Every morning I wake up in this house, I am completely mesmerized by this view of the clouds passing by the mountains. When we decided to head to North Carolina for the month of May, I had no idea what to expect as I had never been to the Blue Ridge Mountains nor did I do much research so was completely taken aback when we arrived as I realized we were in a small, gated community literally in the middle of the national park. We are so high up that we are quite literally above the clouds which is something I have never experienced before.

Needless to say that we’re all currently living a life starkly different from our 2019 selves and well, change can be challenging. When I began my USA digital nomad journey in mid-March, I initially fell off the Miracle Morning bandwagon since I was figuring out my new routine and while I still was doing some of the SAVERS, I wasn’t as consistent and noticed an increase in my anxiety, a lack of focus, poor eating habits, and sadly my waistline melting into a bit of pudge even though I had JUST gotten my spring bod ready after doing another round of the 30 day detox. You know the saying though, “If it is to be, it's up to me” so recommitted to adopting the Miracle Morning routine in FULL over the past week and have noticed a significant positive impact already - calmer, more inspired, focused, and more energized for the day! I’ve been doing my MM routine either from the porch or my room as this view gives me something to look forward to each day. I’ve been a MM adopter for ~3 years now and as it’s a constant evolution, I thought it would be fun to share my exact morning routine each month. One of the greatest things I’ve learned over the past few years is the power of systematizing your life to eliminate as much decision making as possible. This allows you to conserve your energy for more important things, like focusing on how to get yourself to where you want to be in the different areas of your life.

May 2020 Miracle Morning Routine

1. SILENCE / MEDITATION (8 min.)

Since I’ve been having trouble focusing, I’ve found guided meditations most helpful to clear the mind. I’ve been loving this 8-minute oneled by Austin-based Yogi master, Gustavo Padron posted on Goop.

2. AFFIRMATIONS (~3 min.)

I have a running list on my phone that I update every month for the upcoming month filled with “I am…” statements for all areas of my life. The key here is that when you read/say them, they should make you feel a positive, elevated emotion. If you feel nothing, think more about what would make you happy, what have you always wanted to do, what is the ideal version of you? Forget about any limitations as your intuition will guide you to solutions later. Just focus on what you want. For anyone new to affirmations, here’s a great list from Kimberley Wenya, my fave Manifestation Coach, that you can use as a jumping off point.

3. VISUALIZATION (5 min.)

This 5-minute video has been my favorite for years. I’ve shared longer recommendations in my original Miracle Morning post but this one is quick & efficient. I generally fast forward and begin at :30.🤓 It’s great to do following your affirmations as you’ve just reminded yourself what you want. Now it’s time to get your mirror neurons working and imagine how it would be when you have those things you’ve always wanted. This all may sound hoo-key but science has proven that when you do this, your mirror neurons will see it as having already happened so biologically you are more naturally guided to make decisions aligned with the desired outcome (i.e. if your goal is to lose weight and you imagine yourself svelte AF, you’ll most likely NOT be tempted by that slice of chocolate cake).

4. EXERCISE (10 min.)

As I’ve been overly indulging and my goal is to firm up my tummy, I’ve been loving this quick 10 min. yoga video focused on your overall body but definitely has plenty of ab focused moves.

5. READING (~10-20 min.)

I’m currently reading Robin Sharma’s The 5am Club. It keeps me motivated to do my miracle morning as I learn more and more about the positive long term effects of a morning routine. It’s a travel storybook adventure mixed with neuroscience-based principles which has been a fun way to fill up your wanderlust cup. In my Arbonne team, we are constantly sharing book recommendations and this one kept coming up repeatedly so I finally gave it a go. Since I already read Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning, I felt it must be the same but in fact, I’m learning/relearning a lot of new things.

For instance, exercising first thing in the morning not only wakes you up but helps you increase your focus for the day as it promotes neural brain cell activity to think better and faster. Additionally, your cortisol levels are actually the highest when you first wake up but exercise releases dopamines which decreases your cortisol and makes you happier (and of course you’ll be fitter too).

6. SCRIBING / JOURNALING (10 min.)

As I’ve been on the road, I’ve been using Penzu, a journaling website & app. I prefer the desktop as I’m old school and like to use a full on keyboard. I tend to keep to the Five Minute Journal prompts but when I’m trying to make a decision about something, I will also add in a Universe prompt for decision making which I learned from Gabby Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back.

• “I am so grateful that….” These are things that you are grateful for that have already happened. It can be in any area of your life and as small or big as you wish.

• “Today I will…” List a few things you will accomplish or do for yourself today. It can be a work task you’re working on and/or something fun like try a new recipe for gluten-free cookies.

• “I am so grateful now that…” or “I love it when…” List a few things that you would absolutely LOVE to do but write the as if they are already happened. This will help you focus on the things that you wish to have and then you can think about ways you can begin incorporating them into your life or how to get there as the day goes on.

• “Dear Universe, I release the need for control. Thank you for showing me where to go”. Think about what you would like guidance on and then release the decision to the Universe by writing this sentence. Whatever comes to your mind next, begin tapping/writing it out until you feel peaceful within again. I know this might sound woo-woo but I swear it works.

I hope sharing my routine has been helpful to you and this can be a resource if you’re not sure where to begin. Do you have any favorite tips, tools, or books you use for your routine? Let me know if so by sending me a message or leaving a comment below. x