Day 11 - A Magic Morning

Read this before you go to sleep.

"When you arise in the morning think of that a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love."

Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180)

Roman Emperor

The easiest and simplest way to ensure that your day ahead will be filled with magic is to fill your morning with gratitude. When you incorporate gratitude into your morning routine, you will feel and see its magical benefits throughout the whole day.

Each morning is full of opportunities to give thanks, and it doesn't slow you down or take any extra time, because you can do it naturally as you go about everything you do. There is an added bonus to filling your morning with gratitude because your daily routines are the times when you an harm yourself the most by thinking negative thoughts without realizing you're doing it. There's no room for harmful negative thoughts when your mind is focused on looking for things to be grateful for. After this practice you will go into your day feeling much happier and confident that the day ahead will be great and that's when you will see the magic happen before your very eyes!

When you wake up to the new day today, before you do a single thing, say the magic words, thank you. Say thank you for the fact that you are alive, and that you've been given another day of life. Your life is a gift, everyday is a gift, and when you really think about it, it's inconceivable that any of us would wake up in the morning without giving thanks for another day. If you think a new day isn't such a big deal, then just try missing one! It doesn't matter how sleepy you are, or if your alarm has woken you up for work, or you've slept in during the weekend; the moment you wake, say the magic words, thank you, for another day of my life.

Say thank you for the good night's sleep you received. Are you fortunate enough to have slept in a bed, with sheets and pillow? Thank you! As your feet hit the ground say thank you. Do you have a bathroom? Thank you! Are you able to turn the taps and immediately receive fresh, clean water every morning? Thank you! Imagine all the people who dug the trenches and laid the pipes across your country, throughout your city, and along all the streets to your home so you can turn a tap and receive a beautiful, clean, hot water. Thank you! As you reach for your toothbrush and toothpaste, thank you! Without them, your day would not begin so pleasantly. Thank you for the towels, the soap, the mirror, and everything in the bathroom you use that makes you feel fresh, awake, and ready for the day.

As you get dressed, think about how fortunate you are to have clothes to choose from and wear. Thank you! Think about how many people must have been involved in making all the various items of clothing you put on in one day. It's likely that the clothes you put on in one day come from many countries across the planet. Thank you to everybody! Do you have shoes? Lucky you! Imagine life without them. Thank you for shoes!

"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, and more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning."
J.B. Priestley (1894 - 1984)
Writer and Playwright

Make today as good as it can be by practicing concentrated gratitude and putting the magic into your morning routine. From the moment you open your eyes until you have put your shoes on or finished getting ready, say the magic words, thank you, in your mind for everything you touch and use. It doesn't matter if you don't shower or get dressed first thing in the morning, you can still use this Magic Morning practice as a guide and apply it to whatever your morning routine is. If you wake up and eat breakfast first, then as you touch and use each thing for your breakfast say the magic words, thank you. Give thanks for your morning coffee, tea, fruit juice, or breakfast. They make your mornings so enjoyable and give your energy for the day. Be grateful for the kitchen appliances you use for your breakfast - the refrigerator, hot plates, oven, toaster, coffee maker, or kettle.

Every day without exception, I say "thank" as I put one foot on the floor, and "you" as my other foot touches the floor, so that as both feet touch the floor for the first time each day, I've said thank you. As I walk toward my bathroom I say the magic words, thank you, in my mind with each step. Then I continue saying thank you in my mind as I touch and use each thing in my bathroom. By the time I am dressed and ready for the day, I feel so happy I could jump for joy. And when I feel that happy, I know my gratitude has worked, and I am guaranteed to have a magical day. As I go throughout my day, I really feel as though I have a magic power in me, because one good thing after another happens. I'm even more grateful, which speeds up the magic with even more good things happening. You know those days when everything just seems to go right for you? well, that's what it's like after doing Magic Morning, but multiplied!

Magic Practice Number 11

Magic Morning

1. When you wake up to the new day, before you do a single thing, say the magic words, thank you.

2. From the moment you open your eyes until you've finished getting ready, say the magic words, thank you, in your mind for everything you touch and use.

3. Count Your Blessings: Make a list of ten blessings. Write why you're grateful. Reread your list, and at the end of each blessing say thank you, thank you, thank you, and feel as grateful for that blessing as you can.

4. Just before you go to sleep tonight, hold your Magic Rock in one hand, and say the magic words, thank you, for the best thing that happened during the day.