Unlocking The Habit Code: Mike Grogan

Unlocking the Habit Code (Pre-‐Release Copy June 2017)

Unlocking
the
Habit Code

HOW TO MAKE PERSONAL CHANGE
EASY IN BOTH BUSINESS AND LIFE
MIKE GROGAN
(Approximate reading time 2-3 hrs)

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A Special Note for Pre-‐Release Reviewers
Thank you so much for agreeing to become one of the first people to
read and review my new book “Unlocking the Habit Code.” It has
taken me many years to get to the point of being worthy enough to
write this. I feel it is one of the most important pieces of work I have
ever created. I am so thankful to you to be one of the first to read it.
Depending on your reading speed, the book will take you between
two to three hours to finish. The only thing I need you to do after you
have read it is to write a short and honest review about the book
on Goodreads before July 15, 2017.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35008438-unlocking-the-
habit-code
Finally, it is important to note that the book is still a work in progress.

The final editing, the addition of sketchs and formatting process is
not yet complete, so apologies in advance if you see any
grammatical, spelling or formatting errors. Please ignore them, as my
team and I will clean this up before it is released to the general
public.
Thank you again for agreeing to be a Pre-Release Reviewer. Your

testimonial is something that I greatly value. I am honored to have
you as part of the story of this book.
Mike Grogan
June 13th, 2017
Manila, Philippines

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Table of Contents
Prologue: Why Inspiration Is Not Enough 4 7. Unlocking the Habit Code:
The MESSI Approach 98
1. The Change Problem: Need to Change,
Want to Change, Don't Change 7 8. Your 21-Day Challenge 103
2. The Top 10 Reasons We Fail at Personal 9. Your Improvement Plan 106

Change 14
10. Your Success Partnership 108
3. How to Make Personal Change Easy 19
11. Beyond Morning Rituals 113
4. The Fastest Way to Create Extraordinary
Personal Change 22 12. Conclusion 115
5. 9 Super Habits That Will Transform Your Epilogue: You Were Born for Greatness 116
Life 31
6. Seven Stories of Extraordinary Personal One Final Thing

Change: 39
● Ed 40
● Jane 49
● Michelle 57
● Carlo 65
● Matt 73
● Pia 81
● Angela 90
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A Special Invitation

Before you read any further I want to invite you to join our Private
Facebook Group “The Unlocking the Habit Code Community”
created exclusively for readers of this book.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/unlockingthehabitcodecommunity/
Dedication
Request to join our group today and my team or I will personally
To the Filipino people: you are a gift to the world. You have
accept you into the group.
inspired me to become a better man and I am forever in your
Our journey together does not end once you finish reading this book. gratitude. This book is for you.

That is why we have created this exclusive community for readers
like you to give you continued inspiration, ideas and support on how
to make personal change easy, achieve extraordinary goals and
become a greater influence to others.

This is the ultimate Facebook group for those people determined to
get to the next level and beyond in every area of their life.

And as an extra cool bonus, every Friday my team and I will be
giving away amazing cool prizes where you will get the chance to be
one of lucky winners.

So don’t miss out – Join our awesome community today.

.

Mike Grogan
June, 2017
Manila, Philippines

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much impact my talks (or any talk for that matter) can have
Prologue in terms of helping someone change their behavior.

WHY INSPIRATION IS NOT ENOUGH For example, I may give the best talk of my life on world-‐
class management practices to 100 business owners at a
I love speaking in front of a big audience. I never thought leadership conference, or some really practical productivity
this would be something I would become so passionate tips to 500 professionals at their national summit, or some
about. At the time of writing this book I have been invited inspiring career advice to 1,000 students in their school,
to speak over 300 times in America, Europe, Africa, and and they all leave feeling motivated and excited.
Asia; directly reaching more than 100,000 people. The
audiences have been so diverse: from public servants to However, how many of them will actually start applying
corporate executives; from high school students to what I said the next day?
professional athletes; from entrepreneurs to freelancers.
Sometimes I feel I have the best job in the world: — Regardless of how much inspiration and knowledge people
helping people make better decisions and live with fewer are exposed to, or how motivated they feel to take action,
regrets in both their professional and personal lives. most people seem to be terrible at making lasting personal
change.
However, over time I grew uncomfortable when people
introduced me as a "motivational speaker" or an My Struggle With Personal Change
"inspirational speaker." The more audiences I spoke to, the Let me first reflect on my own struggle with personal
more I realized that there was a major problem I was not change. Once I discovered my passion for teaching and
addressing in my talks. Yes, my message may be inspiring training, I became obsessed with how I could become
to some, but I have learned that inspirational messages better at influencing people. I became addicted to personal
alone are not enough to create lasting personal change. We growth. I read hundreds of books, watched hundreds of
may know that we need to change, we may be really TED Talks, and listened to thousands of podcasts. I had
motivated to change, and yet most of us end up failing to (and still have) a massive thirst for knowledge.
change.
However is this something for me to boast about?
This problem is not unique to the audiences I meet. It is a
universal problem: I have seen it in all of the 40-‐plus If you asked me how much I remember from all the
countries I have visited. knowledge I have consumed, or even better, how much of it
I am actually applying in my own life on a daily basis, my
After making this observation, I started to question how answer would probably not impress you.
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Who This Book Is Written For
The truth is that I fall short. At this point in human history, we have unprecedented
access to knowledge and information. Greatness has never
My biggest problem is not that I don't know what to do. My been more accessible, yet still so few make the decision to
biggest problem is that I am not able to consistently do become great. The painful reality is that “most people” may
what I know I must do. From things as simple as eating the indeed have moments when they feel greatly inspired and
right food, to doing daily exercise, to staying in regular motivated to make a change, but only hours later that
contact with my parents, I have really struggled to make positive feeling completely disappears and almost
the personal changes in my life that I know I must make. everything is forgotten.

I don't believe I am alone here. I see it in the eyes of every They resume their life in their comfort zone. They continue
audience I speak to. I will go as far as saying that closing the to make the choice to conform to their environment and to
gap between knowing and doing is the greatest challenge settle for “good enough.” They continue to make a choice to
facing humanity. pick a story that somehow justifies their decision. They do
not free themselves from the false limiting beliefs holding
Knowledge alone is not power: only applied knowledge is. them back. Their potential is never fulfilled.

What This Book Is All About You must not allow that to happen to you. You must be
This book is not a research paper or technical thesis. This different.
book has not been designed just to dump knowledge on you
or just to make you feel good about yourself after you have “Do not conform to the thinking of this world, but be
read it. I have designed this to be one of the most practical transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — The
"how-‐to" books on personal change that you will ever read. Apostle Paul
This book is written to help you close the gap between
knowing and doing, for both yourself and the people you I believe that you are different to “most people.” The very
want to help. fact that you are reading these pages is evidence to me that
you want more from life. You are fed up with the status
It is about your relationship with the personal changes in quo and you are hungry for growth. You are hungry to
your business and life that you know you must make. And I achieve great things for both yourself and others. You are
am not referring to changes you need to make some time in driven to take your life to the next level and beyond.
the distant future. I am talking about the personal changes
that you know you need to make within the next 21 days. The truth is that this book is not written for “most people.”
This book is written for the “few people.” The “few people”
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who are hungry to be of greater service to others and who I have written this book to help you become one of these
are humble enough to realize that all change starts with people.
self. They are the only people who will change the world —
because they are the only people who are willing to change This Book Is Written For You
themselves. It has taken me years to put myself in a position to be
worthy enough of writing this book. A series of
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. circumstances have brought me to this point, but it is only
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” — Rumi with the benefit of hindsight can I now connect the dots and
see how everything in my past has led me here.
I believe that you are one of these “few people.”
I was meant to write this book and you were meant to read
What About Everyone Else? it.
I want you to reject the part of your brain that is trying to
convince you that your choice to develop yourself, your Think about it. There are approximately 130 million books
choice to distance yourself from what “most people” do, is written in the world: hundreds of thousands on the topic of
selfish. That you are leaving people behind. personal and organizational development alone. However,
right now, you are reading this book. I want you to believe
This is the crab mentality that keeps so many people from that this is not by chance, that there is a reason why this
reaching their potential. This is poisonous thinking. book, and none other, is in your hands at this moment.
Investing in yourself is the greatest way you can serve
others. The greatest way you can influence others to change Books have played a significant role in my journey, but
is by becoming someone who is able to master personal every so often a book comes along that forever changes the
change — to become a role model of personal excellence. way you think. My promise to you is that, if you fully
embrace this book, it will not only significantly impact how
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.” you approach personal change, but it will forever change
—Mahatma Gandhi the way you influence others.

The foundation of all greatness for both business and life is Something special is about to happen.
personal mastery: being the living example of the change
you want to see in others. What the world needs more than

anything else is for people to show us the way. People who
do not just lead by example, but who live by example.

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Chapter 1 9. A humanitarian wants to help the people she is
trying to serve break free from the false limiting
THE CHANGE PROBLEM: beliefs that are holding them back from their
Need to Change, Want to Change, potential.
Don't Change
Can you spot the one thing they have in common? All of
“The hardest battle I ever faced was changing myself.” their answers are focused on other people making a
— Nelson Mandela change. It is rare for me to find someone who will actually
raise their hand and say that it is their own behavior that
What Change Do You Want To Make? they want to change the most.
What change do you want to make in the world? Or let me
ask a more specific question: what is the change you want Is this a bad thing? Yes and No. The ability to see
to see happen this week? When I have asked this question opportunities for other people to improve is a great and
in my seminars and workshops, the responses have been much needed skill. However, if you only do this and cannot
interesting and varied. see the opportunities to improve yourself, then your ability
to influence others will slowly disappear.
1. A business owner wants his employees to become
more accountable and proactive. “I cannot expect integrity in others if I do not demand it
2. A parent wants her children to focus on their studies from myself first.” — Tony Meloto
and not get addicted to video games.
3. A sports coach wants his players to become more Why We Cannot Change Anyone
disciplined and organized. The reality is that we cannot change anyone. We can only
4. A pastor wants to help his church members flee influence other people to change. Real change, especially
from destructive behaviors and practice righteous the type of lasting behavioral change that we seek the most,
living. will always be the decision of the individual. We can only
5. A manager wants her team to become more creative change ourselves.
and innovative.
6. A teacher wants her students to become more The only way we can encourage and support change in
imaginative and insightful. others is through influence. And the most powerful way we
7. A public servant wants to change the way the can influence others is by showing them how we ourselves
general public thinks and acts. deal with change. By showing them how we have mastered
8. An entrepreneur wants to change the way personal change.
customers use his product.
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Think about it for a moment. brutal reality is that the majority of my attempts at creating
lasting changes in my behaviors have failed to achieve the
Think of someone who has had a significant positive desired results I was seeking. Many of my good intentions
influence on your life, or a real life hero you greatly admire. (for example -‐ wanting to meditate more, read more, write
They would have had absolutely no influence on you if, more) have fallen to pieces. Worse still, at the beginning of
throughout their lives, they were not able to change my career, the majority of my attempts to help others
themselves. change their behavior (both as a friend and a professional)
also failed more times than they succeeded.
Personal change is the foundation of all success. There is no
hiding from the fact that the level of success in every area of I feel I have let myself down. I feel I have let down those I
your life (health, relationships, finances, career, family) is wanted to help. This is not a good feeling. There has to be
directly related to your level of effectiveness at making another way. There has to be something that I am missing.
lasting personal change. Thus to become a greater influence There has to be something that works.
to others, to help them change, we must first improve how
we deal with personal change. Can you relate to this?

This is a pretty accurate description of the emotional state I
The Change Problem was in when I committed (with borderline obsession) to
So let’s tackle this head on. Why are you so bad at personal finding an answer to “The Change Problem.”
change? Why am I so bad at personal change? Why are we
all so bad at personal change? After immersing myself in thousands of hours of study and,
more importantly, after spending years constantly
Our track record is terrible. We fail far more times than we experimenting on myself and teaching others to do their
succeed. New Year's resolutions give the most haunting own experiments, I eventually figured out that there is a
evidence of how bad we are, with around 80% not making solution to “The Change Problem.”
it past the first 30 days. In business we are not much better,
with around 70% of executives describing their attempts at Personal change in both business and life does not have to
organizational change as “failing to meet expectations.” be difficult. In fact, I believe, and the premise of me deciding
This epidemic of broken promises is what I call “The to write this book, that there is a way that you can make
Change Problem.” We want to change, we know that we personal change easy.
must change, yet we fail to change.
The Solution To “The Change Problem”
Personally, I am fed up with “The Change Problem”. The I journeyed long to reach this point, but I am not unique in
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getting here. I am not a guru and I am not claiming to be “Motivation gets your started, habit gets you there.”
better than anyone else. Many people before me have made Zig Ziglar
the exact same discovery. However, the majority of those
who have solved the change problem have not been
effective in communicating to others how they did it. The Habit Code
The process your brain follows to create new habits is what
This is what I want to do differently. I am calling “The Habit Code.” We are going to Unlock this
Habit Code by understanding all the critical factors that
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for determine if a behavior becomes a habit or not. When you
living well.” — Alexander the Great and I are successful at personal change, we are already
using this Code. When you and I are not successful at
I promise that, in this book, I will explain the solution to the personal change, we are simply not using it.
change problem in a way that is not only easy for you to
understand, but is also easy for you to apply. So it’s simple right?

