[Free Giveaway] The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod

[MJ DeMarco]

Starting this month on the INSIDERS forum (April 1st) I will be giving away a book (or books) every month of Fastlane relevancy.

I have 3 copies of The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod -- 2 of them are being offered to INSIDERS -- the remaining book will be offered here.

Here is a photo and a link to the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Morni...id=1394651628&sr=8-1&keywords=miracle morning

What if you could miraculously wake up tomorrow and any—or every area of your life was transformed? What would be different? Would you be happier? Healthier? More successful? In better shape? Would you have more energy? Less Stress? More Money? Better relationships? Which of your problems would be solved?

What if I told you that there is a "not-so-obvious" secret that is guaranteed to transform any—or literally every area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible? What if I told you it would only take 6 minutes a day?

Enter The Miracle Morning. What’s now being practiced by thousands of people around the world could perhaps be the simplest approach to creating the life you’ve always wanted. It’s been right there in front of us, but this book has finally brought it to life.

Are you ready? The next chapter of your life—the most extraordinary life you've ever imagined—is about to begin.

YOU DESERVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP TO YOUR FULL POTENTIAL

Now as for the book...

I am happy to report that I read this book and I never thought I would say this about a "morning book" or a book with somewhat of a Law of Attraction modality, but this book CHANGED MY LIFE. Yes, you've read that correctly.

For years I've told myself "I'm not a morning person", and for the most part, it was true.

In fact, one of my WHYS for wanting to be an entrepreneur was my desire to sleep in. No alarm clock. No getting up at dark. I wanted to wake up when I wanted to wake up. When I started reading this, I was curious to see if it could break my strong narrative and my strong why.

It did.

After reading this book I actually started getting up at 4:00AM and hitting the gym. Yes, you've read the right. FOUR-FREAKING AM. As a result, my days are far more productive and my physique is changing before my eyes.

I never thought I could be one of these idiots who gets up at 4AM -- now I am one of those idiots -- I do it 5 times a week and mostly without an alarm clock.

How to Win The Book...

1) Post the most incredible thing you've done before 8AM
(Can't be an overnighter! "I drank myself to death and stumbled in at 5AM!")

or

2) Post the best business advice you ever received, heard, or learned.

I will pick 1 winner. Maybe Ill even set up a poll. Heck, I don't have a clue as I'm doing this under the READY - FIRE - AIM approach. Feel free to comment on any entry as well

 

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[brob742]

but this book CHANGED MY LIFE. Yes, you've read that correctly.

I've got to second this. I purchased this book back in November because I really simply wanted to develop better habits. As a result of reading the book and implementing the super basic concept, I am wayyyyyy more productive and refreshed every single day.

I wake up at 5am as a result of this book and it supercharges me everyday. After my morning routine I've got so much clarity about my health, relationships, spirituality, business and life.
There is a lot to be said about establishing systems, not only for your business, but for your life as well.
I have read A LOT of books. One that changed my perspective in business is TMF . One that has helped the most personally is The Miracle Morning. Thank you Hal, btw. I don't think have left a review or anything yet, but am looking forward to checking out the podcast which made it to the New & Noteworthy section.

It's pretty random to see a post about this here because it's not super well-known (yet), but it is a hell of a GEM.

Cool to see it impacted you as well MJ.

 

[Moodswing]

For me the best business advice I've ever received was simple: TAKE ACTION!

I've always been a chronic thinker/day dreamer. I would be thinking about great idea's/fantasies and how my life would work out and be satisfied by the thoughts alone. I know lame! But would do it multiple hours a day while listening to music or even at work to escape my "harsh" reality.

This even got to the point that I would do most of my daily tasks unconsciously so I could simultaneously continu this bad, ran out of hand, habit. Because of this I was living unconsciously and was a heavy procrastinator on all areas. Remember, the way you do anything is the way you do everything. Even at work I would do the bare minimum on all tasks and delay them to the bitter end till I would feel the pressure/danger of not finishing the task at hand. It was the only way I learned my brain to perform.

One day I came to the realization that I was heavily parked at life and my life had been the same for 3+ years and I didn't like it. I needed to change and discussed the problem with some friends. To my surprise someone started confessing to me he had had the same problem and found a way to fix it by just taking action. Choose one task you would single handedly focus on per day. And make a reminder/alert to just do it every single day no matter what and break trough the resistance of not wanting to do it. The resistance WILL be there! Feel it and just mindfully acknowledge it and do the task at hand anyway. Take baby steps at first like walking for 20 minutes at a predefined time. When you've done that for multiple days or weeks. Focus on another more complex beneficial task and continue the process. This way you will become more mindful of you actions and build your willpower (taking action) muscle.

