Miracle Morning Archives - Detroit Duchess

Monday Motivation: The Miracle Morning

September 17, 2018 by DetroitDuchess Leave a Comment

I have a confession to make…I fell off the Miracle Morning bandwagon these past few months. I’m still doing bits and pieces here and there but I haven’t gotten up early in a while. Life happened and things got really stressful for a while so I just needed some extra sleep. But today – today was different. I woke up motivated to get back on track. These things that I am doing will lead me to the right path but only if I’m consistent with them. So it’s time to start over and get fired up. This video from Rachel Hollis is a great motivator.

Needless to say, I finished her book Girl, Wash Your Face ASAP. So here are a few of the Miracle Morning SAVERS that are speaking to me right now.

Silence

I’m still loving the Headspace app, but we did have the Meditation Works van come to work a few weeks ago and it was awesome to get out of the office and really leave those thoughts behind. I like the idea of going to a special place to meditate, even if it is outside on my patio while the weather is still nice.

Affirmations & Visualization

I’m putting these two together because I think I need to have both of them more visible and present in my life. In Rachel Hollis’ book she suggests posting things up in her closet because she can see it every day. While I love my affirmations and visualization apps it might be good to have them a little more in my face on the regular. I LOVE this Maison Rouge Lamartine Shabby Chic Distressed Antique Ivory Wood Wall Memo Board ($70.99).

Exercise

I need to get some exercise motivation, so I was thinking about trying a new class once a week and see how I liked it. I REALLY want to start with cardio drumming and I found the POUND workout series, but can’t find many around where I live. If anyone knows of a good class let me know! I found one on Friday nights so I will definitely share on my social posts if I make it out there, but if anyone knows of a good morning class in Oakland County sign me up!

Reading

As I mentioned above, I recently finished Girl, Wash Your Face and LOVED everything about it. Rachel (I’m going to pretend that we’re on a first name basis) is so inspiring and motivating. I haven’t been this fired up in a while. I’ve also read The Body Book by Cameron Diaz, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, Successful Philanthropy by Jean Shafiroff, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, and The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. I’m currently working on The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley.

Scribing

I’m taking a page out of Katie Dalebout’s book (Let it Out if you haven’t seen my last post on the Miracle Morning) and trying to work on her HappyThankYouMorePlease prompt. This is where you create a note in your phone called “HappyThankYouMorePlease” and anytime a good feeling washes over you, you take out your phone and complete this sentence: “Thank you for_____________________________; more please.” Then you have this wonderful long note of gratitude to pull back out and look at when you are feeling down. It is based on a movie by Josh Radnor (a.k.a. Ted Mosby for all my HIMYM fans) that I have been meaning to watch:

How are you staying motivated for the Miracle Morning? For more Miracle Morning posts, click here.

Filed Under: Be the Best You Tagged With: Cameron Diaz, Gary Chapman, HappyThankYouMorePlease, Headspace, Jean Shafiroff, Katie Dalebout, Let it Out, Marie Kondo, Meditation Works, Mel Robbins, Miracle Morning, Monday Motivation, POUND, Rachel Hollis, Successful Philanthropy, The 5 Love Languages, The 5 Second Rule, The Body Book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Millionaire Next Door, The Miracle Morning, Thomas J. Stanley

The Miracle Morning – One Year Later

January 23, 2018 by DetroitDuchess 1 Comment

It’s been a whole year since I started doing The Miracle Morning and I’m amazed at the changes I’ve made in my life because of it. As I mentioned in my previous posts, I had a lot of personal changes going on and The Miracle Morning gave me a way to focus on my priorities and not lose myself in the process. If you missed my introduction post, you can see it here, my 60 day post here, my 90 day post here, and my 180 day post here.

Here are a few things I added to my morning routine over the last 365 days:

Silence

I’ve upped my Headspace meditation to 15 minutes from the original 10 minutes. I’m currently working through the focus pack. I also started reading the One Year Bible and I love everything I’m learning. I’ve never read through the Bible in its entirety and it is a breath of fresh air. I also have been trying my hand at memorizing Bible verses. So far I’ve memorized Psalm 23, John 3:16, Mark 12:30 and Psalm 1:2.

Affirmations

I’m still using the Think Up app for my affirmations, one of which has been to drink a gallon of water every day. Since I’ve introduced the Hidrate Spark into my day I’ve gotten a lot closer to hitting that goal on a consistent basis.

Visualization

This Tony Robbins is currently my visualization jam. I want to be a millionaire and I want to go to Fiji and this video has it all. Plus Tony is amazing:

Exercise

Since it’s been so cold out, Sport and I haven’t been able to walk too much so I’ve been hitting up my Gaia app and working out to old “The Firm” videos. I need to buy a set of 8 pound weights and move up to the next level from my 5’s and 3’s. I love doing Cardio Party on Fridays. I currently have this set of 20 pounds total, which are handy to have around.