Personal change does not have to be difficult: there is a The way to mastering personal change is not only knowing
user-‐friendly solution to the change problem. There is a “The Habit Code” but, more importantly, knowing how to
practical and simple way to create lasting personal change use it to create your own personal changes.
that really works.
The good news is that your subconscious brain is already
What I have discovered is that personal change is easy if familiar with “The Habit Code”. Every time you are
you leverage the science of how our brains create habits. successful in changing your behaviors, your subconscious
Once something becomes a habit, it essentially becomes brain is following this exact Habit Code. This book aims to
almost automatic: happening with little or no effort on your show you how to leverage the subconscious brain to create
side. It is estimate that more that 40% of our actions we success habits faster and more effectively than you have
perform everyday are not actually decisions that we make ever done before. So, rather than presenting you with new
but habits that happen without us even thinking about it. information, this book is ironically more about affirming to
your conscious brain what your subconscious brain already
That's what I want to help you with here: getting you to knows.
identify the new behaviors that you want in your life and
giving you the formula to transform these new behaviors I promise you that you can validate every principal in this
into new habits within 21 days. book by reflecting deeply on your own life experiences
when it comes to personal change. Every time you make a
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successful personal change, you are successfully using this We need to read in the way that lights up our brain the
Habit Code. most. That allow us to be excited and curious about what
we are learning. That enables us to remember what we are
At the end of this book there will be no more confusion, no learning so we can recall it with ease when we most need it.
more misunderstanding, and no more frustration when it There is a better way for us to learn and that way is
comes to knowing how to create lasting behavioral change through storytelling.
in your life. You will be able to Unlock The Habit Code. You
will be able to create your own extraordinary personal “Words are how we think; stories are how we link.”
change in just 21 days. — Christina Baldwin

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all
You will soon read the stories of 7 ordinary people who
of the power we need inside ourselves already.” — JK
Rowling created extraordinary changes in both themselves and
others. They were able to transform themselves within 21
How You Will Learn From This Book days and become a greater influence to others. They were
I have learned (mainly from my own experiments and able to solve their change problem. They were able to make
failures) that one of the most ineffective ways to influence personal change easy.
someone is by dumping information on them. We don't
need another book that bores us to death with its facts, You will read how:
data, and fancy graphics. I will not fall for the classic author
trap of trying to impress you with how smart I am by • Ed achieved incredible excess weight loss and
forcing you to read pages and pages of irrelevant content. became a role model for his friends and work
You don't need that. You don't deserve that. colleagues.
• Jane, a teacher, recovered from a broken heart to
Thus everything I write in this book must be intentional. win her confidence back and was then able to
Every chapter, every paragraph, and every sentence must inspire her students to become more positive about
serve a purpose. My team and I have reviewed this book their studies.
hundreds of times with our “less is more” philosophy. I • Michelle, a business owner, who solved her problem
promise you that a massive effort has been made to make of constantly feeling overworked and overstressed,
this book of greatest value to you, the reader, by using the and how she was able to teach the rest of her team to
least number of pages possible. I have strived for become more productive.
exactness, not excess. • Carlo, a first time father, was able to overcome the
old destructive habits of his past and become a hero
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for his wife and daughter.
• Matt, stuck in his career, was finally able to pursue Remember, it is not what the characters in the stories did
his passion and at the same time empower his that is of most significance: it is how they did it. Their
younger brother to breakthrough to the next level.. approach to Unlocking the Habit Code could be one of the
• Pia, an entrepreneur, was able to revitalize her most practical things you will ever learn in your life. It is
struggling online business and motivate her friends their testimonies of how they were able to master personal
to follow her example of mastering personal change. change and become a greater influence to others that are by
• Angela, a recently promoted manager, was able to far the most valuable part of this book.
overcome the biggest challenge of her career and
transform the performance of her new department.
How To Get Maximum Value From This Book
As you see, the main characters of these stories are very
different from each other in terms of experience and the Before we continue any further, I want to ensure that you
challenges they are facing. are setup to harness maximum value from this book.

Let me emphasize that it was not through luck or fortunate The truth is the most people do not know how to read
circumstances that they were able to achieve these effectively. I don’t want you to make that mistake. I want
extraordinary results. It was not just because they were you to get a million times more value from this book than
more motivated or that they had more willpower or self-‐ its price suggests. You deserve much more than value for
discipline. money: this should be a purchase that adds infinite value to
your life both now and for many years to come.
These are the common assumptions we make when we see
others succeeding. If you are truly to see the full transformational impact of
this book, I want you to follow the three steps below:
They were successful because they followed the formula
outlined in this book. They Unlocked the Habit Code. At the 1. Read with a pen in your hand: I can’t emphasize
end of the book, we will deconstruct and unravel exactly enough the power of note-‐taking when it comes to
how they did it. But you will not have to wait until the end acquiring new knowledge. I believe you will be 10
of the book to see how this applies to you. After reading just times more likely to remember what you read if you
two or three of the stories, it will become obvious to you take notes as you go. For me taking notes of my
how exactly the characters changed and, more importantly, thoughts has been like having a second brain. If you
you will begin to see how you can start applying this to look at any of the books I have read, you will see
your own life. pages and pages of underlines, side notes,
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reflections, ideas, drawings and commentary. This is least one of the characters will remind you of
what I want you to do. You can write in the book someone that you deeply care about. Ask yourself –
itself, in a notebook, or type on your phone: “Would they benefit from hearing this story?” If yes,
whatever works best for you. As an added bonus, if then your courage to share the story with them
you read with a pen in your hand, you can use it to could have a massive impact on their future
guide your eyes as you read each line. This simple decisions.
technique is used by some of the smartest people in
the world to increase their reading speed by 20% to “Life's most persistent and urgent question is
30%. 'what are you doing for others?”’ — Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Trust me on this. Read with a pen!

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is 3. Do the 21-‐Day Challenge: At the end of this book, I
a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian invite you to join me and your fellow readers in
Herbert completing a unique 21-‐Day Challenge. Yes, you
heard me correctly. If this book is going to change
2. Share with at least one person: Think of someone your life, you must complete this challenge. My
in your life you care deeply about who is going primary aim when writing this book was to support
through a difficult time right now. A friend, a family you in successfully completing this 21-‐Day
member, or a work colleague. Perhaps it is someone Challenge. Remember this is not a "knowledge
with huge potential who would be really inspired by focused" book. This is an "application focused" book.
the stories in this book. Or perhaps it is someone The most important question you must ask yourself
who is really hungry to realize his or her greatness after you finish reading is: “What does this mean to
but is feeling stuck. I want you to share with them me?” Starting and then completing this 21-‐Day
what you consider to be the most powerful points Challenge will give you infinitely more value from
from this book. One of the greatest lessons I’ve this book than just reading it and walking away.
learned in life is that you can’t make it on your own.
The simple act of sharing a story with someone may To be direct, I fail as an author if you read this book
have a massive impact on how they think. Also, without doing the 21-‐Day Challenge. Knowing
every time you share, it will help you understand without doing is not knowing. Understanding
more profoundly how you can apply the lesson to without doing is not understanding. Learning
your own life. Everyone wins. This is especially without doing is not learning. Please do not skip this.
relevant as you read each of the seven stories. At It is the most important action you must take.
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“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not Chapter 2
enough, we must do.” — Bruce Lee

The Top 10 Reasons We Fail At Personal
Change

“You don’t learn from experience, you learn from
So now that your mind is ready and our expectations are
reflecting on experience.” — John Dewey
clear, let’s start smashing some of the false myths about
personal change by examining the top 10 mistakes you and
I make when it comes to attempting personal change. Recalling Past Failures

You cannot read this book without asking yourself one vital
Our past failures at personal change are not because we are question: “What does this mean to me?”
bad people or because we have poor self-‐discipline or
willpower: it is because we are continuously repeating the If ever there was a time for deep reflection in this book, it is
same mistakes. now. I want you to reflect on the 10 mistakes listed in this
chapter not just from a theoretical perspective, but also
from a personal perspective. I want you to think of the
times when you were unsuccessful at personal change and
relate it to one of the 10 mistakes.

That time you wanted to eat healthier foods, but didn’t
That time you wanted to start a journal, but didn’t
That time you wanted to volunteer more, but didn’t

That time you wanted to exercise more, but didn’t
That time you wanted to learn a new language, but didn’t
That time you wanted to watch less TV, but didn’t

That time you wanted to save more money, but didn’t
That time you wanted to drink more responsibly, but didn’t
That time you wanted to spend more time with the people
who matter most to you, but didn’t
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failed attempts at personal change in the past. Most of the
That time you wanted to stop smoking, but didn’t time, you and I know exactly what we should do and we
That time you wanted to get more quality sleep, but didn’t know exactly what we must do: yet we fail to do it.
That time you wanted to set up your own business, but
didn’t I don't want you to start beating yourself up. I know how
you feel. I have been there many times. I don’t want you to
That time you wanted to get out of debt, but didn’t dwell on this bad feeling. Do not allow that part of your
That time you wanted to read more, but didn’t brain to start feeding you the lie that you are a loser for not
That time you wanted to meet new people, but didn’t being successful in your past attempts at personal change.
Remember, everything from your past has made you the
That time you wanted to travel more, but didn’t person you are today. So look at it from a new perspective.
That time you wanted to become more organized, but As your read this book, you will obtain the clarity you need,
didn’t that you did not have in the past.
That time you wanted to spend less time on social media,
but didn’t “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time
more intelligently.” — Henry Ford
Your life could be very different today if you were able to
keep those promises to yourself. For this book to be of This time you have the opportunity to begin again with the
greatest value to you, you must apply personal meaning to wisdom of knowing what actually works when it comes to
it. You must recall your past failures and be willing to making lasting personal change.
analyze what went wrong. You must clearly understand
what problem this book is trying to help you solve and why The Top 10 Mistakes We Make In Attempting Personal
solving this problem is so important for you and for the Change
people you are trying to help.
1. We attempt big leaps instead of small baby steps.
A New Perspective We want results fast and we want results
If you change the way you look at things, the things now, so we attempt unsustainable big leaps.
you look at change. ― Dr Wayne Dyer Our lack of patience and perspective fail us.
We focus on abstract goals (like lose weight,
save money, be smarter) instead of concrete
I expect that, at times, when you are reading this chapter, daily behaviors (go for a 10-‐minute walk
you may start feeling a bit guilty as you reflect on your own before breakfast, make my own lunch in the
morning, listen to inspiring podcasts on my
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way to work) that are easy for us to take a cold shower). Were our attention goes
understand and apply on a daily basis. our energy flows.

2. We don’t focus on creating the habits that give us 4. We oversimplify our motivation.
the biggest “return on investment.” We are lazy in the way we think about our
Not all habits are created equal! Some motives for change. We just fish on the
habits take more effort than others. Some surface of our thinking for a short limited
habits have a bigger impact than others. time to reach a simple conclusion about our
However there are a small number of habits motives. Accepting this is blinding us to
— let’s call them “super habits” — that have another reservoir of insight and clarity that
a positive impact exponentially greater than can really fuel us on our journey to
the scope of the behavior itself. These are the transformation.
habits that create a chain reaction in your life
that gives you the energy and confidence to There is always more than one reason to
do more: providing the foundation upon change. Especially when we stop focusing on
which other positive behaviors can grow. ourselves and reflect on the effect our
(We will talk more about these super habits success or failure has on others (especially
in Chapter 5) those we love). Each reason has a different
meaning to us. Motivation is far more
3. We try to stop undesired behaviors as opposed complex and deeper than we think. We must
to replacing them. invest time in finding out what gives us most
Whether we are trying to stop smoking, stop meaning: reasons that connect with both our
eating fast food or stop biting our nails, a big heads and hearts.
mistake we make is assuming that focusing
our limited mental energy on resisting will 5. We try to do it on our own (assuming willpower
keep us on track. But this is not true. Studies and self-‐discipline are enough).
show that it is far more effective when, We glorify the idea of self-‐made men and
instead, we seek to replace the undesired women. We romanticize the idea of the lone
behavior with a new behavior (instead of comic book superhero doing it all by
getting angry, go outside for a 5-‐minute walk; themselves. These superheroes may be fun
instead of eating chocolate, take a bite of a and exciting to watch but, as we grow up, we
lemon; instead of watching pornography, begin to lose our connection with them, we
begin to realize that we cannot relate to them
16 of 117


holistically. They are not really human. They changing ourselves, there is a mental block.
are not real. They are a fantasy. Their success We don't think we need the help. Once again,
is an illusion. There is no such thing as a self-‐ our ego and pride get in the way.
made man or woman, no matter what
superheroes lead us to believe. 7. We underestimate how our environment
influences our behaviors.
We all need help. We humans can resist almost everything in
life, except for temptation of course. Tens of
What holds us back is our own minds. It is millions of people every year make plans to
our ego and pride that do not want us to get healthy, go on a diet, and lose weight. Yet
admit we need help. It is our ego and pride the majority of them fail because they fail to
that do not want us to seek help. Instead, we address the first place they must improve:
assume we have enough inside us (our they fail to fix their kitchens. They fail to
willpower and self-‐discipline) to get us remove all the unhealthy triggers in their
through. environment that sometimes the very
presence of (or smell of) keeps them stuck in
We are wrong. their bad behaviors. How you design your
environment can have a massive influence on
6. We don’t leverage tools or technology that will how you behave.
help us measure, analyze and improve our
progress. 8. We underestimate how others influence our
Would you drive a car with no dashboard? behaviors.
Would you feel motivated to play your best in Under certain circumstances, and no matter
a sports game if the score was not recorded? how independent we like to think we are, we
Would you agree to surgery without first can become like sheep. We underestimate the
getting a medical assessment? The answer to power of mirroring. If we see enough people
all of these questions (at least, I hope) is “of around us repeating a certain behavior
course not.” There is a purpose to (littering, texting while driving, tipping a
measurement; there is a purpose to analysis. street musician), our subconscious brain
There are many areas of life in which we do decides whether we should be mirroring that
not even question the use of powerful tools behavior or not. Sometimes we follow the
(both digital and manual) to help us achieve exact behavior that we see modeled without
these purposes. However, when it comes to any conscious consideration. The evidence is
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very clear that our conscious brain is not
consulted in every behavioral decision.
Furthermore, whether we like it or not, the 10. We do not create an expectation for unplanned
social behaviors of those around us setbacks and a logical plan for how we are going
sometimes play a massive role in how we to deal with them.
behave. We may never want to do bad things We live in a world obsessed with predicting
but history has proven that if you put any the future. We tend to create the illusion in
person in the wrong place, at the wrong time, our heads that life and work are simply about
in the wrong company, and in the wrong planning and executing. People who
emotional state, they are likely to fall. subscribe to this belief are living in a fantasy
world. The unexpected happens every day,
9. We underestimate the power of incentives. yet we remain obsessed with thinking
All of us know from childhood that, in certain positively and expecting that ruthless focus
situations, the promise of a reward can on the goal is enough. This creates dangerous
influence kids to do things they may not want traps in our mind and, when we meet
to do or perceive as difficult such as doing setbacks, we are paralyzed.
their homework, cleaning their room, eating
their dinner. There are also other situations The stories we have told ourselves do not
where the threat of missing out on a reward prepare us for unexpected turns of events so,
(what some people would define as instead of logically assessing the situation,
punishment) can be just as effective. What is our emotions take over and we act
happening in both situations is that parents irrationally. We get super frustrated. We call
are leveraging the power of anticipation ourselves failures. Worse still, we quit
(with either good or bad consequences) to completely.
drive behavioral change in their kids. As we
become adults, our pride and ego get in the
way as we dismiss this approach as Does this list make sense?
something only for children.
Can you see now why we are so bad at personal change?
This is not true. Science tells us that
incentives (either rewards or punishments) Are you ready to end this insanity?
are a fundamental element of behavioral
change.
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“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again So keep moving forward my friend. This time is
and expecting different results." — Albert Einstein different. This time you are different. You are not like
everyone else. You are a winner baby.
Personal change does not have to be hard. In fact, I believe
that personal change can be easy. Go to the next chapter to
find out how.

