About 2 years ago I started this blog. I was starting to paint furniture and work on some projects around my home. I often read other blogs to find ideas and how to’s and thought I would like to start my own blog and share what I’d learned. As I was brainstorming a name for my blog (this is harder than you might think) I was struggling to come up with just the right one. I knew I would blog about some of the projects I would be working on but I also thought I might want to blog about more than just pieces I painted or fixed up, or rooms I was transforming. I knew at that time I wanted to do some self improving as well. So the name The Cindy Project was born. Well to be honest I’m not the only one to come up with this clearly unique name. 😉 Apparently there are a few Cindy’s out there who project. But I own the .com sooo…..😊
Anyhoo I chose this name because I am the project. I am the one learning new things and working to improve who I am. At least that’s the goal! And a few months ago I found my way to a book called The Miracle Morning. You may have read my post back in August about Motivation. I was looking for somewhere to start and get motivated and I felt I’d found it. Since then a lot’s happened. I would like to share some of it with you.
If you haven’t heard of The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod (I hadn’t until a few months ago) it’s a motivational book on transforming your life before 8am. Ya so not really a morning person.
Like at all.
I just watched a Seinfeld episode where he jokes about night time guy sabotaging morning guy (gal in my case). But that “joke” is something I completely relate to. My nighttime gal really likes to hang out way past her welcome. Morning gal doesn’t like nighttime gal. So my mornings have never been a huge success and I didn’t really like that about myself. It was time for a change.
So I started reading. And this is some of what I learned.
Mornings don’t have to be the dreaded time of the day. They really have been for me in the past. I would hit snooze more than once and drag myself out of bed while I told myself I was going to do everything I could to get myself back in bed as soon as possible. Morning naps were happening more often than I would like to admit. (don’t judge – I’m a Taurus and we like our naps – even in the morning) Now, with a little direction and determination, I’m learning that mornings are the time of the day to plan, get motivated, learn and go. It’s a weird thing to wake up in the morning excited to start my routine but most mornings that’s how I wake up. Ok so I realize this isn’t exactly ground breaking or even a new concept, but for me it’s brought about some real changes as well as some accomplishments. And morning naps are a thing of the past (unless I’m on vacation and then all bets are off).
I’m also finding that the planner I’ve always had a hard time using, is becoming very useful. Am I the only one who keeps buying a cute planner and cute planner accessories but doesn’t really use that cute planner? Weeks would go by and I would pick up my dusty planner to plan out my week and a couple of weeks later it was collecting dust again. Now my mornings start with planner in hand and I actually use it to plan my days and weeks. No more dust!
Along with my planner, my day also starts with my Miracle Morning Journal. I opted not to buy the official Miracle Morning Journal because I wanted to make my own. You know, so it would be kinda cute! 😍 But whether you use the official journal or your own, it helps to have a place to keep yourself accountable. I like to check things off. It makes me feel accomplished and helps me see my progress! So everyday I check off my Miracle Morning Life S.A.V.E.R.S.
What are Life SAVERS you ask? It’s the steps you take in the morning to get your day off in the right direction.
S. – Silence
A. – Affirmations
V. – Visualization
E. – Excercise
R. – Reading
S. – Scribing
Here’s a picture of my Miracle Morning Journal. You can see how I set mine up.
When you read the book it gives a detailed description of how to use each of these steps to get you ready for the day. I tweaked a few of them to work a little better for me. For example I’ve chosen to make my morning Reading my scripture study time. I’ve always wanted to make daily scripture study a habit but too often I’ve fallen short. Now I start every day with scriptures as well as reading other books or something on line I’m wanting to learn more about. It’s amazing how much easier it is to reach my goal of daily scripture study when I’ve set time aside for it each day, and made it part of a routine.
Something else I added to Visualization is a Vision Board. A Vision Board is a place you add pictures or words of goals you are working towards. Having pictures and words to look at have helped me keep my priorities in order as well as motivating me to work towards those goals. I’ll do another post on Vision Boards soon, so watch for that. It’s been a really good motivator and I think everyone can benefit from creating one.
Why am I doing all of this and why am I telling you about it? I believe life is a journey of learning and growth. I believe we are here to experience life to the fullest and it is our responsibility to find ways to improve ourselves and our talents. I’m sure you’ve felt that desire to do something more, something new or something meaningful. I’d felt that way for quite some time and I think that’s what put me on the path to finding not just this book, but other people in my life who can teach me to reach my goals and learn new skills.
There’s a quote in the book that’s always been one of my favorites. It’s by Marianne Williamson
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
I love this! We often have a tendency to belittle our talents or our own worth. But if we are honest with ourselves then we know that is not why we are here or what life is about. We’re meant to find our full potential and live that life. I use my daily Affirmations to remind myself that I can reach the goals I set for myself. I remind myself I can do hard things. For the last several months I’ve said them to myself every single day, and I see in myself a positive change. I still have a lot to work on, but I am now on a path that will get me where I want to be.
If you are looking to make some changes in your life I can honestly say The Miracle Morning is a good start. But whatever you do, making a few changes, starting some new positive habits or learning some new skills will bring positive change to your life. If you don’t like where you are, change up what you are doing. Nothing will change if you don’t make a change. Another quote from the book that rang true to me is a quote by Neale Donald Walsh
Life Begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Boy this was a hard one for me to learn. But for the past few years this has been how I’m trying to live my life. I don’t have to tell you how easy it is to stay in your comfort zone. But you’ve probably learned most of what there is to learn in your comfort zone. There is so much more outside of that. So much more you can accomplish if you allow yourself to feel uncomfortable. I can tell you I would not be writing a blog if I hadn’t taken that step to the outside. I may not be the best writer but I do have a few things I can share and in sharing I continue to learn as well.
I hope you found this helpful. I will continue to write posts and share some of the things I’m learning as well as some of the positive changes that are happening for me. I would really love to hear from you. Please share your experiences, thoughts or questions in the comments. I’m on the search for more great books or resources to help me on my journey and I would love some suggestions on what works for you. As I said in my previous post on motivation, if you are reading this you are one of my accountability people. And if you like this post and would like to hear more, please sign up for my emails.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post
Cindy