I've started simple (turned out not to be) with everyday 30 min. meditation which helped me to focus more (attention span) and become mindful of my thought patterns and actions or lack thereof . After I've made this a habit I've focused on everyday exercise (weight lifting). And so on. This was a proces that took multiple years but guess what. If I know I have to do something because it would benefit me in some way or another. It gets DONE and this feels amazing and becomes even ADDICTIVE!


Edit: Just noticed that my story is not even direct business advice though but could be ;-)

 

[smarty]

well, I don't know if this counts as "incredible", but last year I promised to my fitness instructor to build them a simple gym manager software then I got busy with other things soon after. A week went by and I would hate starting to work on that project. Whenever he would ask me, I would say "I'm busy but will do it this week". A month went by and I stopped going to the gym. I would try to avoid walking by that place, and I got so full of it. Almost three months had passed. Then one Sunday I sat down and worked almost all day and all night and around 8am next morning, just before I had to go to work my job, I had the software finished. Almost 16 hours straight, without moving from the table. It was one of my favorite mornings

 

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[JAJT]

Only 3 replies? Okay, I'll jump in.

Most Incredible Thing I've Done before 8AM:

Become a father.

Okay, cliche, whatever, but there it is. After 3 days of hell in a hospital while my wife underwent all kinds of agony with a frustrating inducing process, we were both physically and mentally fried. Toast. Exhausted. I'll save the quite literally gory details but the end result my wife screaming at me to wake up around 5am while she was being wheeled out of the room to the OR for an emergency C-section. Before I knew what was happening I had all our belongings in my arms with a smock on running to chase the bed my wife was being pushed away on. Not minutes later, sleep still in my eyes, I was holding my son.

Let me tell you, an emergency operation is much, much better than caffeine for waking you up!

Best Business Advice:

So many tidbits to choose from! I'd have to say one of my favorite's is zen*******'s advice of going fast, selling fast, breaking shit, and letting the sales pay for the cost of everything that breaks. Basically outselling and outpacing the cost of failures and mistakes. Traditional thinking says "slow and steady wins the race" but Zen's advice as I understand it is "Run so fast that no matter how many scraped knees, tumbles and falls you take, you'll still be far, far ahead".

 

[Morethan1]

Best advise:
If you want to be like everybody else, keep doing what you're doing. If not, you will have to do what most are scared to do.

 

[TOS]

Bought the book and looking forward to doing this!

Thanks for the recommend, im recommending it further!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

The interesting thing about my early mornings is that I've been doing it mostly without an alarm clock. My mental clock has been waking me up. Some days I really have to struggle and force myself out of bed, other days I spring up and am ready to roll.

 

[Roland]

The most incredible thing I have ever done before 5am:
- Wake up to catch THE flight that has changed my life. My first transatlantic flight Paris to Bogota - Colombia to discover the country that has changed my entire perception of the world, people and business and to meet the woman who has become my wife.

The best business advice I have ever learned:
- Go for it, fall down, stand up again and keep going.

 

[LibertyForMe]

1) Post the most incredible thing you've done before 8AM

It was 5am when Dad grabs my shoulder and gently shakes me awake. "Get up and get dressed" he says in a low whisper. Bleary-eyed I roll out of bed and start putting on some hunting clothes.

A moment later my little brother ambles into the room, and starts getting dressed as well.

As I am tugging on my oversized waterproof boots, Dad stands by the front door with a few bananas and glasses of OJ, urging us, "hurry up, but be quiet we don't want to wake up Mom."

We open the front door and the brisk morning air hits me in the face and snaps me awake. The sun isn't even visible, and it is practically night. We pile into the car and head toward the farm where we will hunt.

During the car ride, the glow of morning starts creeping into the sky. But I don't have long to admire it before the crunch of gravel lets me know we are almost there. We pile out of the car; my brother, Dad, and I. We make the long trudge through a small valley and then over a big cornfield. Each step makes the outlines of the trees stand out a little more boldly against the faint pink sky. A stray bird here and there chirps. The cold air seems to enhance every sense.

We end up doing well on our spring turkey hunt, but that isn't the incredible part.

It is the special time - the stillness in the air, the beauty of nature, and the closeness of family that makes this my most incredible memory.

 

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[Cybria]

I already have a copy of this book...just wanted to chip in that it's very valuable if you want to make the most of your mornings. Highly recommend it. And Hal Elrod is a real stand up guy!