Are you still with me?

I once read a shocking statistic that said, “the majority
of people who start reading a book never get past the
first two chapters.

<insert an image of bubble man sleeping on his book>
Now that can be quite discouraging for an author to
read, but that's OKAY -‐ There are a lot of boring books
out there and I am quite lucky that I didn't write one of
them.

At the same time I did not write this book for average
people. So it is OKAY if some people have stopped
reading, let’s use this moment to pause and say
goodbye to the quitters.

You can’t give up! If you give up, you’re like everybody else.”
- Chris Evert

Committing yourself to finish reading this book is your
way to prove to yourself, to me and to others that you
are different. You are not a quitter. You are not like
them. You are a winner.

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Chapter 3 after just one dinner together. Your friendship blossomed
because of the accumulation of the little things: those small
How To Make Personal Change Easy acts of kindness over the years that created so much trust
between you. You created the right relationship habits.
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true

wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself
Or the first time you brushed your teeth when you were a
is true power.” — Lao Tzu
child. I’m sure, like me, you can’t remember this but I am

confident that brushing your teeth must have felt awkward
The Power of Habit
and unusual when you did it for the first time. However,
Can a small change every day really make a difference?
with a little help from your family, and because you
What if the impact of your change is so small you can’t even
repeated it so many times, it became a habit. You created
measure it? What’s the point of even making a change if you
the right hygiene habits.
can’t feel the effect straight away?

Your habits, whether you like it or not, define the person
This chapter will affirm to you that small things, done
you become and how other people would describe you
consistently, do matter. Personal transformation is never
when you are not in the room.
an event — it is a process. Extraordinary personal change is

not a single act — it is a journey. It is the combined power
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an
of tiny changes, tiny leaps every day that create our act but a habit.” — Aristotle
transformation.
The secret to your success and failure in life is found in
“All big changes come from the tiny leaps we make your daily habits. I believe in this so much that I am going
every day.” Gregg Clunis to make a big statement here.

The Secret To Success Is Found In Our Daily Habits.
You will never master your life, unless you are able to
Let’s take a few examples. Think about when you were master your habits.
learning to master a new language. You did not just attend
one class and become fluent overnight. It was a process that I can’t be more direct with you. No exceptions. To get better
took time. Just one new word or phrase a day until, results, you must become a better you. You must be able to
eventually, you could put a few sentences together. You master habit creation. I have benefited so much, physically,
created the right learning habits. mentally, emotionally and spiritually, from the success
habits that I practice today. I certainly would not have been
Think of your best friend. You didn’t become best friends able to write this book without those small things I do
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everyday that help me become a better man. When you repeat a behavior enough times, your brain
essentially rewires itself. It moves the task from our
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your conscious brain (the part of the brain that you're using
strength lies.” — Mother Teresa now) to your subconscious brain (your automatic brain: the
part of the brain that controls the majority of all your
decisions and actions).
The Science of Habit Creation

So the big question is: “how can we master habit creation?” We also know more about the time it takes our minds to
How can we create habits in a way that is easy to create habits, and it is far more complex than we think. The
understand, and more importantly, easy to do? One thing is time will always depend on many different factors. For
sure: we cannot create habits by just thinking about them. some, it can take just 12 days. For others, it can take 50
We can’t just FORCE ourselves to make positive change. days. However, studies show that, for the majority of
Willpower alone doesn’t work. Self-‐discipline alone doesn’t people, there is something magical about the number 21.
work. Being motivated alone doesn’t work. That if we repeat a behavior consistently for 21 days
(without skipping a day) using the right approach, there is
We know more today about how the human brain works a high likelihood that the behavior will become a habit.
than at any other time in human history. What scientists That is why completing the 21-‐Day Challenge is the single
refer to as neuroplasticity we now know that our brains’ most important action you must take after reading this
capabilities are unlimited in how much they can learn, book.
remember new things, and adjust to a new experiences.
We have a deeper knowledge of how the human brain
Why society has failed in teaching this to others.
changes its structure and function, especially how the
Yes we really have learned so much about the science of
subconscious brain responds to behavioral change. This has
habit creation. However, where we have greatly failed as a
created the breakthrough understanding of what really
society is in teaching this to others. I plead guilty to being
works and does not work when it comes to creating new,
one of the teachers who has failed my students. At the
and breaking old, habits. We can choose the way we think
beginning of my career, I really did not understand how
and act.
important habit creation was and how to leverage it. I took

“Habits of thinking need not be forever. One of the most
my students through hours of painful, ineffective
significant findings in psychology in the last twenty years traditional teaching (also know as “death by PowerPoint”),
is that individuals can choose the way they think.” with absolutely little to no impact on helping them create
— Martin Seligman new habits. If new behaviors are not converted into new
habits, then no change will ever be sustainable.
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“There is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad Morning Rituals will be our defined scope and focus area
teacher.” — Erik Hager for extraordinary personal change in the next 21 days. We
are intentionally going to go one inch wide and one mile
Misunderstanding this has been one of my greatest failures deep on this.
as a teacher. Back then, even though my intentions to help
were noble, I was ignorant of what really worked when it “Improvement usually means doing something that
came to creating lasting personal change. we have never done before.” — Shigeo Shingo

One of the biggest mistakes I made as a teacher was not For some of you, it may feel like this book has taken a
helping others to easily apply what they were learning. I massive twist. But don't worry. In the next chapter, you will
did not provide a focal point for change. So, with all my understand why focusing on creating habits at the
good-‐hearted intentions and limited resources, I ended up beginning of your day is so powerful. After you successfully
going one mile wide and only one inch deep. complete the 21-‐Day Challenge, you will be able to provide
your own extraordinary testimony of why this is true. Until
Nothing sticks. then: thank you for trusting me. And, yes, if you haven't
figured out by now: this is not your average book. The
What we are going to do differently extraordinary personal change that you deserve is coming!
I know that if I stay too general in this book and I am not
specific and focused enough on where I want you to apply
what you learn, it is most likely that no extraordinary
personal change will occur. I will not allow myself to repeat
that mistake. I refuse to allow this book about personal
change to be identical to the vast majority of books out
there on this topic.

So in order for you to achieve extraordinary personal
change in the fastest possible time, I passionately believe
that focusing your personal change efforts on creating the
right habits at the START OF YOUR DAY is the most
effective way for you to do this.

This is how you will make personal change easy.
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Chapter 4 performance in every area of life, as if they are the
secret blueprint to health, wealth and happiness.
The Fastest Way To Create Extraordinary
Personal Change
Morning Rituals have been highlighted for good reason,
but it is the Morning Rituals of the world’s most
By simply changing the way you wake up in the successful people that I believe will be of most interest
morning, you can transform any area of your life, to you. It is from here that our definition of world-‐class
faster than you ever thought possible.” Morning Rituals comes from.
— Hal Elrod
Not all Morning Rituals are equal.
The Power of Morning Rituals
There are certain success habits* that you can practice
If this was the last day of my life and you were to ask within your Morning Ritual that provide an
me for one final piece of advice on the one thing you exponential positive impact and give you the best
can do to reach your potential and become a greater possible start to your day. This is what I mean when I
influence to a greater number of people, this would be say world-‐class Morning Ritual.
my answer: “Create a world-‐class Morning Ritual.”
*Note: If you are curious about what these success habits
It may sound pretty dramatic, but with my hand on my are, you are more than welcome to quickly jump to the
heart, I have yet to find anything else that is so next chapter (Chapter 5) to see nine of the most
practical and easy to do that will have a greater impact powerful habits you can practice during your Morning
on you and the people you are trying to influence, than Ritual. However, after you have done so, I want you to
a world-‐class Morning Ritual. come back and finish reading this chapter. Before
applying what you learn, you must understand why
A Morning Ritual is a dedicated time at the start of your
Morning Rituals are so powerful and more importantly
day during which you intentionally practice certain
the real reasons why so many people resist them.
success habits that have significant positive impact on
your personal growth (body, mind, heart and spirit).
Morning Routines vs. Morning Rituals
With a simple search on Google, you will see millions of
testimonies of people around the world sharing how
In this book I have defined Morning Rituals as being
Morning Rituals have changed their lives. They have
very different from morning routines. Some people use
been proven to have an insanely high impact on one’s
these words interchangeably. However, I believe there
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is a big difference between them and it is very Why A Good Start Is So Important
important for us to make the distinction. I define a
morning routine as just going through the motions
To be successful in both work and personal life, you
once you wake up: it is completely unintentional with
don’t have to get everything right. Success comes down
respect to personal development and growth. Most
to a few critical things you need to get right on a daily
people have morning routines and, for most of my life, I
basis. I can’t think of anything more powerful to help
was one of them. I simply woke up, showered, brushed
you optimize your day than to start it with a world-‐
my teeth, dressed, ate my breakfast and then went to
class Morning Ritual.
work. Nothing remarkable, nothing special, and for
sure I was doing nothing intentional that was helping
me improve. Look at it from another perspective and think of all the
areas of life where getting off to a good start is so
critical. When you meet someone for the first time, that
Once I discovered the value of Morning Rituals, my
first impression will have a massive impact on your
mornings changed dramatically. Without hesitation I
decision to invest in a friendship with them or not.
can say that practicing a World-‐Class Morning Ritual
How a sports team starts a game, an athlete starts a
has completely transformed my life. It has created
race, or a boxer starts a fight, is critical. Bad starts can
multiple breakthroughs in so many different areas of
make it extremely difficult (and, sometimes,
my life. My level of performance is now on a
impossible) for people to get back on track, take back
completely different level. It is the most important
control, and come out victorious.
daily activity that I undertake, and I feel it is the
foundation block of my success for both short-‐term
and long-‐term goals. The same rationale applies to how we start our days.
Today, I am convinced that practicing world-‐class “The way you begin each day defines how
Morning Rituals is the fastest way to create an you'll live each day.” — Robin Sharma
extraordinary change in your life. Indeed, if I could
only write one book, I would still choose to write about Having a world-‐class start to your day puts you in the
world-‐class Morning Rituals. There really is nothing best possible position to continue that success
else I can think of that will have a more profound throughout the rest of the day. It will significantly
impact on the quality of your life and the quality of improve your odds of “winning the day.” Why make
your influence to others. your day more difficult for yourself by choosing to get
off to a mediocre start?
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To be direct, you are missing out if you decide not to spending less time and effort thinking about the task. This
have a Morning Ritual. Even if you currently have a has the magical effect of conserving your limited daily
Morning Ritual, you are also missing out if you decide creative energy to use on other tasks later in the day.
not to improve it to a world-‐class level. I believe that 3. The Psychology of early wins
resistance now is something that you will later regret.
Perhaps the most underrated benefit of Morning Rituals is
As you will soon read, every one of the seven people
how they impact our subconscious brain. Once you
featured in this book who went from having no complete your Morning Ritual, it sends a message to your
Morning Ritual (or having an average Morning Ritual) subconscious brain that you have won. What you
to now practicing a world-‐class Morning Ritual, expected to happen actually did. The psychology of
hesitated at the beginning. However, each one now success tells us that “Progress = Happiness”. There is no
shares the exact same reflection: they wish they had greater human motivator than the feeling of progress.
started years ago. With this early victory, you carry an empowering and
satisfying mindset into the rest of your day. You set your
mind up to achieve even greater things that day.
I passionately believe that it is the one thing you can do
4. We have most control in the mornings
to transform your life faster and more powerfully than
anything else. Let me explain why. As adults, we are the ones who decide what time we
sleep and what time we wake up. Above any other time of
The Top 5 Reasons To Have A Morning Ritual the day, it is in the morning (especially when the rest of
the house is still in bed) when you have the least
1. More self-discipline in the morning distractions and most control over how you spend your
time.
This might be hard for some people to believe but if you
get a good quality sleep, you will notice that you have
more energy in the morning than at any other time of the 5. Success Leaves Clues
day. Our willpower and self-discipline is greatest in the You are not alone when practicing a Morning Ritual. Many
morning. This is the time that we can be more focused on famous and successful people have done it before you.
doing the most important things we need to do. This is the There are now overwhelming testimonies from millions of
time we are less likely to procrastinate. high-performing people around the world, singling out
2. Conserves creative energy Morning Rituals as their most significant daily practice: the
element of their lives that helped them reach their
Once you create a Morning Ritual, it will not be too long personal and professional goals.
before your morning activities become habits. Once a new
behavior becomes a habit, your brain begins to shift that
task into the automatic part of your brain resulting in you What do you think? Have I created a great case for
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having a Morning Ritual? Shall I now expect everyone Why would someone resist having a Morning Ritual?
who reads this to be convinced to start their own world- What are the first things that come to their mind? What
class Morning Ritual? are the arguments they would make?
Wrong! Let’s revisit this again using a different approach in which

