitement for what is ahead of us in our day. The key to doing this is to have a purpose or meaning for waking up.

While this may be a bigger topic than can easily be covered in one book – and definitely bigger than can be covered in this post – we all should strive to find a meaning for our lives. One that we can be excited to wake up for each day.

However, even if you have a purpose for your life and you morning, you will still have difficulty waking up some days.

How can we change that?

Well, the main thing Hal recommends is that we begin to change our belief about the amount of sleep we really need. Or at least change the way we talk to ourselves about it. I’ll talk a bit more about this in the next section of snoozing, but the book says that no matter how much sleep we get, we will get enough to be rested as long as we tell ourselves that it is the amount we need (Spoiler: I disagree with this)

That being said, I do believe that the way we wake up has a huge impact on our lives. This book makes some great points about developing an empowering mindset, and a purpose for waking up, and how the combination of the two will make mornings much more enjoyable and productive.

Never Hit The “Snooze” Button Again

Are you the type of person who hits the snooze button until the last possible minute every morning – or maybe even until you are now running late?

I sure hope not! But statistics would say that there is a good chance you are.

This has become a habit so common that many people joke about it, or are even proud of their snoozing habit. But have you ever stopped to consider what it is saying about the way you start your day?

Demetrius Martin says, “If you really think about it, hitting the snooze button in the morning doesn’t even make sense. It’s like saying, ‘I hate getting up in the morning—so I do it over… and over… and over again.’”

So why do people do it?

Probably because the motivation we all experience to “get up” when the alarm goes off is extremely low. After all, sleep is something that is not only enjoyable, but something that our bodies desperately need and crave.

According to the book, we have a Wake-Up-Motivation-Level (WUML) that can be broken down on a 1-10 scale. Here is what Hal says about our WUML:

“If you were to rate your level of motivation as it pertained to waking up—a.k.a. your Wake Up Motivation Level (WUML)—at the moment the alarm clock starts incessantly beeping, on a scale of 1-10 (“10” being ready to wake up and embrace the day, and “1” meaning you want nothing more than to go back to sleep), most of us would probably rate our WUML close to a one or a two. It’s perfectly natural, when you’re still half asleep, to want to hit the snooze button and keep on sleeping.”

Now that we know what our WUML is, the next question to consider is “how can we increase it?”

The book outlines a 5 step process we can follow:

1. Set Your Intentions the Night Before. The brain has a ton of power, and it can greatly affect the body for the positive or negative. If we go to bed thinking “I am not going to get enough sleep, I’m going to be exhausted in the morning” we are going to wake up and feel exhausted. But if we go to bed thinking “I am going to get a great nights sleep, and I will wake up feeling energized and refreshed” we are far more likely to wake up feeling that way. Note: I disagree with the author that the amount of time we sleep doesn’t matter. There is tons of scientific research proving the health effects from getting enough sleep or too little sleep. However, he is right that each of us are different and need a different amount of sleep. 7 1/2 to 8 hours is my sweet spot. Yours may be more or less. Just figure out the amount you need and then shoot for getting that amount every night. The point I would take away from this is that having a positive attitude about the amount of sleep you are going to get each night will always give you better results than having a negative attitude. However, a positive attitude should not be used in place of getting enough sleep, you should strive to have both.
2. Keep Your Alarm Clock Across the Room. This makes a huge difference for me. If I keep my alarm – my phone – within arms reach of my bed, I almost always turn my alarm off and go back to sleep. Sometimes without even realizing I have done so.
3. Brush Your Teeth. This is something simple that gets you moving. It helps you wake up a lot easier. Maybe even splash some water on your face when you are done brushing your teeth.
4. Drink a Full Glass of Water. This makes a big difference for me in a number of ways. Days I drink a big glass of water – I shoot for 16 oz – as soon as I get up, I have a far easier time “waking up” and I also feel much better. Dehydration is a bad thing, and drinking water is extremely important. What better way to start off your day than with something so healthy?
5. Get Dressed. Hal also says you can jump in the shower instead of getting dressed. Pick the option that works for you. I go to the gym in the morning, so I have my clothes set out the night before, that way I can get dressed immediately which allows me to leave for the gym as soon as I am done with the other parts of my Miracle Morning.

My Favorite Quotes

• One of the saddest things in life is to get to the end and look back in regret, knowing that you could have been, done, and had so much more. —Robin Sharma
• Approximately 95% of our society settles for far less than they want in life, wishing they had more, living with regret and never understanding that they could be, do, and have all that they want.
• If 95% of our society is not living the life that they want, we must figure out what they did wrong or what they didn’t do right, so that we don’t end up living a life of mediocrity.
• If you want to live an extraordinary life as defined and designed by you, then you must identify the fundamental causes of mediocrity so you can prevent them from robbing you of the life you want.
• 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.
• Accept the paradigm: my past does not equal my future.
• 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.
• I finally figured out the secret to overcoming mediocrity: live a life of purpose.
• To defeat this cause of mediocrity, you need a life purpose, which can be any purpose you want.Always remember that when you are committed to a life purpose that is bigger than your problems, your problems become relatively insignificant and you will overcome them with ease.For example, you may think it’s no big deal to miss a workout, procrastinate on a project, or eat fast food because you’ll get a “do-over” tomorrow. You make the mistake of thinking that skipping that workout only affects that incident, and you’ll make a better choice next time. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
• Every single thought, choice, and action is determining who we are becoming, which will ultimately determine the quality of our lives.
• How you do anything is how you do everything. – T Harv Eker
• Virtually all highly successful people—from CEOs to professional athletes to the President of the United States—embrace a high degree of accountability.
• The reality is that, statistically, 95% of the people that read any book don’t implement what they learn, because no one is holding them accountable to do so.
• Research has shown that we virtually become like the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
• If all of your friends are generally happy and optimistic people, then you are going to naturally become more happy and optimistic just by being around them.
• Our levels of success will rarely exceed our level of personal development, because success is something we attract by who we become.
• One of the saddest things in life is to live with regret, knowing that you could have, be, and do so much more.
• Mediocrity has nothing to do with how you compare to other people; it’s simply a result of not making the commitment to continuously learn, grow, and improve yourself.
• You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction. —George Lorimer
• Your first ritual that you do during the day is the highest leveraged ritual, by far, because it has the effect of setting your mind, and setting the context, for the rest of your day. —Eban Pagan
• There is no better day than today for us to give up who we’ve been for who we can become, and upgrade the life we’ve been living for the one we really want.
• If you really think about it, hitting the snooze button in the morning doesn’t even make sense. It’s like saying, ‘I hate getting up in the morning—so I do it over… and over… and over again.’ —Demetrius Martin
• Your first thought in the morning is usually the last thought you had before you went to bed.

It’s Action Time

1. Find an accountability buddy. In all areas of life, having someone you have to be accountable to helps you achieve your goals. As Hal suggests in the book, this is especially true with waking up and following through with your Miracle Morning. Find a friend who can keep you accountable. If they aren’t already in the book club, invite them to join.
2. Start waking up differently. If you are one of the people who sleeps till the last possible moment, and especially if you snooze till the last possible moment, stop doing that immediately. Starting tomorrow, give yourself enough time to wake up and do your Miracle Morning each day. And make it a point to never allow yourself to hit the snooze button again!

Coming Up Next…

Next week we will be coving Chapters 6-8 of the book. In the mean time, take the action steps above and jump into the group to help encourage others. See you next week!