Reading

Since my last post I’ve read The Body Book by Cameron Diaz, You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, Let it Out: A Journey Through Journaling by Katie Dalebout, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman, and Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life By What You Give by Jean Shafiroff.

Scribing

This is been the hardest thing to get into over the past year, but reading Katie Dalebout’s book really helped give me some direction.

This journey I’ve been on for the past year has changed me for the better in so many ways. If you’ve read The Miracle Morning and are looking for a time to start, now is the time. Join me on the journey for a brighter future! I promise you won’t regret it.

If you’ve already started your Miracle Morning I would love to hear how its been going for you.

For more Be the Best You posts, click here.

Filed Under: Be the Best You Tagged With: Affirmations, Be the Best You, Cameron Diaz, Gary Chapman, Hal Elrod, Headspace, Hidrate Spark, Jean Shafiroff, Jen Sincero, Journaling, Katie Daleabout, Let it Out, Meditation, Miracle Morning, Psalm 23, Successful Philanthropy, The 5 Love Languages, The Body Book, The Miracle Morning, Tony Robbins, Visualization, You are a Badass

Just Drink It with the Hidrate Spark

November 26, 2017 by DetroitDuchess 5 Comments

One of my long-term goals has been to drink more water. If you need more reasons why you should drink a gallon of water every day, here are some of the most beautiful celebrities in the world espousing the benefits.

I’ve tried a number of apps, like Plant Nanny (which I talked about here) and bought fun water bottles but nothing was really getting me to drink more water. When I started doing my Miracle Morning, I added a water-drinking affirmation “I will drink a gallon of water every day.” This has been hard for me to stick to. I started chugging water at certain points in the day if I hadn’t hit my hourly goals.

Back in December 2016, I started seeing ads for the Hidrate Spark, a smart water bottle and I saved the ad on Facebook to go back to later. When I added the goal to my Miracle Morning, I remembered the bottle and decided to try it for myself.

The Hidrate Spark was created in 2014 by a group of U of M students for the Google Startup weekend in Minnesota. They built this bottle in just 54 hours! That is amazing! About a year later, they were able to launch their business. Go Blue baby! After reading that, how could I resist springing for my own bottle? I settled on the teal color and waited for it to arrive.

The first day I had the bottle, I hit my water goals no problem. It was so fun! After the novelty wore off, I went back to my average daily amount and had to work up to hitting my goal. That’s where the Hidrate Spark really shows its value. You can set the bottle to light up when you are behind on your water goals with a variety of settings. It is pretty funny to be in a meeting and your water bottle starts blinking. I’ve received so many funny looks about this bottle at work. The second part and my favorite, is that the bottle texts me with all sorts of funny things to remind me to drink up. Here are some samples from the past few days:

The bottle is powered by two coin sized batteries that you can get at the drugstore. The company gives you an extra set to start with. I also loved that the Hidrate Spark connects with my Fitbit app so you can keep everything in one place. Another cool feature, is that the water intake goal changes based on your weight and the temperature. So if it’s hotter outside your goal will increase.

This app has the capability for you to compete with friends too. Unfortunately, I don’t have any friends with the Hidrate Spark yet so let me know if you get one and we can be friends!

After about 3 or 4 months after getting my first bottle, Hidrate Spark came out with a limited edition blue bottle and I couldn’t resist getting it. I figured it would be nice to have a second bottle so I could wash one and use the other and then swap them out. You can put the bottle and the top in the dishwasher, you just have to take off the sensor stick. I usually remove the little tie on the back too. They bring back this blue color every so often, so if you want to get that one, just sign up for their emails to be notified when it comes back.

On a side note, this is not a sponsored post, I purchased both of these bottles myself and love them. A few months ago I dropped my teal bottle one too many times and my cap broke and wouldn’t snap shut. I contacted the company about a replacement cap (which I would have purchased) and they asked me a few questions and ended up sending me the replacement for free! Talk about great customer service.

If you’re looking to increase your water intake or for a great gift idea for that health conscious person in your life, I highly recommend the Hidrate Spark. Let me know if you have any questions about the bottle and I would love to answer them.

For more Be the Best You posts, click here.

Filed Under: Be the Best You Tagged With: Be the Best You, Goals, Hidrate Spark, Miracle Morning, Water, Water Bottle

Celebrating Four Years of Blogging

August 1, 2017 by DetroitDuchess 6 Comments

Four years ago I took a leap of faith and hit publish on this little blog of mine. Since then, I’ve learned so much about blogging, writing and social media and had a lot of fun in the process. I’ve had some amazing opportunities with partners and sponsors and am always honored when amazing companies want to work with me. I mentioned in my Miracle Morning post at the beginning of the year, that this last year was personally very difficult for me. My posts have been fewer and further between, but I’m glad I pushed through and didn’t give this up. For those of you that have kept reading, I LOVE having you here. My sincerest wish for this site is for you to imagine we are enjoying some girl talk over a glass of wine.