I respond to the seven most common arguments people
I expect that the five points I wrote will have little or no use against having a Morning Ritual.
effect on your decision to create a Morning Ritual. I
promise that I am not trying to insult you; I just want to The seven most common arguments people use to
show how ineffective the approach I took is in terms of resist creating a “Morning Ritual”
convincing you or anyone else to make a change.
You see, what I did? Explaining the top five reasons to Warning! I am going to be very direct in my response to
have a Morning Ritual was a classic case of traditional these seven arguments. I have decided that I am going to
teaching in action. I became a victim of the “curse of use some “tough love” here. My intention is not to offend
knowledge.” I exclusively focused on where I want you to you. I do this because we all need tough love sometimes.
be and why you should be there. “What's wrong with There are times when we need someone to say it as it is,
that?” you may ask. The biggest disadvantage of that regardless of whether we like it or not.
approach is that I risk missing out on the opportunity to
truly connect with your current level of thinking. I risk not The number one thing holding us all back from our success
meeting you where you are. I risk not meeting you where is the false beliefs that we hold onto, to resist personal
your journey begins. change. I don't want that to happen to you. I want you to
know that, from the bottom of my heart, I want the best for
“The Curse of Knowledge: when we are given you: so please read below with an open mind. I want you to
knowledge, it is almost impossible to imagine what explore the real reasons why a part of you maybe resisting
it's like to LACK that knowledge.” — Chip Heath this.
This is a problem we all suffer when we try to influence “Better to get hurt by the truth than be comforted with
others. Even if we have been in their shoes in the past, a lie” — Khaled Hosseini
we tend to forget what it is like to have a different
perspective. Because of this, we fail to influence them to
make positive change.
I know I am risking offending some readers in this chapter
So how can we fix this? Instead of me trying to give the 5,
but it’s worth it. So, in advance, I ask for your forgiveness.
the 7, the 12 or the 21 different reasons for having a
Remember it is only the truth that will set you free. So get
Morning Ritual, let me ask a different question.
ready for some truth.
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Argument #1: I am not a morning person. / I don’t have My Response: The belief that you somehow do not have
enough energy in the morning. / I am too tired in the the capability to wake up at the time you promise yourself
morning. / I am a night owl. is an extraordinarily dangerous false belief and it is
stopping you from achieving so much success. This is not
My Response: This is the most common argument that something to boast about: it is a destructive habit that
people use to resist creating a Morning Ritual. About 70% of people find themselves in and it is a direct reflection of a
the people who now practice a Morning Ritual had the same mediocre mentality. Not getting up on the hour you
belief before they started. promised yourself is you resigning to breaking your first
promise of the day. You are losing your first battle. Yet
I am going to break this down so that you see how there are so many times when you know that you need to
ridiculous this argument is. Saying that you are not a wake up at a certain time (to catch a flight, catch an early
morning person is the same as saying that you are not a bus, an important work meeting) and you are successfully
human being. Under natural conditions, both our bodies and able to do so.
our minds are designed to be most productive, disciplined
and creative once we wake up in the morning. This is on the Technology has not helped us here. The snooze button on
condition that we have obtained a quality night’s sleep (This our alarms is possibly the worst invention of all time. The
can range from six to ten hours depending on the biology of total abuse of this button has created the false belief that
the person. For the majority of people, eight hours of quality you are a snooze-a-holic. This is not true. As you read the
sleep is the ideal daily target). It is only under unnatural seven stories, you will discover that thinking you are a
conditions that we have a low-quality sleep that creates low snooze-a-holic has very little to do with your self-discipline
energy, exhaustion and an unmotivated mindset once we and willpower. In most cases, it has everything to do with
wake. As you read this book, you will learn more about the how your environment is designed.
“unnatural” things we put into our minds and bodies as well
as the “unnatural” environments we sleep in that may cause It’s a strategy problem, not a capability problem.
us to think that we are not designed to be effective in the
morning. Remember that you are a human, not an owl. Think about it. Continuing to use a street map of Manila
Don’t be fooled by jumping to a false conclusion without when you are in London isn’t going to help you, right? If
studying all the factors that influence your state of mind and you continue to use the wrong strategy, you will continue to
body. struggle to wake up on time. However, if you discover the
right strategy, getting up every day at the time you set for
Argument #2: I am not able to wake up early. / I am a yourself will become easy. In this book you will learn
snooze-a-holic. practical, foolproof strategies that others have used to
wake up successfully on time every day. Take
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encouragement. You are not the only one who has faced Argument #4: I am just very busy in the mornings. /
this challenge. This will not stop you from being successful. There are too many distractions. / I don’t have the
time. / Now is not the right time for me.
Argument #3: I have tried it before and it did not work./
I failed before so what is the point of trying again. My Response: Be careful. Be very careful. Beware of the
man or woman who goes around proclaiming to anyone
My Response: The feeling that you have no power to who will listen how busy they are. People who keep saying
change your situation (or what positive psychology how busy they are, are fooling themselves. Whether they
calls “learned helplessness”) is possibly the most are aware of it or not, "being busy" is a cover for the lack of
paralyzing of all human emotions. It impacts every human clarity and organization in their mind. I have seen this in
being on the planet. It is possibly the biggest reason for thousands of people but, more powerfully, I have seen this
children underperforming in school. This feeling of being in myself.
powerless is born from a state of hopelessness as a result
of dwelling on particular negative moments from your past. For years, I would throw around the phrase “I’m busy” as
You begin to create a story in your brain that prevents you an easy answer to a difficult or undesirable question. What
from thinking positively about a certain aspect of your helped me realize “the lie I was living” was when I started
future. Common examples include: trying to learn a new to track my activities and critically analyze how I was really
language then giving up after a few days and declaring “I spending my time every week. I was shocked with what I
am not good at languages;” or trying to learn how to surf discovered. I said I was too busy to read; yet I would still
but after a few falls saying “I am not an ocean person so I’ll find time to watch hours of trash TV. I said my family was
quit;” or trying to teach a kid how to read but after important to me, yet weeks would go by and I would not
struggling to keep them focused you declare “I give up. I call or message my parents. I said I was too busy to take
am not good with kids”. on a new important assignment at work, yet I would spend
hours on tasks of less importance. When we say we are
I want you to see how ridiculous this thinking is. It is the busy, we are usually lying to ourselves.
same as getting a bad haircut and then saying, “I am never
going to get a haircut again” or being disappointed with a There is always time for the most important things in our
dessert in a restaurant then proclaiming "Right! For the rest lives. Think about it. Is it right for a parent to insist that they
of my life I am never ordering a dessert again." We would have no time to spend with their kids? Is it right for a
not say these things, right? But when it comes to personal person to claim they have no time to look after their health?
change, this is exactly the type of thinking that is holding Is it right for a business to say they have no time to think
us back. strategically? It is absolutely twisted thinking. We all have
time to put the most important things in our life into our
calendar. The consequences of neglecting this, and hiding
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behind the excuse of being busy, is possibly the greatest consistently is far more powerful than what you say. Thus,
regret that people face at the end of their lives. Don't be practicing a Morning Ritual will empower you to be a
that person. You are the only one who can look after greater influence on your children as you are leading by
yourself (body, mind, heart and spirit). It is no one else's example.
responsibility. Continuously neglecting this reality will be
one of the biggest mistakes of your life. Of course, helping your children in the morning is important
and, at the moment, it may feel that your mornings are
Argument #5: I have kids to look after in the morning – chaotic. However, many other parents in far more stressful
I don't have time for this. environments have managed to successfully have a
Morning Ritual, and so can you. There is an answer. As
My Response: This is directly related to argument #4. you will read in the seven stories, there are many different
However, I want to give a special message to some types of Morning Rituals that you can have. You can
parents out there who are quick to use their kids as an customize it so that you can still serve your kids in the
argument for not investing in their personal development. morning. It is not a “win-lose” situation. Intelligent planning
Remember, what I am about to say comes from a place of can make it a big “win-win” for everyone involved. I know of
love and truth and I believe that some parents really need families who have actually involved their kids in their
to hear this message. Here we go… Morning Ritual: for example, practicing gratitude while
eating a healthy breakfast together.
Stop using your kids as an excuse for not investing in your
personal development! So let go of those arguments that say that someone else
(whether a child or an adult) is stopping you from looking
Having a Morning Ritual is not an act of selfishness: this is after yourself. If you keep neglecting yourself, others will
a false limiting belief. There is a massive difference eventually be forced to look after you. Your level of
between self-love and being selfish. A Morning Ritual is success in life is directly related to your level of personal
one of the greatest examples of self-love that you can development. That is the same for you and your kids. Think
practice everyday. long term. It could be one of the best decisions you ever
make for both yourself and your kids.
“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you
going to be able to love somebody else?”— RuPaul Argument #6: None of my friends practice a Morning
Andre Charles Ritual. / There are a lot of successful people who don't
practice a Morning Ritual.
Would you want your kids to neglect themselves like this?
Remember: modeling is the greatest teacher. What you do
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My Response: This is one of the most dangerous the broken relationship with his children that causes him
arguments that someone can make. Comparing yourself massive pain. We are quick to label a young manager as
with others is an excuse that can cause you to be stuck for successful because of his work performance, whilst
years. I'm sure most of us can think of occasions in our knowing nothing about how he secretly hates his job and
childhood when our elders told us, "If everyone else dreams of being a musician.
jumped off a cliff, would you do it?” The answer, of course,
is no (however, to this day, I still do not know anyone who I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I
has jumped off a cliff!). Let's go a bit deeper because, as only try to dance better than myself.” - Arianna
adults, we need to understand the real danger if we allow
ourselves to compare ourselves with other people to reach
Huffington
an irrational conclusion that somehow justifies our own
It is impossible to holistically measure another person's
action or inaction. Fools do this. I don’t want you to do the
success from afar. The only person you can measure is
same.
yourself, by asking yourself questions like “Am I living a
purpose-driven life? Am I living every day with excitement
The first thing I must say is: “Never ever compare yourself
and drive? Am I happy with the status of my most
to someone else.” The only person you can compare
important relationships? Are all my ladders in life leaning
yourself with is your own potential self. You can study other
against the right walls? If this was the last day of my life,
people to get inspiration and ideas, but do not fall into the
would I be happy with how I am spending it?”
trap of trying to live someone else’s life. The mindset of “no
one else is doing it” is a follower mentality. If everyone had
For the so-called "successful people" without a Morning
this mentality, then the human race would never have
Ritual, I am of the strong opinion that they too are missing
evolved and survived. That is not you.
out (or missed out if they are no longer alive) on the
extraordinary benefits of a Morning Ritual. Choosing to not
This book is written for people who have the power to
even experiment with Morning Rituals is the same as
break free from this follower mentality.
saying that you are not willing to do what it takes to reach
your potential. There are millions of testimonies (written,
Today, most of the world has a very twisted view of
audio and video) that will testify to the significant benefits
success. Even its definition in dictionaries is very wrong.
of having a Morning Ritual. I have never seen a testimony
We live in a world quick to label others as “successful” or
from someone saying: "having a Morning Ritual made
“unsuccessful.” What qualifies us to judge someone else?
things worse".
We may be quick to label a famous movie star as
successful, whilst knowing nothing about their struggle with
chronic depression. We are quick to label the richest man
in the country as successful, whilst knowing nothing about
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Argument #7: I am happy with what I am achieving determine the real success of their marriage. The average
right now. / I don’t need to make a change in my daily professional spends more time worrying about what other
routine. people think than creating the dedicated time they need
every day to develop themselves to their potential.
My Response: One of my teachers once told me "Mike: no
problem is a problem." Saying that everything is OKAY (or I did not write this book for average people.
rating your current Morning Ritual 10 out of 10) is the same
as saying there is no need for improvement. This is The fact you are reading this book is the evidence I need to
extremely dangerous thinking and it is the reason why so believe that you are different. You are not average. You
many relationships break up, why so many successful were born for greatness, to become world-class, and to
teams fail to sustain their past success, and it is the reason unleash your potential. Don’t be average. You deserve
why so many people are living a life far below their better.
potential. There is no such thing as perfect health, perfect
energy, perfect relationships or perfect career. There is “Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes
always room for growth in every area of our lives. There moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to
are no exceptions. try.”
― Dr Atul Gawande
The same thinking applies to Morning Rituals. There is no
such thing as a perfect Morning Ritual. There is always a
next level.
The One Word At The Heart Of All Resistance.
People who state that they are satisfied with their status
After reading this chapter, you may have concluded that
quo are missing out on another extraordinary level of
there is no real valid argument against having a Morning
happiness and meaning that is within our reach.
Ritual: the extraordinary benefits far outweigh any
supposed negatives.
This is how average people think. Don’t think like average
people.
Now, looking back over the seven most common
arguments that people use to resist, did you notice
Those who choose a life of greatness are not average.
something they all have in common?
Think about it. The average person spends more time
planning a vacation than planning their life. The average
If you peel back the layers of excuses used to resist a
couple spends more time planning their wedding day than
Morning Ritual (or any significant personal change for that
planning the behaviors, routines, and habits that will
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matter) you will discover one word at the heart of all the People who we consider courageous are those who are
resistance: FEAR. simply using their own fear in a positive way.
Fear is the ultimate reason why most people will never I want you to accept that you will never completely remove
reach their potential. fear from your life. Instead, I want you to use fear to your
advantage. Be fearful of living a life in which you do not
Fear is the real driver behind people’s decisions to stay in become the best version of you. Be fearful of living a life
their comfort zone. We fear leaving others behind, we fear that is not aligned with your core values. Be fearful of living
the unknown, and we fear what others may think of us. We a life in which you do not accomplish the great purpose
become paralyzed against taking positive action, and we that you were born to achieve. These are the ways that we
hide behind a self-created story (inspired by the norms of can use fear to drive us towards personal excellence.
society) that somehow justifies our inaction. It is the
greatest human tragedy. Human potential left unfulfilled, a “Your life should be dominated by only one main
genius that never gets unleashed, a great story that never fear: not fully optimizing today. That’s the healthiest fear
gets told. in the world.”— Tai Lopez
But You Have A Choice

Every day when you wake up, you have the extraordinary
It doesn’t have to be this way. You have a choice. You can power within you to make your day great. You can make
choose courage. the decision to start your morning with power and with
intention. If you believe that you were born to achieve great
“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. things, then you cannot afford to wake up in the morning
But you cannot have both.” — Brene Brown like everyone else.

