You snooze, you lose

1. Get rid of negative energy

Elrod believes every time we hit the snooze button and say, ‘Not yet!’ to waking up, we’re actually resisting our own lives. ‘Think about the kind of negative energy that surrounds you when you begin your day with resistance. It’s as if you’re saying, ‘I don’t want to live my life, at least not to the fullest,’ he says. So, could waking up on time, or earlier, be the key to a more energetic, focused and prosperous day?

2. Wake up with purpose

Elrod says we can change everything. ‘Your first thought in the morning is usually the one you had just before you went to bed,’ he explains. On Christmas Eve we’re eager for the next day so we jump out of bed, excited. But if we think, ‘I only have “X” hours to sleep!’, we’ll wake up tired thinking we didn’t have enough. ‘Consciously decide every night to actively and mindfully set a positive expectation for the next morning,’ explains Elrod.

3. Create a Miracle Morning

Wake up earlier each day in order to observe these practices:

• Silence – meditation or reflection.
• Affirmations – use a positive internal dialogue to programme yourself towards who you want to be.
• Visualisation – create focus for action by positive visualisation.
• Exercise – earn your shower.
• Reading – the fast track to transforming any area in your life.

Adapted from The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod (Hodder & Stoughton, £9.99)

Photograph: iStock