As I tried to take some photos, Sport kept trying to eat my candle – this little boy brings me tons of joy! I thought Sport and I would announce my annual blogiversary giveaway with a month of giveaways. Enter the giveaway below and each week I will choose another winner.

Week 1 – August 8

I started The Miracle Morning this year and it has changed everything! I want to help someone else change their life so I’m giving away a copy of Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning as my first prize.

Week 2 – August 15

This year, I was able to attend a screening of Beauty and the Beast and this was one of my favorite movies. Of all the Disney princesses I most identified with Belle. As a child I always had my nose in a book. I loved the live action movie so much and want to give away a little piece of the story to my readers. My second prize is this Beauty and the Beast stained glass rose compact. It is so beautiful!

Week 3 – August 22

Speaking of movie screenings, I covered 50 Shades Darker this year and had SO much fun at the screening and pulling together Anastasia’s looks from the movie. I’m a huge romance novel fan (my guilty pleasure) and 50 Shades is one of my favorites. I recently re-read the books and wanted to give one reader her very own masquerade mask. This is the authentic Samantha Peach mask that Anastasia wore in the movie.

Week 4 – August 29

Last but not least, is this adorable little pineapple planter from my Summer Favorites list. I am obsessed with pineapples right now and I thought this would look perfect in someone’s home.

You can enter the giveaway here, and I will announce a new winner each week. Thank you for all of your support over the past four years!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 50 Shades Darker, Beauty and the Beast, Blogiversary, Detroit Duchess, Giveaway, Hal Elrod, Miracle Morning, Samantha Peach, Sport

The Miracle Morning – 180 Days

July 21, 2017 by DetroitDuchess 6 Comments

I just hit the 180 day mark on my Miracle Morning journey and thought I would give you a little update! In case you missed my introduction post, you can see it here, my 60 day post here, and my 90 day post here.

Something amazing is happening! Since my last post, a few of my friends have starting doing The Miracle Morning after seeing my process on a recent girls trip. I love that we are all pushing each other forward! Our texts have changed to sharing fun motivation posts and asking meditation questions. This by far is one of the best outcomes of starting this journey.

Achieving 180 days of The Miracle Morning requires a lot of discipline. When I get questions about my routine, many people ask how I have time to focus every day. My answer is that some days are more hectic than others. The important thing is consistency. If you can’t do a full blown workout – do a 10 minute ab workout. It’s about quantity more than quality on some days. The second you stop doing it, the easier it is to not start back up again the next day.

Here are a few things I’ve added to my routine in the past 90 days:

Essential Oils

I wrote a post on adding essential oils to my meditation and morning routine. Right now I am using peppermint, lavender, rosemary and lemon in my diffuser, but hope to add more to my collection soon. I had a lot of trips scheduled in June and brought peppermint along for the ride. It was so helpful to get me in the Miracle Morning mindset when I was in a different place. Smell is really powerful in bringing you back to your routine.

Meditation

I’m still loving the Headspace app and it recently received an update. One of the great new features is that you can change the time of your meditation daily instead of sticking with only 10 minutes for an entire pack. For example, if you have extra time you can up your meditation to 15 or 20 minutes and then go back to 10 minutes the next day. Headspace also shared this new video – if this doesn’t convince you of the importance of meditation I’m not sure what will:

Reading

I completed The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long and I highly recommend it. Weldon has an incredible back story as a 3-time convicted felon. If he can make affirmations and visualization work in an 8×8 prison cell, what’s your excuse? I would love to read his other book, The Upside of Fear which shares more of his personal journey.

If you’re still not doing The Miracle Morning, what’s stopping you? Watch the following video with Hal Elrod himself explaining how The Miracle Morning can transform your life:

How are you sticking to The Miracle Morning?

For more Be the Best You posts, click here.

Filed Under: Be the Best You Tagged With: Affirmations, Be the Best You, Hal Elrod, Headspace, Journaling, Meditation, Miracle Morning, The Miracle Morning, The Power of Consistency, Visualization, Weldon Long

The Miracle Morning – 90 Days

April 25, 2017 by DetroitDuchess 2 Comments

I am thrilled to share that I recently hit 90 days in my Miracle Morning journey! In case you missed my introduction post, you can see it here and my 60 days post here. Since I started doing the Miracle Morning, I have been more on track and focused on my goals than ever before. I can see a number of positive changes already happening in my life which makes me even more determined. If you still aren’t convinced that getting up early is a good thing, take a look at this article from Business Insider on all of the successful CEOs that are incorporating parts of The Miracle Morning into their routines. I never considered myself a morning person, but if I can do it, so can you!