Courage is the willingness to start something new, Choose courage!
something unknown, something outside of your comfort
zone. It is not just about being confident. Confidence comes Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not
from doing something multiple times. Courage is more willing to do.
important than confidence. Courage is about standing up to
your fears. Having a world-class Morning Ritual is the answer you
have been waiting for.
Fear is a natural human emotion and it is necessary for our
survival. There is no such thing as a fearless person.
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We are all created differently.
Chapter 5
9 Super Habits That Will In this chapter, I am going to share what has worked for
Transform Your Life me, but remember that it is your testimony that matters
most. Regardless of what I or anyone else says, it is only
through valid self-‐experimentation that you will discover if
Success is nothing more than a these 9 super habits are of any value to you.
few simple disciplines, practiced every day."
— Jim Rohn As you read through this list, I am not expecting you to
include all 9 super habits in your Morning Ritual. Think of
them as items on the menu of a buffet. At a buffet, you are
I want to introduce to you 9 super habits that you can not expected to eat everything on offer (even though some
include in your Morning Ritual to take your performance in of us try). We all have different tastes in food. If you don’t
every area of your life to a world-‐class level. These nine like seafood, don’t eat the fish. If you are allergic to nuts,
super habits come from my research of the Morning Rituals don’t take the peanut sauce. If you don’t like spice, don’t
of high-‐performing people as well as my own personal add the hot sauce. This makes total sense, right? Use that
experience with each super habit. same thinking as I present these 9 super habits.

These are the 9 super habits that I now practice during my Finally, I am intentionally not giving too much detail about
Morning Ritual: the ritual that has helped transform my life. why these 9 super habits are so powerful. There are enough
I would not have been able to write this book without these articles, books and training programs out there dedicated
super habits. When I compare my life before and after to each one of these super habits. There is an ocean of free
practicing my world-‐class Morning Ritual, There is a information for you to go even deeper into each topic.
massive difference — physically, emotionally, mentally and Instead, I am going to give you a brief overview of why
spiritually. My own personal experience is one of the these super habits are so powerful. The seven stories go
reasons why I am so determined to share this with you. into the detail on how you can apply these super habits to
your own Morning Ritual.
However, as excited I am to share these 9 super habits with
you, I was very cautious when writing this part of the book. To make it easier for you to remember, I have used the
I want to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone needs to acronym "TRANSFORM" to represent the 9 super habits:
do everything that I do. When you are studying other
people, you do not need to copy everything they do. T – Thankfulness
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stay inside your head. It cannot be approached logically.
You need to find that feeling in your heart. You need to
Being thankful (an attitude of gratitude) is where you make the time to find the feeling. Once you have that feeling
explore your life (past, present and future) for the people, in your heart, it is impossible for you to be consumed by
places and things that give you joy, peace, and love. fear, worry or stress. This is how you get the maximum
value from this extraordinary super habit.
Without a conscious and intentional effort, our brain’s
default thinking is to focus on what is wrong or what is (For a practical example – see page X)
missing. If we let this type of thinking dominate our
thoughts, we end up looking at the world with a scarcity R – Rest your Mind
mentality and with a very pessimistic outlook on life. It
crushes our enthusiasm. Being thankful is the opposite of Whether you call it stillness, silence, meditation or
this, and I passionately believe it is the most powerful mindfulness, resting your mind is like exercising the
human emotion of all. "concentration muscle" in your brain. It is about
significantly slowing down the thought processes in your
A daily gratitude practice is proven to help you feel more mind so that you spend more time in the present moment.
connected to others. It strengthens your immune system,
creates less stress and more relaxation, gives you a better The effect of not having a daily practice like this is like
night’s sleep, gives you more energy and confidence, having your mind switched on all the time: constantly
increases your creativity and puts you in a better position thinking of things you need to do or problems you need to
to bounce back from adversity. If there ever was a title for solve; dwelling on situations from your past or possible
“King of all Habits,” this is it. If you do nothing else from this situations in your future. Like a phone that is being
book but apply daily gratitude practice to your Morning constantly charged, this will eventually lead to a reduction
Ritual, then this book will have served its purpose of in your daily performance and, potentially, total burnout.
making the world a better place.
“A disciplined mind brings happiness.” — The Buddha
“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest and yet most
powerful things humans can do for each other.” For millions of people around the world, resting their
— Randy Pausch minds is a super habit that empowers them to be more
focused throughout the day on the task that matters the
However, it is important to share with you the number one most. Being physically still is just one way to do this.
mistake people make when trying to make gratitude a Resting your mind can also be done effectively by doing a
habit. A state of thankfulness cannot be created when you repetitive physical activity like walking, running or even
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cleaning your house.
However, what if you have a false limiting belief? That you
On a personal level, this is something that I resisted for are not smart enough, not good enough, not beautiful
years. I could not understand how what I saw as "doing enough. Does this impact how you see yourself? Does this
nothing" had any productive benefits. How wrong I was. My impact what you think is possible for you? Does this impact
perspective changed when a friend told me to type how you feel every day? Does this impact how you act? Of
"successful people who meditate" into Google. I found the course it does.
names of many people that I greatly respect, swearing that
the daily practice of resting their mind had a profound Having personalized positive affirmations that we repeat to
impact on their personal success. Once I dug deeper, I ourselves every day can be one of our greatest
discovered that almost 80% of world-‐class performers have countermeasures to the self-‐sabotaging false limiting
some type of daily practice where they rest their mind. beliefs that are trying to overtake our minds and limit our
potential.
A – Affirmations
There are so many ways to do this, but my biggest tip is to
Affirmations are personalized positive statements that you first identify your top three false limiting beliefs and then
repeat to yourself to help you overcome the false limiting develop positive affirmations that say the opposite to them.
beliefs that are preventing you from reaching your These statements, or different versions of these statements,
potential. become your affirmations to be updated as often as you
like. Some people even go as far as recording their
Affirmations are probably the most underrated and affirmations on their phone and then playing them back to
misunderstood practice in the world of personal themselves while exercising. There are so many ways to
development. To explain why they are so powerful, I first achieve the same result.
need you to see the connection between what we believe
and how we act. What we believe (even if it is 100% false) (For a practical example – see page X)
is how we define our world and ourselves, thus impacting
how we feel. It is how we feel that has the greatest N – New Learning
influence on how we act and react to the world around us.
Emotions drive motions. So, our beliefs either empower or This super habit refers to the mental practice of feeding
disempower us. your mind content that inspires or empowers you to
become better.
“When you believe in yourself, other people will believe in
you too.” — Sophia Amoruso Acquiring knowledge is the foundation for making progress
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in every area of life. There is not one person from history generate multiple bad ideas that bring you closer to
who achieved anything great without learning a vast body discovering great ideas.
of knowledge.
I can't count the number of great ideas that have come to
“I see life like one long university education that I me using this simple process. Everything you need to
never had – everyday I’m learning something new.” overcome the challenges that you face today is already
— Richard Branson within you. Greatness is within you. You just need the right
tools and environment to help you realize it more quickly.
We all have time for new learning every day but,
sometimes, we are ignorant to the myriad of opportunities (For a practical example – see page X)
available to learn stuff that relates to our lives. Years ago, I
wanted to learn more about entrepreneurship but, instead S – Sweat
of doing something about it, I just used the "I don't have
time" excuse. The truth is, of course, I had time. We all have This super habit refers to any physical activity (running/
time for the most important things. What helped me break walking/ swimming/ stretching/ lifting) that causes you to
free from that way of thinking was listening to audio books sweat.
(and later to podcasts) on my commute to work instead of
just listening to whatever was on the radio. This had a Exercise is maybe the last thing people want to do first
massive impact on my personal growth especially when I thing in the morning. However, for our body, heart, and
selected content that directly related to a significant mind, physical activity is possibly the closest thing we have
problem I was trying to solve or the desired result I was to a miracle drug. No man-‐made drug can ever give us the
trying to pursue. extraordinary benefits that this super habit can give.

Although the most common sources of new learnings today “A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without
are books, podcasts, videos and blogs, let me share with exercise.” — Winnie-the-Pooh
you one practice in particular that still amazes me, and yet
one that they don't teach in schools. It is the daily super Our nomadic ancestors spent all their time moving around
habit of exercising your inner genius. in search of food and shelter. They travelled large distances
on a daily basis. Thus, our bodies are designed and have
It is a very simple habit: Find some quiet time on your own evolved to be regularly active. Sitting down all day at a desk
with a pen and paper, and brainstorm 10 to 15 ideas on a or in front of the TV has disastrous consequences if we
particular topic or area that you want to improve. The don’t do something to get our bodies moving. The primary
primary purpose is not to generate good ideas but to reason that so many people are chronically sick and die
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young is because they consistently neglect the importance “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
of this daily super habit. — Hippocrates

There are so many different ways to exercise in the The fuel we put into our bodies has a lasting effect, greater
morning. You don't need a gym or a swimming pool, special than the scope of the day. This is complicated and
clothes, special equipment, a team or an instructor to start. controversial because the food and drink industry is a
There are literally hundreds of exercises drills you can do global multi-‐billion industry. There are a lot of people with
by your bedside that will get your body sweating. For those commercial interests in keeping you ignorant, so they keep
who struggle with the thought of exercise, ask yourself how you eating and drinking the garbage that they say is good
you can make the experience more enjoyable? There are for you and your family.
many ways to do it, from listening to podcasts, audiobooks
or music, to teaming up with a partner. I believe there is a big change coming to the food industry. I
believe that the real science of which foods are good and
Daily exercise is more than just about the physical benefits. bad will become so widely known and mainstream that, in
A daily physical activity that causes us to sweat is proven to the near future, we all will look back with horror and say, "I
have a positive impact on how we think and feel. Moving can't believe we allowed our children to eat that."
your body is the fastest way to change how you feel. As our
emotional state has the greatest influence on how we act But why wait until everyone else "gets it"? We have the
and react, there is really not one valid argument against information now! We really do, but we need to be proactive
some form of daily exercise. to go and discover it for ourselves and not wait for others
to come to us. Until you take that step of enlightening
F – Fuel yourself, you are losing out on becoming the best you.

This super habit refers to the food and drink we put into Rather than run the risk of overwhelming you with the
our mouths every morning, which relates directly to our thought of totally changing your eating and drinking habits,
energy levels and ability to prevent and fight disease. I want to challenge you to focus on your most important
meal of the day — your breakfast. I challenge you to look at
The most controversial habit on this list is the decision the ingredients of your breakfast, as well as the quantities
about which foods we eat and fluids we drink. It seems that and qualities of what you are eating and drinking every
everyone has a different opinion on what is healthy and morning. Research what world-‐class performers eat and
what is not. The truth is, every time you eat or drink, you drink every morning and compare that to your daily
are either fighting disease or feeding it. breakfast. Ask yourself, “Is this the best fuel I could be
putting in my body?”
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technology is such an integrated part of our daily lifestyle,
In particular, most people do not drink enough water when the majority of the world's urban population does not
they wake up. The one thing your body needs more than spend enough time outdoors every day. Our lifestyles are
anything else once it wakes up is water. You have been designed to stay indoors in air-‐conditioned rooms, exposed
without it all night, and your body’s optimal performance to man-‐made light (fake light) that has none of the healing
depends on you being correctly hydrated. The best thing and energetic powers of our mighty sun.
you can do is to drink one or two glasses of water once you
wake. You may be surprised by the power of a small change As old-‐fashioned as it may sound, things like sunshine and
in what you eat and drink in the morning can have such an fresh air are hard to beat. Thus, if we are to get the best
extraordinary impact on your energy levels for the rest of from our day, we must find time every day to get outside
the day. and take advantage of these free gifts that Mother Nature
gives us.
O – Outdoors

