S.A.V.E.R.S.

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Today I thought I would go a bit more into the components of the Miracle Mornings framework.  A few days ago I briefly mentioned that S.A.V.E.R.S. are the key to Miracle Mornings.  S.A.V.E.R.S. stands for:

Silence | Affirmation | Visualization | Exercise | Scribe

Miracle Mornings means that you commit to waking up at least 30 minutes early to go through each of the S.A.V.E.R.S. Realizing that some days will not allow for that time commitment, Hal says the S.A.V.E.R.S. can be done in as little as 6 minutes – spending just one minute on each component.

To get to work on time I need to leave my house by 8am.  I have experimented with different times to wake up to get my S.A.V.E.R.S completed and be out the door on time.  Two months in to my Miracle Morning journey I have tested alarm times anywhere between 5:30 and 7:30am.  The key is that no matter what time you wake up you do NOT press snooze.  When my dreaded alarm goes off I use that time for my ‘S.’  I take a moment to say Thank you God for another day.  I also say a prayer of gratitude and hope for what the day will bring.

For me reading is the best part of the morning.  I usually start with the Jesus Calling devotional, the accompanying scriptures on my bible app and then a few pages of a book on my ipad Kindle app.  RIght now I am circulating between Rising Strong (Brene Brown), For the Love (Jen Hatmaker) and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Marie Kondo).

My visualizations have mostly been about my affirmations.  I have tried to make my affirmations things that are not wishful thinking but actionable.  Then I form a picture in my mind of that action.  One of my recent affirmations as about me establishing my presence and showing my leadership at an important meeting.  I pictured myself making rounds and talking to influential people in the room — all without having a panic attack.

I do not do any of the other S.A.V.E.R.S. in order.  Most days I do them all but if I am going to skip something it is usually the scribing or the exercise.  On my good days I do a Jillian Michaels kettlebell workout and write my morning pages.  On my worst I do neither. Truth.

Right now my daily schedule is out of control.  For example, today I had back to back meetings from 8am to 8pm.  Between work and launching a new business most nights I do not get home until 8 or 9.  I get home and then spend the next few hours trying to process and decompress from the day.  Getting up early means I try to go to bed by 11pm.  For the most part I have been consistent with this new bedtime effort.  As a recovering night owl I am amazed that I have been able to change my body clock so quickly.

As a young emptynester who works relatively close to work, I realize some women might laugh as my suggestion that anything I’ve outlined is a challenge.  Having young children and/or needing to do things like cook dinner and check homework are not my current reality.  Still, I challenge all my women friends with children at home to push themselves to find time for themselves daily.  As much as the Miracle Mornings have been transformative for me there are hundreds of other productivity systems out there. The key is finding something that you can commit to, something that stirs you to action.

I believe every woman deserves the chance to grow. Finding a daily opportunity to be the center of your learning and living is an ideal way to help growth take place.  For some women this might mean hiding in the bathroom to read a few pages of a book or for others using your lunch hour to scrapbook.  For someone else it might be writing in a gratitude journal before bedtime or in a dream journal before getting up.

Ultimately, you have to believe something is possible to make it happen.  Do you believe you deserve to spend time on yourself? Are you willing to make a sacrifice for yourself like you make for your children/spouse/partner/community? Who is in our corner that can help hold you accountable for investing in yourself?

My goal is to support other women committed to growth.  How can I help you find the time to make your growth a priority?

kelli