 

[zander]

I bought this book last night and read half of it in one sitting.

Normally, my alarm goes off at 6:30. I hit snooze 3-4 times. Rarely do I get out of bed before 7.

This morning I shot out of bed at 4:58, two minutes before my alarm even went off. I spent the first hour of my day going through the MM ritual. Then I had an awesome breakfast (which rarely happens). Then I sent out a proposal I had been putting off for several days.

All before 8:00 today. I'm already in a far better mood than most mornings.

Happy Monday.

 

[TOS]

Had two of these mornings now. The best thing i have gotten out of it is to program my mentalty to not think; "i need atleast XX hour of sleep or i wont be at my peak to do my best". Now its more "sleep is all mental, i can do as much as i want and the amount of sleep has nothing to do with it".

Results: I gotten right up from bed very early and gone through my own "ritual". After this im able to relax and enjoy my breakfast before i start structured on what i want to accomplish this day.

For my ritual i have changed something up. Im useally very excited on what i want to accomplish before i go to bed. So i write it down for the next morning. When im doing my ritual in the morning i plan what exactly i need to do so i can accomplish those things. Then after my relaxing breakfast i start right on it with the long term goal in mind.

 

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[bensonj]

@MJ DeMarco how many days/months have you been getting up at 4:00am and does it get easier I'm on day four (of 5:30am) and the first three days were rough - I'm guessing because I've been so used to going to bed well after midnight.Was there a point where the automatic waking up kicked in? Do you find that you go to bed much earlier. I'm going to bed by 11:00pm but tossing and turning until I would have normally gone to sleep. On the plus side this really works - I love it - I've been more productive since starting getting massive amounts of tasks/work done.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

I'm watching this thread with interest.
I have ZERO desire to wake up earlier than I do, but there is still something that is pulling me to this thread, and to the MM stories.
More and more people around here are starting to do it, so I'm curious.
Not ready to say "go" yet but not walking away.
Is it REALLY life changing? Like. Really?

 

[snowbank]

I'm watching this thread with interest.
I have ZERO desire to wake up earlier than I do, but there is still something that is pulling me to this thread, and to the MM stories.
More and more people around here are starting to do it, so I'm curious.
Not ready to say "go yet" but not walking away.
Is it REALLY life changing? Like. Really?

I can let you know in 30 days. I just started today

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

how many days/months have you been getting up at 4:00am and does it get easier

I'm over a month now ... it's close to the habit point.

Yes, it gets easier. However, if I'm getting up at 4AM, I'm heading straight to the gym. Not sure I could stay awake without the exercise. If I take an "off day" I do sleep in to about 7 or so for workout recovery. So to be clear: I'm not getting up at 4AM 7 days a week, just the gym days which amounts to 5-6 days per week.

Also, if I happen to be awake pre-4am (Say 3:30am) because I have to use the bathroom, I'll stay up and go to the gym instead of trying to go back to bed. The hardest part is just getting out of bed but once that's accomplished, it's pie.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Also want to mention the difference between my workout days (4AM rise) and my late rises are like night and day -- productivity and mental acuity are on different levels, although I'd like to stress that this is probably due to the 90 minute workout beforehand, and on an empty stomach. Google "fasted workouts" for more info.

I have ZERO desire to wake up earlier than I do

That was pretty much my position for my entire life.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

That was pretty much my position for my entire life.

What caused the shift then?
What even made you open the book?

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

What caused the shift then?
What even made you open the book?

It was an experience I had several years earlier. I couldn't sleep. I was restless. I looked at the clock and it was in the 4's. (Can't remember, 4:20am or some other ungodly hour.) I got up because trying to sleep was pointless. I then went on to have the most productive day in my life. Then it happened again several months later. Both experiences was something that stuck in my head, although they were due to sleepless nights, not a willingness to just get up early.

So when I came across this book I remembered those experiences and wondered... can I repeat that by will, not by happenstance?

The other thing I'm loving is that I am doing what others won't. While everyone is asleep and sucking their thumbs, I'm hard at work. (I will also concede that I can come home and go back to bed if I want [I have that option] but do not.) A 45 minute nap might happen late afternoon as well.