This is a dedicated time every morning to go outside and R – Remind yourself
get sunshine and fresh air. There would be no life on earth
without the sun. Every living thing on earth depends on the A daily practice of reminding yourself of your desired
sun. Scientific studies show us that getting the right amount future — like your dreams, goals, and vision is essential for
of daily sunshine (not too much, not too little) and spending peak performance.
enough time walking in nature are critical elements of
healthy living. In the morning, exposing your eyes to the "Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are
sun (using no glasses or contact lenses) has the powerful made from something they have deep inside them—a
effect of setting your circadian rhythm (optimizing your desire, a dream, a vision." — Muhammad Ali
energy for the day). Your optimal performance depends on
it. As a species, we have never been more distracted than we
are today. There are so many things competing for our
"Sunshine is energy and energy is life." — Chad Davis attention. Millions of people are addicted to following
whatever appears on their social media feed. Many of us
Of all the 9 super habits on this list, this is the one that are drowning in a sea of information and are losing clarity
surprises most people. Why is it even on this list? It should about what is most important for us in the present and in
be so obvious that going outside every morning to get fresh the future.
air and sunshine is a good thing to do. However, because of
the rapid urbanization of our planet and because We easily forget our reasons for change. We forget
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about the future we want to create, the great things we when you successfully make and keep small promises to
want to achieve, or the type of person we want to become. yourself. Integrity is the opinion you have of your own
capability to make progress, and it is the foundation for
A dedicated time every morning spent visualizing a future your confidence in how you approach tasks and challenges.
desired scenario has the extraordinarily powerful effect of Our confidence in our own capability is like a muscle: we
giving us the clarity, focus, and energy we need to continue need to exercise it daily to improve it. The reason this
to move forward in the right direction. The future scenario super habit is so powerful is that it gets you to focus on
can be a goal we want to achieve later that day, later that what is in your control.
week, or even years from now.
Think about it from a new perspective. Every morning is an
There are various ways to do this: through creating a vision opportunity we are all given to make this day great. If we
board and posting it on your bedroom wall; writing your pause and think of small things we can do for others, then
goals down on paper and putting it in your wallet; or we realize that we have hundreds of opportunities every
drawing pictures of the future you want to create in your day to make someone's day. We have the freedom to
journal. Of course, the simplest way is closing your eyes and choose. Why not choose to do great things every day?
thinking about what that desired future will both look and
feel like in detail. It may only take you a couple of minutes “Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother
to do this, but the extraordinary effect this has on your with a cheerful face.” — The Prophet Muhammad
mind cannot be underestimated.
Writing down (or typing) your three unique promises to
yourself about how you are going to make this day great
M – Make a Promise reminds you of how much power you have. It is such an
empowering super habit and is something that only takes a
This is an intentional moment in which you make a promise minute or so to complete. Like gratitude, it is something
to yourself about what specifically you are going to do to you can easily share with others, especially over breakfast,
make today great. This can include promises of things you as you ask them what three things they can do to make
can do for yourself and for others, or promises about how today great.
you are going to behave or react to certain situations.
(For a practical example – see page X)
The purpose of this super habit is not just about creating a
“to do” list for yourself. It is not about just about getting There you have it: the 9 super habits that you can practice
things done. This super habit is really about increasing your in your Morning Ritual to TRANSFORM your life:
personal integrity. Your personal integrity is increased
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1. Thankfulness
2. Rest your mind
3. Affirmations Chapter 6
4. New Learning Seven Stories Of
5. Sweat Extraordinary Personal Change
6. Fuel
7. Outdoors
8. Remind yourself (Note: You only need to read two or
9. Make a promise three of these stories)

“Great stories teach you something. That's one reason I
Remember that the primary focus of this book is not haven't slipped into some sort of retirement: I always feel
knowledge-‐focused, it is application-‐focused. In most cases, like I’m learning something new.” — Clint Eastwood
you already know the habits you need in your life. Our
primary focus in this book is on how you can make the I want to make a very important disclaimer before
habits you desire most, your habits. I believe that most of you start reading these seven stories. You do not
the 9 super habits discussed here have not surprised you. have to read all seven stories. At the time of printing
this book, the majority of people who have already
Our primary problem is not that we don't know what to do: successfully completed the 21-‐Day Challenge have
it is that we don't know how to consistently do what we shared with me that reading just two or three of the
know we must do. This is the problem I want to help you stories were enough to prepare them to start their
solve. own 21-‐Day Challenge. So for now I want you to pick
the stories that you can relate to the most. Below are
Let's now take a look at the stories of seven ordinary your options.
people who made the decision to create their own world-‐
class MORNING RITUAL. As I mentioned earlier, these 21-‐Day Challenge Success Stories
seven stories are the most valuable part of the book. All the
chapters you have read so far have been leading up to this • Ed achieved incredible excess weight loss and
point. became a role model for his friends and work
colleagues.
So make sure that you have a pen in your hand. Take notes.
If these seven ordinary people can create such an • Jane, a teacher, recovered from a broken heart to
extraordinary personal change, so can you. win her confidence back and was then able to
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inspire her students to become more positive about However, I believe that it is not what they did, but
their studies. it is how they did it, that will be of most value to
• Michelle, a business owner, solved her problem of you. After you have read your two or three chosen
constantly feeling overworked and stressed, and how stories, I want you to jump straight to the next
she was able to teach the rest of her team to become chapter. The remaining stories you can read at a
more productive. later day after you have started the 21-‐Day
• Carlo, a first time father, was able to overcome the Challenge. The most important thing is to get you
old destructive habits of his past and become a hero started on this challenge: you will have plenty of
for his wife and daughter. time to finish reading the remaining stories during
• Matt, stuck in his career, was finally able to pursue the 21 Days.
his passion and at the same time empower his
younger brother to breakthrough to the next level.
• Pia, an entrepreneur, was able to revitalize her
struggling online business and motivate her friends
to follow her example of mastering personal change.
• Angela, a recently promoted manager, was able to
overcome the biggest challenge of her career and
transform the performance of her new department.

So which are the stories that appeal to you most? These are
the stories that I want you to read first. You will read both
what they did well and what they could have done
differently. Extract as much value as you can from these
stories. Sometimes you will learn more from their mistakes
than you will from their successes.

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live
long enough to make them all yourself.” - Eleanor
Roosevelt

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Ed • While I am in the shower, I will brush my teeth.
• Once I dry myself, I will lie back on my bed and
meditate for 15 minutes using a guided meditation
app.
Achieved incredible excess weight loss and became a role
model for his friends and work colleagues. • After that, I will write down three things that I am
feeling grateful for right now.
• Then I will write down three things that I can do to
Background make today great.
• After that, I will put on my favorite worship music.
Before starting the 21-‐Day Challenge, Ed was very out of While I dress for work I will also be singing to the
shape: people who hadn’t seen him for a long time were music.
always commenting on his weight gain. In the past, Ed has • I will go downstairs to the kitchen and drink one
tried to make exercise and healthy eating a habit but, at his more glass of water.
own admission, he has “failed miserably”. • Then I will walk to my bus stop (five minutes) and
wait for my 7:30 a.m. bus to work. During the 45-‐
However, this time Ed is determined to make a lasting minute commute, I will continue listening to
change in his life. He had never tried to exercise in the podcasts.
morning before, so he thought that building a ritual around • While I walk to the office building from the bus stop,
that would be something that could work for him. I will affirm to myself what an awesome person I am.
I am kind, caring, and deserving of success.
Ed’s New Morning Ritual • Once I get to my desk, I will say good morning to
everyone I meet.
Wake Up Time: 6:15 a.m. • I will look at my planner for the week and prioritize
• Go to restroom for a pee then throw cold water on my tasks for the day.
my face. • After that, I will join my colleagues in the kitchen
• Go to the kitchen area and drink one glass of water. area and have a healthy breakfast.
• Put on my workout clothes; go for a 15-‐minute
run/walk in my estate to catch the morning An interview with Ed before he started the 21-‐Day
sunshine. Challenge
• I will listen to inspiring podcasts on my smartphone
as I exercise. 1. Immediately after completing your new
• When I return, I will go for a warm shower. Morning Ritual how do you want to feel?
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I want to feel healthy and energetic: to be confident bedroom, I will open my curtains so that the sun
in myself that what I am doing is giving me the best shines on my face, then I will immediately drink a
possible start to my day. fresh glass of water. As an extra incentive (I live in a
tropical climate) I am going to set my air conditioner
2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐ to switch off 10 minutes before my alarm goes off.
Day Challenge what is the desired result The resulting increase in room temperature will
you want to achieve the most? make me really uncomfortable: I am sure that will
It would be amazing to look in the mirror and see a be enough to get me going.
thinner, slimmer and healthier version of me. I want
to start feeling more confident around the girls I 5. How are you going to design your environment
like. I want them to notice how good I look. I want to make it easier for you to do your Morning
them to talk to each other about how handsome I Ritual and more difficult for you to not do it?
am. I think the thing I dread the most is the exercise
3. Why is that desired result so important to part, so I know a part of my brain will be looking for
you? excuses for me to skip this. To make it easier, I will
I am fed up with being overweight. I get depressed thinking have my workout clothes and running shoes
about it. It has destroyed my confidence. That's the reason prepared the night before and left in the center of
why I have been single for the past three years. I am lonely. my room. I will also put my iPod next to my running
A lot of my friends are in relationships and I sometimes feel shoes and have it set to automatically download
like they take pity on me by letting me hang out with them. some of my favorite podcasts so I will have some
I hate feeling like this. I have had enough of their fat jokes. I really good stuff to listen to while I exercise.
deserve better.
4. How are you going to make it easier for you to 6. How are you going to make it easier for you to
wake up at the time your promised yourself measure and evaluate your progress during the
(that you don't hit the snooze button once your 21-‐Day Challenge and at the end of the 21-‐Day
alarm starts ringing)? Challenge?
I am a huge fan of snoozing so I know I have to win
this battle. To help me keep my promise to myself I am 20 kg (~44 pounds) overweight. I am targeting
about waking up on time, I am going to leave my to lose 4.5 kg (~10 pounds) over the next 21 days. I
phone in the toilet every evening, so when the alarm am going to promise myself that I will not measure
on my phones rings I have to go into the toilet to my weight anytime during the 21 days itself: I want
switch it off. When I am in the toilet, I will throw to feel the excitement of getting on those scales on
cold water on my face. When I get back to my day 21. Instead, I will use a checklist after I brush my
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teeth at night to verify if I met my daily exercise
goal. I will post it in my bathroom at home and have WHO: Jill, Brian, and Clare (3 of my work colleagues who
a pen taped beside it. I will have no choice but to fill are also overweight)
it in every day. Also, although I have not used one Why That Person: They always seem to be joking that they
before, I will buy myself a pedometer to put on my are proud to be overweight (I’m sure they are just saying
wrist. I know those things measure the number of that as a protective layer not to get hurt. I know because
steps I take and the distance I walk so I will also use that’s what I have done in the past). I know that all 3 of
that on my checklist as a way of measuring my daily them get depressed sometimes because of their weight. I
progress. want to be able to approach each of them and offer to be
their success partner. Being responsible for someone else’s
transformation is something that would really motivate me
to become even more disciplined
7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and why do
you think that person is the best choice in
helping you successfully complete the 21-‐Day
Challenge? 9. How are you going to deal with unplanned
setbacks during the 21-‐Day Challenge? How are
you going to turn “bad days” into “good data”?
WHO: My work colleague, Ian
Why That Person: Ian was as big as me a year ago but has In the past, I have fallen for the "what the hell" effect
lost so much weight and looks fantastic. I believe he will when trying to keep a new diet. All it would take was
really empathize with my situation. Sadly, my other friends for me to make one tiny slip, and a part of my brain
who also have weight problems would not make good would be telling me to completely throw in the
success partners. They have a defeatist mindset and they towel. Not this time. I am going to analyze every
think that there is nothing they can do to change. I need to time I have a setback and every time I come even
be around positive people who believe that change is close to having a setback. I am going to print some of
possible and encourage me along the way. my favorite inspiring quotes and put them on the
mirror in my bedroom. I am really going to practice
a new level of awareness over the 21 days.
8. Who is the first person you will help after you Also, I will become really good at planning ahead. I
successfully complete the 21-‐Day Challenge? have created a shorter version of my Morning Ritual,
Why did you choose that person? in the event that for some reason outside of my
control I don't have as much time as I require in the
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morning. I think it is very important that I give
myself this option, as I really want to avoid the 10. How are you going to incentivize yourself to
scenario where I do nothing. Doing something ensure you successfully complete your Morning
positive is always better that doing nothing, so I Ritual and the 21-‐Day Challenge?
think creating a Plan B will be very important to
ensure I do not allow any setbacks to stop me. My reward for My punishment for
completing my failing to complete my
Morning Ritual Morning Ritual
Later that evening I will I am going to allow
allow myself to watch myself to watch only one
two episodes of one of episode
my favorite TV shows

My reward for My punishment for
successfully failing to complete the
completing the 21-‐Day 21-‐Day Challenge
Challenge
If I skip my ritual just
I will buy myself a brand once over the 21 Days, I
new suit that I will wear am going to delete my
to my friend’s wedding entire video game
later this year. I get collection. To ensure that
excited just visualizing I am serious I am going
how slim fitting it will to put it on a flash drive
feel on me and how (no backup copy) and
many compliments I will ask Ian to keep it until
receive. the 21 days are over. If I
fail then I give him 100%
permission to delete the
entire thing. Video
games have been my
passion since I was a
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teenager so I cannot started to see trends in my eating that helped me
think of anything that identify certain triggers for food allergies and
would frustrate me more gastrointestinal problems that I was having. Simply
than to lose years of put, this was the most game-‐changing thing I did.
work because I was
unable to do this 3. How did you use your checklist and how
Morning Ritual. Game on. did it help you?
Ah! I wished I used these tools years ago. I could not
believe that a simple thing like tracking what I eat
and drink, recording when I exercise, and following
An interview with Ed after he completed the 21-‐Day a checklist for my daily habits would have had such
Challenge a massive impact. It was not the first time I learned
about how much these tools can help, but it was only
when I started to apply it to myself that I realized
1. How do you feel after completing the how powerful it is. I am convinced that this is one of
challenge? the key things I have been missing when I look back
Fantastic, this has been absolutely life changing. I at all my past attempts at losing weight.
have never had so much energy and I lost 5.5 kg
(~12 pounds) in that first 21 days. Unbelievable!! So 4. What was your relationship with your
many people are commenting on how good I look. success partner like and how did it help
you?
2. What was the single most effective thing When I first met Ian about this, he told me that he
you did over the 21 days? was very familiar with the role of a success partner
Of all the changes I made over the 21 days, having and was delighted that I asked for his help. Initially I
Ian as my success partner was one of the best things expected him to hit me with some secret wisdom
I did. He was very enthusiastic to help me and really about how I can transform like him but instead he
empathized with my position as he himself had a just asked me great questions and I ended up doing
serious weight problem in the past. Before I got a most of the talking. He knew that his role was to
chance to ask him, he volunteered himself to be my help me think and to encourage me, not to preach
success partner. He got me recording my daily food and judge. This worked really well as I almost
and drink intake. Because of this tracker, for the first always knew exactly what I must do: most of the
time I started to question what I was eating. I have time I just needed someone like Ian to affirm me.
never asked, “Is this healthy?” as often as I did. I also
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We agreed to meet every Tuesday over a healthy
lunch for a six-‐week period for what Ian called our
“Thinking Sessions.” Every meeting, I would show
him my checklists and tracking sheets and he would
get me to reflect on what went well and what I could
have done differently. I loved the insights I got from
these sessions.

