The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)

Causes of Mediocrity (and Immediate Solutions):
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Rearview Mirror Syndrome
One of the most crippling causes of mediocrity in life
is a condition I call Rearview Mirror Syndrome  (RMS). Our
subconscious  minds  are  equipped  with  a  self-limiting
rearview mirror, through which we continuously relive and
recreate our past. We mistakenly believe that who we   were
is  who  we are,  thus  limiting  our  true  potential  in  the
present, based on the limitations of our past.
As  a  result,  we  filter  every  choice  we  make—from
what  time  we  will  wake  up  in  the  morning  to  which  goals
we will set to what we allow ourselves to consider possible
for  our  lives—through  the  limitations  of  our  past
experiences. We want to create a better life, but sometimes
we  don’t  know  how  to  see  it  any  other  way  than  how  it’s
always been.
Research  shows  that  on  any  given  day,  the  average
person  thinks  somewhere  between  50,000  and  60,000
thoughts.  The  problem  is  that  ninety-five  percent  of  our
thoughts are the same as the ones we thought the day before,
and  the  day  before  that,  and  the  day  before  that.  It’s  no
wonder  most  people  go  through  life,  day  after  day,  month
after month, year after year, and never change the quality of
their lives.

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Like  old,  worn  baggage,  we  carry  stress,  fear,  and
worry  from  yesterday  with  us  into  today.  When  presented
with opportunities, we quickly check our rearview mirror to
assess  our  past  capabilities.  “No,  I’ve  never  done  anything
like  that  before.  I’ve  never  achieved  at  that  level.  In  fact,
I’ve failed, time and time again.”
When  presented  with  adversity,  we  go  back  to  our
trusty  rearview  mirror  for  guidance  on  how  to  respond.
“Yep,  just  my  luck.  This  crap  always  happens  to  me.  I’m
just  going  to  give  up;  that’s  what  I’ve  always  done  when
things get too difficult.”
If  you  are  to  move  beyond  your  past  and  transcend
your limitations, you must stop living out of your rearview
mirror  and  start  imagining  a  life  of  limitless  possibilities.
Accept  the  paradigm: my  past  does  not  equal  my  future.
Talk  to  yourself  in  a  way  that  inspires  confidence  that  not
only  is  anything  possible,  but  that you  are  capable  and
committed  to  making  it  so.  It’s  not  even  necessary  to
believe it at first. In fact, you probably won’t believe it. You
might  find  it  uncomfortable  and  that  you  resist  doing  it.
That’s  okay.  Repeat  it  to  yourself  anyway,  and  your
subconscious  mind  will  begin  to  absorb  the  positive  self-
affirmations.  (More  on  how  to  do  this  in Chapter  6:    The
Life S.A.V.E.R.S.)
Don’t place unnecessary limitations on what you want
for your life. Think bigger than you’ve allowed yourself to
think up until this point. Get clear on what you truly want,
condition yourself to the belief that it’s possible by focusing
on and affirming it every day, and then consistently move in

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the  direction  of  your  vision  until  it  becomes  your  reality.
There  is  nothing  to  fear,  because  you  cannot  fail—only
learn,  grow,  and  become  better  than  you’ve  ever  been
before.
Always remember that where you are is a result of who
you were,  but  where  you  go  depends  entirely  on  who  you
choose to be, from this moment on.
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