 

[million$$$smile]

Most incredible thing:

I was 18 years old, green behind the ears. I was an apprentice (they called us "punks" back then) working on a highrise in downtown Seattle.
My foreman told me that I'd be replacing another iron worker that didn't show up for work. My work 'partner' and I would be working 18 floors up bolting the beams in place. When I got up there it was a whole different world. 180 feet up and they wanted me to walk a 6" beam to put additional bolts in the other end. My partner stood with me on one end and looked across to the other side and said "son, just keep one foot in front of the other and you'll be alright. Don't stop."
Back then they didn't use lanyards and harnesses. It was just freestyle.
I looked out across there and swallowed hard. I knew there was a hundred eyes on me from all over the jobsite. I stepped out and began to walk. Half way across the beam, it began to shake. My partner yelled "Don't stop! Just keep going!" It took every ounce of courage to do that and not freeze up. I put one foot in front of the other and made it across.

The one thing it taught me that day and what I have used ever since is to swallow my fears.
Don't allow them to stop you from putting one foot in front of the other and to keep going...

Best business advice:

It was from my mom when I was young:

"If you can buy an apple for 50 cents and sell it for $1.00, you'll make money"

That simple little sentence has stayed with me and helped me to live my dreams today...

 

[bensonj]

Is it REALLY life changing? Like. Really?

I used to be a real morning person years ago (5:00am every morning) and I can tell you it makes a difference. There is just something about getting up before the sun comes up. Adding in Hal's personal development first thing in the morning I think will make an even greater difference because while I've always worked on me - if I don't do it first thing in the morning, I get too busy. Slowly I got out of the habit of getting up and started compensating by staying up longer…I've been trying to get back to early rising but just couldn't do it on a consistent basis. I'm determined now.

The hardest part is just getting out of bed but once that's accomplished, it's pie.

Exactly MJ - once I'm up - I'm up and I'm like you - I have to exercise first!

 

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[Morethan1]

Just finished the book now. Can't wait for tomorrow morning to try this out.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

Just bought the book.
Gagging.
Seriously.
Do I really need to look at anything other than the cover?

 

[Phenom]

For years I have always wonder how much my life would change if I got up really early and workout. This will allow me 1) to get my workout out of the way (I workout 5x a week at around 9pm) and 2) give me more time later during the day to push for my fastlane project. I tried it a few times and failed...having a baby made it even more challenging.

This thread has pushed me to give it another try. I will read the book to learn the process behind it (if there's one). Question to those that do follow the book and wake up early, what time is your bedtime?

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Do I really need to look at anything other than the cover?

Nope. Just get your a$$ out of bed at 4AM. Ha Ha.

 

[Roland]

For years I have always wonder how much my life would change if I got up really early and workout. This will allow me 1) to get my workout out of the way (I workout 5x a week at around 9pm) and 2) give me more time later during the day to push for my fastlane project. I tried it a few times and failed...having a baby made it even more challenging.

This thread has pushed me to give it another try. I will read the book to learn the process behind it (if there's one). Question to those that do follow the book and wake up early, what time is your bedtime?

For me, bedtime is between 22-23:00 and wake up at 5 am

 

[M&N]

The most incredible thing I've done before 8 AM...hm.

After I've graduated from my university, for 2 years I've been working for a big corporation. 5 days a week I was waking up at 6 am because I had to be in front of my desk at 7 am. Sharp and clean, ready to work for the man for a measly paycheck. The longer I worked there, the more determined I was to start a business and change my life. I started learning about marketing and business (I often went to bed at 2 am and woke up at 6 am). This was the time when I stumbled upon "The 4 Hour Work Week" and later "The Fastlane Millionaire". I finally registered a sole proprietorship and started doing something.

Did I earn millions? No. Actually I haven't made a dime for the ENTIRE first year. But I've learnt a ton and I'm still learning (& struggling). I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur, unfortunately I was a wantrepreneur. It was the experience of getting up at 6 am so I could work for somebody else with a smile on my face that really pushed me forward. Moreover, I've learnt that books/courses etc are great and you should constantly develop your knowledge, but none of them can compare to the training you get by taking real action and getting things done by yourself.

 

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[Red]

Best thing done before 8am:

Drove to a clients listed home for sale on the other side of the valley to rip out all of the wiring/cables/jimmy-rigging that the neighbor had attached to the house (they were stealing cable, electricity & trying to get water) so that the appraiser would approve the loan for the buyers. Tied all the cables up & left it on the doorstep (they didn't answer when I knocked, shocker) with a less-than-nice note to the tune of, "If you do this again, I'm calling the police & filing charges. Don't be that guy."

Very curious about the book.... I used to get up with the sun (4:30 or so in the summer, not so good in the winter at 8am)...

 

[Mrs. BRKb]

The other thing I'm loving is that I am doing what others won't.

This ^^.