5. What was the biggest adjustment you
made to your Morning Ritual over the 21
days?
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Monday A.M.: 3 Tuesday A.M.: 3 Wednesday A.M.:
things I am things I am 3 things I am
grateful for grateful for grateful for
One of the great discoveries I made, while I was listening to 1. The sun 1. I got my 1. My success
podcasts, was that if I increased the speed of the audio to shining on my face report partner
one and a half times faster, it did not negatively impact the this morning, I am finished Ian. He
quality of my learning. Sometimes, on the condition that the feeling loved by before the really is
people I was listening to were not fast talkers, I could the universe. deadline helping me
increase the speed of the audio to twice as fast without any 2. I got to 2. I got to cook with this
negative impact on the quality of my learning. So, spend some dinner for my challenge.
amazingly, I could learn twice as fast. I really recommend quality time with family. 2. That I am
everyone to try this out. I wish I did this years ago. my brother 3. That I have a disciplined in
yesterday. job that I like, following my
3. That I am unlike so Morning Ritual.
6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐ learning so much many of my 3. That Jill
Day challenge and how did you overcome from the podcasts friends. considers me
it? I am listening to. one of her
I know this may sound crazy but, when everything closest friends.
was organized the night before, doing the ritual
became easy. I struggled when I did not prepare the Monday A.M.: 3 Tuesday A.M.: 3 Wednesday A.M.:
night before because that created extra thinking things I can do to things I can do 3 things I can do to
effort for me in the morning. Simple things like make today great to make today make today great
forgetting to charge my iPod so I did not have any 1. Give a great 1. Book my trip
podcasts to listen to while I exercised annoyed me: LinkedIn 1. Watch the out of the
the exercise session felt longer when I didn't have recommendation new Batman city next
anything to listen to. So, to prevent that from for my former boss movie with my month.
happening again, I added to my evening checklist to Derick. It will be a friend Robbie. 2. Complete
check that all my electronic devices (iPod, nice way to thank 2. Go for my
smartphone) were fully charged the night before. him for his lunch on my application
support. own so that I papers for a
Ed’s Journal Entries for three consecutive days — the five-‐ 2. Do not open can finish new
minute journal exercises my email until reading the passport.
after lunch so that I article that 3. Surprise my
can complete my Allan Mom by
report without recommended. getting her
distraction. 3. Write a something
3. Cook dinner thank you note nice from
for my family to Jill for her the store.
tonight. help last week.
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7. How did you manage setbacks during the 9. What advice would you give others who are
21-‐Day Challenge? / How did you turn about to start the 21-‐Day challenge?
“bad days” into “good data”? Just do it! Sorry if that sounds like a brand
I am really proud of myself for how quick I was to endorsement for a sporting company but doing this
adapt when unplanned things happen. Having open new Morning Ritual has been a total game changer
conversations about setbacks with my success for me. To make real improvement in your life, you
partner, Ian, really, really helped me. I started to really have to do things that you have never done
realize so many tiny changes I could make that before. My biggest tip is to find people who have
would increase my odds of success or decrease my been successful in the area you want to improve on
risk of slipping back into my old habits. Awareness and ask them to advise you: you will be surprised at
was the key. All I needed was two minutes every the number of people who really want to help.
evening to properly look back at my day to see what
I could have done differently. Reflecting on how my How Ed Has Impacted Others
day went was such an empowering practice, I wish I Testimony from Jill (Ed’s work colleague)
had started this sooner. I feel like I discovered the
secret sauce for how to become superhuman. 1. What was your first reaction when Ed shared
with you his Morning Ritual?

8. How are you helping others create a world-‐class I was really surprised when he shared something
Morning Ritual as a result of your experience in “non-‐work related” like this with the folks in the
completing the 21-‐Day Challenge? office. His story really inspired me. Although it took
When people ask me how I have lost so much me a few days to have the courage to talk to him
weight, I find myself proudly telling them about my about it, when I shared my story of struggling to lose
Morning Ritual. A couple of people have been really weight with him, he was so supportive and
impressed, but what gave me the greatest sense of empathetic. When he agreed to be my success
pride is when Jill (one of the girls at work who also partner, I felt it was one of the best things that has
has problems with her weight) asked me to be her happened to me this year.
success partner. I was overwhelmed when she asked
me. I felt a bit pressured because I am not finished 2. What impact has Ed’s experience with
yet with my health transformation, but then I Morning Rituals had on you?
remembered what one of my teachers said: that
even if you are just a few steps ahead of someone, I am almost in tears as I think about this. Ed's
you can still significantly help them on their journey. support has changed my life. After he helped me
49 of 117

develop my own Morning Ritual, within a few days I Jane
already started to feel the benefits. Now I look back
and say that it is probably the best decision I have
ever made for my health. I have lost 7 kg (~15.5 A teacher who recovered from a broken heart to win
pounds) in the last 40 days and never felt so alive. I her confidence back and was then able to inspire her
still have a more kilos to lose before I get to my students to become more positive about their
optimum weight but, without hesitation, this studies.
Morning Ritual thing has been an extraordinary help
to me.

Background
3. How have you shared with others what you
learned from Ed? Jane recently came out of a romantic relationship
and emotionally has not yet recovered from it. They
I have this burning desire within me to share were together for seven years and she really thought
Morning Rituals with anyone that I care about who that he was the one for her. She thought they would
has big dreams to achieve. It has changed my life. I get married and have a family together. The
never thought that having a Morning Ritual would relationship with her ex was, for so long, the most
be so powerful.. I wish they would teach this in important thing in Jane’s life. She put him and his
schools. I wanted to play my part in paying it needs at the center of her life. Now that it is all over,
forward, so rather than complain about the Jane feels confused and alone, her self-‐confidence is
education system I focused on what is in my control shattered.
and shared this with my two of my closest friends.
Now I am their success partner! They look to me as She is getting so much great advice from friends, but
their mentor! It is just crazy to think about how far I their advice is only slowly sinking in. She wants to
have come. I am so thankful to Ed for showing me be able to move on but she still finds herself going to
what is possible. bed feeling sad and waking up feeling sad. She
remembers reading about Morning Rituals years
ago, and how so many successful people credited
this daily practice with transforming their life. Jane
feels she already has a Morning Ritual and would
give herself a score of 7 out of 10. However Jane is
humble enough to admit that there are a lot of things
she could do to significantly improve it.
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• While I travel to work on public transport (20
Jane knows that she needs to do something minutes) I will listen to my personal development
differently to snap her out of the mood she’s in so audio books on my smartphone.
that is why she decide to upgrade her Morning Ritual • Once I get to work I will smile and say good morning
to a world-‐class level. She feels she has nothing to to every student and teacher I meet on the way to
lose from at least trying. my class.

Jane’s New Morning Ritual
An interview with Jane before she started the 21-‐
Wake up at 5:50 a.m. (Mon-‐Friday), 8 a.m. (Sat-‐Sun) Day Challenge
• Drink one glass of water
• Get my Bible and journal and go outside to the back 1. Immediately after completing your new
of my house as the sun rises Morning Ritual how do you want to feel?
• Read one chapter of my Bible I want to feel happy again, I want to be in love with
• After I read, I will write one page of my reflections myself. I want to be able to see myself in the mirror
on what I just read. with joy in my heart. I want to feel alive again. I
• I will then get my “gratitude journal” and write don’t want to be constantly reflecting on the past. I
down 10 things that I am grateful for. want to be focused on the present and be excited
• I will then write a one-‐page love letter to myself. about the future.
• I will go back into my house and cook myself a
healthy breakfast 2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐
• While cooking my breakfast I will listen to my Day Challenge what is the desired result
favorite music. you want to achieve the most?
• After breakfast, I will make myself a nice cup of I want this to reignite my creative passions. I want
black coffee. to start doing the things that I love like painting and
• Then will go to my room with my coffee and I will do calligraphy. Every day, I want to intentionally make
something that I love for 30 minutes (one day I will time just for me. I want to be excited about waking
focus on my painting, the next day calligraphy). up in the morning to do my Morning Ritual.
• After my “me time” I will go for a shower and get
dressed for work. 3. Why is that desired result so important to
you?
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I feel that I have been neglecting myself for years. I 6. How are you going to make it easier for
have been so focused on pleasing other people first you to measure and evaluate your
that I have really neglected looking after myself. I progress during the 21-‐Day Challenge and
want to renew my mind and become more like one at the end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?
of those strong, confident and independent women I I think it is important for me to see how much
admire. I want to take charge of my life. progress I am making during these 21 days. I like the
idea of having a reflective writing practice at the end
4. How are you going to make it easier for of the day. I am going to do this while I am in bed,
you to wake up at the time your promised before I go to sleep. I like the idea of asking myself
yourself (that you don't hit the snooze two simple questions, “What were three amazing
button once your alarm starts ringing)? things that happened today?” and “What are three
I really want to wake up for sunrise. I like the idea of things I could have done differently?” This will be a
moving my phone alarm to the other side of the great way for me to stay positive and also to
room, which for sure is something that will get me practically bring to my awareness the tiny little
out of bed. I will immediately open my curtains so things that I could have done differently.
that some sunshine (even if only a few rays) comes
into my room. I like the idea of using a checklist. I have never really
used one before in this way, but I see how very
5. How are you going to design your motivating it will be for me to check the box every
environment to make it easier for you to day. I will post it on the closet door in my bedroom,
do your new Morning Ritual and more so I will see it every day and will check it every
difficult for you to not do it? morning after I am dressed for work.
I think the most important thing for me is to make a
rule to get to bed before 10 p.m. when I have work
the next day. I know that, if I don't get enough sleep, 7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and
it will be really difficult for me to wake up in the why do you think that person is the best
morning. I also know that if I don't get a good sleep, choice in helping you successfully
it will affect how I feel in the morning. I am going to complete the 21-‐Day Challenge?
make a rule that, after 9 p.m., I don't watch any TV
and I switch off my smartphone. I will instead use
that time in my bedroom, reading one of my books
or practicing my calligraphy or painting skills.
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Who Why that person
My best She has been so supportive of me during
friend, this breakup period. I know she would do 9. How are you going to deal with unplanned
Angie anything for me. I am so lucky to have setbacks during the 21-‐Day Challenge?
her. I will meet her for lunch and explain How are you going to turn “bad days” into
my new Morning Ritual and the role of a “good data”?
success partner, then I will ask her to be
my success partner to ensure that I do it I think I take things too personally sometimes. I
for 21 days straight without missing a realize that since the breakup, I have had some
day. Who knows, I might even convince horrible self-‐talk going on in my head. I have been
her to start her own Morning Ritual. repeating discouraging things to myself that I would
never even dream of saying to another person. I
8. Who is the first person you will help after really am my own worst enemy. I want to stop that. I
you successfully complete the 21-‐Day know not everything will go as planned over the
Challenge? Why did you choose that next 21 days. I will make some mistakes. But I am
person? going to promise myself to not take anything
personally. I will learn from every mistake. I will not
allow myself to call my setbacks “failures” unless I
Who Why that person do not learn from them.
My students I really want to be a role model
for them and I know that the 10. How are you going to incentivize yourself
greatest way to teach excellence is to ensure you successfully complete your
to model it. Some of them come Morning Ritual and the 21-‐Day Challenge?
from such troubled backgrounds.
If this Morning Ritual can work My reward for My punishment for
for me, I would love to be able to completing my failing to complete my
teach it to them so they become Morning Ritual Morning Ritual
more positive and focused on A spoon of honey in my I am not allowed to put
their studies. morning coffee anything sweet in my
morning coffee

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completing the 21-‐Day 21-‐Day Challenge time.
Challenge
One of the things that I If I miss two or more 2. What was the single most effective thing
love doing is making days of doing my new you did over the 21 days and why?
homemade cookies and Morning Ritual then I I think the daily gratitude journal was the game
giving them to my will not allow myself to changer for me. At the beginning, it felt a bit robotic
students and my fellow bring any cookies into when I started writing down the obvious stuff
teachers. I get a real kick school for the rest of the (family, health, my job), but once I started searching
out of seeing the look on year. I hope that doesn't my heart for things that made me feel grateful then
their faces when I bring sound weird but that it opened up so much love in my heart. I started to
out the cookies. So if I would really motivate see so many things that I took for granted before,
am successful in me to keep my promise and they made my heart sing. Especially when I did
completing the 21-‐Day of doing this Morning my gratitude exercise outside when the sun was
Challenge, I am going to Ritual. I love being rising. It was the best daily tool I had to get me out
make a big batch of generous to my of my depression. When I was depressed or sad, I
cookies that I will share workmates and my was always thinking of myself: what I was missing
with my students and students so I would hate out on or what I thought I had lost. When I started
fellow teachers the next not to be able to do this practicing real gratitude, then new life came to me. I
day. because of my laziness. could not be fearful and grateful at the same time. It
really made me smile, and I believe that this practice
alone was the most effective change I made.