If you’ve been following along, I’m going to share a few insights and tips I have learned or added to the morning routine for each of the SAVERS.

Silence

I am still loving the Headspace app more than ever! Now that it has warmed up and I’m walking the dog again, I’ve been using the Walking Meditation available in the Singles section. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but after the first 30 days I wanted to add some devotions to my silence. We had a copy of Jesus Lives in our guest room and I have been doing that every day after my meditation.

Affirmations

I’m still loving the ThinkUp App for my affirmations and I recently discovered that you can categorize them. So I could have a set that I listen to in the morning and some on the way to work, etc. Over the past 30 days, I have hit two of the goals that I have been saying daily affirmations for. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to do that. One was a money goal that I set a specific time limit to (end of Q1) and the other was my water goal. Ever since I got the Hidrate Spark, I went from barely getting in 8 ounces a day to exceeding 100 ounces everyday! Both were HUGE accomplishments for me. Stay tuned for a full review of the Hidrate Spark in an upcoming post. I also want to create a group of bedtime affirmations that are specifically targeted for the next day and start a night routine as well. I’m sharing this video just for fun – you have to own your affirmations people!

Visualization

This is the area I have the most trouble with. I am still using my HayHouseVB app but think I need to step it up a bit. Someone in the Miracle Morning Facebook Community suggested YouTube visualization videos and I am just starting to incorporate them into my morning. For example, one of the things I am visualizing is taking a trip to Paris, so I found this video which is 100 times better than just looking at photos:

Exercise

Now that it has warmed up again, Sport and I are back at our morning walks. I try to get 10,000 steps each day which is hard to do without our walk. About a month ago I accidentally flushed my Fitbit Zip down the toilet so I couldn’t track my steps anymore. This was the perfect reason to upgrade to the FitBit One, which I love! This added a sleep tracker and the ability to set an alarm. So I now have an alarm set on my Fitbit to vibrate and wake me up in the morning. How cool is that?

Reading

I finally finished Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. That one was a harder read just because of the outdated language, but the principles are great. I took a short stop to my next book to read Michael Ellsburg’s manifesto What Does it Mean That Your Life is Perfect? This was recommended in one of Hal Elrod’s podcasts and it is a free download and only about 40 pages.

Scribing

This is another SAVER that I am still working on. One thing I want to incorporate into this next round is adding one thing that I’m grateful for each day.

How are you sticking to The Miracle Morning?

For more Be the Best You posts, click here.

Filed Under: Be the Best You Tagged With: Affirmations, Be the Best You, Fitbit, Hal Elrod, HayHouse, Headspace, Jesus Lives, Journaling, Meditation, Michael Ellsburg, Miracle Morning, Napoleon Hill, The Miracle Morning, Think and Grow Rich, Visualization, What Does it Mean That Your Life is Perfect

The Miracle Morning – 60 Days

March 18, 2017 by DetroitDuchess 2 Comments

I wanted to give a little update to my original Miracle Morning post. I recently hit the 60 day mark and wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for my SAVERS and hopefully get some tips from you if you’re following along at home.

Silence

I am OBSESSED with the Headspace app. The first 10 days are free and then you subscribe for a nominal fee. I recommend doing the first 10 days free and then subscribing afterwards. I have a few free month trial codes if anyone is interested. The first two people to email me at elizabeth@detroitduchess.com can have them. I will put you on the list after that in case I get more. Also let me know if you are using this because we can be meditation buddies!

Affirmations

For my affirmations, I got an app called “Think Up.” You can type your affirmations and then record yourself saying them. Every morning I play them back to myself.

Visualization

To help visualize my goals, I downloaded the HayHouseVB app, which is essentially an online vision board. I like that you can create a bunch of different boards and I have a lot of fun with this. Plus they are always with me and I can look at them anytime.

Exercise

Since we are in the winter months, I’ve had to find some alternatives to walking as it is FREEZING outside. When I lost weight in the past, I was an avid follower of The FIRM workout plan. I found out that The FIRM was acquired by Gaia and that you can get all of their workout videos from the Gaia app. So I went ahead and got myself a subscription. This has been one of the best investments I’ve made! I LOVE these workouts and I love being able to do them on our Apple TV. You can find all of The FIRM workouts here. I also like that I can get any kind of workout I want at anytime anywhere from Gaia. Here’s a little taste from YouTube in case you’ve never done one before:

Reading

I finished 10% Happier, my pick from the first 30 days and now am onto Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This one was recommending by Hal Elrod and he noted it was where he first heard about affirmations. The book is interesting because it was written in 1937 and published during the Great Depression. Most of it still holds up today and I love that it is a collection of real world examples of 20 years of studying successful people.

Scribing

This has probably been the hardest area for me because I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing here. I did end up purchasing the official Miracle Morning Journal because I like the SAVERS checkboxes. You can get a free sample here.