Phase 3: Unstoppable...ish

I did it! 30 days of the Miracle Morning. Well, sort of. I'll admit to missing a few days here and there. 

Hal describes this phase as "unstoppable", and that this new habit now "transcends the space between something you're trying and who you're becoming." Hmm. I guess I missed this memo because honestly, I didn't find this last ten days to be any easier than the last twenty days! Maybe it's because I wasn't super consistent and skipped a few days. He does write that, "taking a few days off before you've invested the necessary time into positively reinforcing the habit makes it difficult to get back on track." 

Part of the challenge during this phase was a new obstacle: my eldest child starting school. Starting school meant more anxieties for little ones, which meant more middle of the night wake ups, which meant I was more tired, which meant I hit the snooze button more than I should have. The kids were also waking up 30 minutes earlier than they normally do (around 5:30), so when I did gather up the motivation, I would be interrupted just as I was starting. 

Yes, that was an issue unique to me as a parent - getting interrupted and then really just losing motivation to continue it later on. I'm not even sure if you were really supposed to do it in different increments throughout the morning. There's no mention of it in his book, though he does reiterate that you don't have to do everything. 

I suppose the logical answer is wake up earlier, but 4:30 in the morning just sounds awful. That would mean I was going to bed really early. As any parent knows, bedtime is the only time for "me". And yeah, I suppose the Miracle Morning is supposed to be "me" time, but I kinda want my "me" time to be languishing on the couch scrolling Instagram reels (which is, ironically, probably counterproductive?). 

The million-dollar question - will I continue it? 

Yes, I think I will. I won't be militant about it, but I will make an effort to integrate the meditation and journaling into the morning. I already exercise fairly consistently so I am not too bothered by doing that first thing in the morning; plus, the exercise is the easiest thing for me to incorporate into my day with small children. The affirmation is part of the journaling for me, and I never really got into visualization, so I am just going to drop this. I read a lot anyway, but I noticed that reading the more motivational books before bed actually worked more for me than first thing in the morning. Maybe finding a book that had daily passages would be a good idea.

Would this be something I'd recommend to others? I don't think I would bring it up out of the blue, but if someone were to say they're miserable in their life for a defined, fixable reason, I'd probably bring it up (and fully expect them to laugh me out of the room by suggesting waking up an hour earlier). I think it's applicable to anyone, but it really does require some intentional thought into what your personal goals are, finding affirmations that are just a touch outside of your reach but realistic, and a very defined plan on how you'd reach that goal. And these things have to really mean something to you - just going through the motions won't work. I noticed that for myself during the past month; if I was just phoning it in for the morning, it really didn't make a difference except for increasing my fatigue. 

Overall, it was an interesting experience and I do think it provided some benefits. If I could get over some of the interrupted sleep issues, I think it would be reasonable to do daily. 

Try it for yourself and see!