3. How did you use your checklist and how
did it help you?
An interview with Jane after she completed the 21-‐ I have never used a checklist to help me create new
Day Challenge habits before, but it really worked for me. I got great
satisfaction from seeing the progress I was making. I
also like the idea that I have the power to upgrade
1. How do you feel after completing the the checklist as I learn more about this entire
challenge? process of self-‐improvement. In the first version of
Amazing! Super amazing. I feel so empowered and my checklist, I did not have any evening ritual. As I
inspired. So many of my friends are saying how learned more, I started to include this on the
refreshed I look. I have not felt this way for a long checklist. I eventually updated the checklist twice.
54 of 117


4. What was your relationship with your made to your Morning Ritual over the 21
success partner like and how did it help days?
you? The more I did my Morning Ritual, the more I
Initially I thought I was going to ask my friend Angie realized that I needed to establish an end of day
to be my success partner but then, after speaking to ritual at night. I am not used to going to bed so early,
her about Morning Rituals, I did not feel that she so it took my mind some time to adjust to it. I started
would be the right the choice. She is not as reading articles about how to improve my quality of
motivated as me when it comes to personal change sleep. I experimented with many tiny things, but I
and I needed to find some with a more positive think the biggest change was installing blackout
attitude. So I instead asked my work colleague, Rose. curtains in my bedroom. This totally blocked any of
Rose is one of the most positive people I know and, the streetlight from outside and made my room as
when I spoke to her about it, she became super dark as a cave. I feel it had a big impact on the
enthusiastic. We agreed to become each other’s quality of my sleep, thus it gave me more energy
success partner. while doing my Morning Ritual.

Rose and I met every Friday for lunch when we 6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐
would show our checklist to each other for that Day challenge how did you overcome it?
week. We agreed in advance what the role of the I never realized that I had such an addiction to social
success partner is so that there was no confusion. media. I always had my phone right beside my bed,
When it was her turn to be the success partner, I did frequently checking it at night and always first thing
most of the talking. She spent the majority of the in the morning. I realize that was not a healthy thing
time listening and asking me really simple questions for me to do. I was exposing myself to all the
like, “What went well this week?” or “What could problems of the world and the agendas of other
you have done better?” As simple as these two people. When I promised myself not to check my
questions were, they had a massive impact on phone during my Morning Ritual, it turned out to be
helping me improve. I definitely see the value of a real struggle for me. I would find myself craving to
someone asking you this type of question every check my Facebook account. Then I made one simple
week. We then swapped roles, and I became her change that really helped. I got one of those
success partner. It is one of the most important automatic power sockets that killed the power to my
meetings I have every week. Wi-‐Fi box at 9 p.m. and switched it back on at 5 p.m.
the next day. This simple change really helped. It
removed a big distraction and allowed me to focus
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on the most important thing in my Morning Ritual: intimidated. I also know myself, and I didn’t want to
me! take on too much change too soon. Focusing on
three core things (reading my Bible, journaling, and
7. How did you manage setbacks during the practicing one of my hobbies) really made things
21-‐Day Challenge? / How did you turn simple and achievable for me. As you start to build
“bad days” into “good data”? confidence, and create new habits, then feel free to
I am really proud about how I managed this. I really add more. Starting with just two or three things is
got better at not taking setbacks personally. I simply already a fantastic achievement.
made a note of it on my checklist and then, when I
met my success partner, this note was my trigger for
having a discussion about how I could prevent the How Jane has impacted others
mistake from reoccurring. I loved this process. Testimony from Anna (A student of Jane’s)

8. How are you helping others create a 1. What was your first reaction when Miss
world-‐class Morning Ritual as a result of Jane shared with you her Morning Ritual?
your experience in completing the 21-‐Day Miss Jane is one of my favorite teachers at school.
Challenge? She is very nice to me and is always smiling. I am
I have started to teach this to my students. I started very thankful that she shared the importance of
small by getting them to practice daily gratitude in Morning Rituals with me and my classmates. She
the morning. But it has already made an impact. I am told us that it was not part of the curriculum, and
so proud of them. I have lots of ideas on how I am that no other teacher was sharing this in our school.
going to share more and more about world-‐class We were the first students to learn about Morning
Morning Rituals to them. I am also going to ask my Rituals. It made us feel special and excited to do
School Principal for her approval to share this with something to help us become successful.
the other teachers. I am so excited about more
people doing this. It has really changed my life and I 2. What impact has Miss Jane’s experience
know it can really help so many others. with Morning Rituals had on you?
This was so different to almost everything else that I
9. What advice would you give others who learned in school. It is something so simple that I
are about to start the 21-‐Day challenge? could practice every day to help me become a better
person. I loved it.
Start small. When I read about the 100 different
things you can do in your Morning Ritual, I felt
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3. How have you shared with others what Michelle:
you learned from Miss Jane?
When I told my mom about Morning Rituals and
what we learned from Miss Jane, she was very A business owner who solved her problem of
surprised. I never saw my mom ask me so many constantly feeling overworked and stressed, and how
questions about school before. My mom was
she was able to teach the rest of her team to become
fascinated that they were teaching this in school and
more productive.
told me that every student at school should be

taught this. My mom is very happy about how this
has helped me. She told me that at the next parent-‐
teacher meeting she is going to personally thank Background:
Miss Jane for sharing it with me and also insist that
the other classes get the same teaching. Michelle started her own business two years ago
and has never worked so hard in her life. Although
she is proud that her company has grown to where
it is, she feels like she now works for the worst boss
she’s ever had: herself.

Michelle feels that she is too caught up in so many
little things that she is constantly micromanaging
her team. She wants to stop this. She longs to be able
to empower her team more so that she can focus
more on the creative side of the business – on the
things that only she can do. Michelle fears that,
without making some changes about how she
manages her day, not only will her business suffer
but also personally she is heading towards a
complete mental and physical burnout.

Michelle recently discovered that almost 80% of the
successful female entrepreneurs she admires have a
disciplined Morning Ritual. This was enough to
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convince her to give it a try to see if it can help her exercising my idea muscle and writing down 10 new
create more balance in her life. ideas in any area of my life.
• Then I will prepare a cup of green tea and head to my
first appointment of the day.
Michelle’s New Morning Ritual An interview with Michelle before she started the
Wake Up Time: 5:45 a.m. (If my first appointment is at 8 21-‐Day Challenge
a.m.) or 6:45 a.m. if my first appointment is at 9 a.m. or
later) 1. Immediately after completing your new
• Get out of bed and drink one full glass of lemon Morning Ritual how do you want to feel?
water I want to feel inspired and empowered. I want to feel
• Go to the restroom and shower. confident in the knowledge that what I just did was
• Once the warm water hits my face, I will repeat to the best way for me to prime my mind, body, heart
myself "Today is going to be a great day.” I will sing and spirit in the morning so that I can optimize the
my favorite songs while in the shower (usually, this rest of my day.
will be anything by Lady Gaga).
• I will then go back to my room and dry myself. 2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐
• Then I will make my bed so that my room looks nice Day Challenge what is the desired result
and neat. you want to achieve the most?
• I will sit at my table and do the five-‐minute journal: I want to see a dramatic reduction in my stress
three things I am grateful for, and three things I can levels. I want balance. I don't want to be worrying
do to make this day great. about small things. I want to be appropriately
• After that, I will practice yoga for 20 minutes by engaged with the things I am doing. I want to have
following a guided yoga instruction from YouTube. more joy in my life.
• Then I will meditate on my sofa for 10 minutes using
the Headspace application.
• Then I will grab the green smoothie I made the night 3. Why is that desired result so important to
before from the fridge. you?
• As I drink my smoothie, I will check my email to see I know that my state of mind is impacting my
if I have urgent messages. relationships with other people. If I am honest, I
think it is the reason why I am still single. I know
• Then I will read three pages from one my business
that I deserve to find that special someone in my life.
books.
However, I also know that I first need to focus on
• While reading, I will take note of anything that is
becoming a better me. I believe that the better I
relevant to my business. I will end my journaling by
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become, the more I will attract the right people into
my life. I will also download the guided yoga videos from
YouTube to my computer in advance so that I am not
4. How are you going to make it easier for relying on Internet connection in the morning.
you to wake up at the time your promised
yourself (that you don't hit the snooze 6. How are you going to make it easier for
button once your alarm starts ringing)? you to measure and evaluate your
progress during the 21-‐Day Challenge and
The night before, I will leave a glass of water with at the end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?
lemon in it on the bedside table. Once I hear my I love the idea of using a checklist. I love writing lists
alarm go off in the morning, I will drink the glass and ticking things off the list. It is a very satisfying
straight away. I will create a rule for myself that I am feeling when I do. As I already use my digital
not allowed to switch off my alarm until I drink the calendar every day, I will link it to a spreadsheet
glass of water. I will leave my alarm at the other side where I will track my Morning Ritual.
of the room to ensure that I have to walk over to
switch it off. I am going to use my executive assistant, Sally, as a
measure of the progress I am making in my Morning
5. How are you going to design your Ritual. I spend more time with Sally than any other
environment to make it easier for you to person (including my own family), so she would be
do your new Morning Ritual and more in a good position to assess how I have changed.
difficult for you to not do it? Before I begin the 21-‐Day Challenge, I will ask her
I am going to buy a journal and a pen and I’ll leave “Out of 10, “How would you rate our professional
them right on top of my bedside table. That will relationship?” instructing her that giving me a score
make it easier for me to keep my promise of of 10/10 is not an option. Once I get her answer, I
journaling. The night before, I am going to fill the will then ask her, “What do I need to do to make it a
kettle with water (for my tea) and leave a cup with a 10?”
teabag inside next to it. The key will be to ensure
that I have one of my healthy green smoothies I am sure she will not expect these questions, but I
(spinach, banana, water and honey) prepared the am going to encourage her to answer honestly. If
night before. I will also put my yoga mat in the necessary, I will give her enough time to think of the
middle of my bedroom so that I have to walk over it answers. She can even give me the answers the next
on my way to the bathroom. I will add that to my day if she chooses. I will explain that I need her help:
evening checklist so I don't forget. not only to become a better boss but also a better
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person. If I tell her why I am doing this, I’m sure she My As I mentioned earlier, she is such a
will give me her support. At the end of the 21-‐Day executive critical person in our business. Sally was
Challenge, I will ask her the same two questions. It assistant, one of the first people I hired as an
will be a great way for me to discover what progress Sally entrepreneur. Aside from how this will
she has seen in me over these 21 days. benefit her professionally, I really think
that this can also help her in her
7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and personal life as well.
why do you think that person is the best
choice in helping you successfully
complete the 21-‐Day Challenge? 9. How are you going to deal with unplanned
setbacks during the 21-‐Day Challenge?
Who Why that person How are you going to turn “bad days” into
My executive She sees me more than any other person “good data”?
assistant, Sally and she knows how driven I am to
become a better person. She is also very Looking over my plans for the next 21 days, I know
passionate about personal development. there will be days when I will be traveling out of
So I think she will be the ideal person to town and I know there will be nights when I will not
help me with this. be able to get to bed at the time I want. I want to be
flexible with myself when these things happen.
Whenever possible, I want to plan ahead and adapt
my Morning Ritual if I know there are going to be
some disturbances. I think it is important for me to
have a planned alternative Morning Ritual for these
days (for example creating a minimum requirement
for me to complete three of the five of my success
habits) rather than skipping everything.
8. Who is the first person you will help after
you successfully complete the 21-‐Day
Challenge? Why did you choose that 10. How are you going to incentivize yourself
person? to ensure you successfully complete your
Morning Ritual and the 21-‐Day Challenge?
Who Why that person
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completing my failing to complete my 2. What was the single most effective thing you did
Morning Ritual Morning Ritual over the 21 days?
I will treat myself to a I will not allow myself to The meditation practice: I wish I’d started years ago. I am
mid-‐morning coffee and eat a cookie that day. embarrassed when I think that, for years, I resisted it.
cookie before lunch. Although I did not feel the effects immediately, doing a
small amount on a daily basis really helped me become
more focused and productive by giving me a greater sense
My reward for My punishment for of calm and control.
completing the 21-‐Day 21-‐Day Challenge In the past I felt I was so caught up in the details that I
Challenge could not see the obvious – it was like I was trying to read
I am going to bring my I will not allow myself to the label from inside the jar. My meditation practice
sister and mother out of buy one more new pair changed that – and over time it helped me find the right
the city for a girls’ of shoes for the next six perspective on what is most important. I think this quote
weekend getaway. months. I love buying really summed it up for me
shoes so I can't think of
anything more painful “You can learn more in an hour of silence than you can
than a shopping ban. in a year from books” Matthew Kelly

An interview with Michelle after she finished the 21-‐ 3. How did you use your checklist and how did it
Day Challenge help you?
The checklist worked great. I created a spreadsheet
and linked it to my online calendar. Having Sally as
1. How do you feel after completing the 21-‐Day my success partner was a golden idea. Sally checks
Challenge? my calendar everyday, so she was able to see if I did
Wow. This has been one of the best decisions I have my Morning Ritual or not. Having that level of daily
made in my life. I don’t get as stressed out by the visibility and accountability really drove me to keep
little things like I used to. I am more joyful and my promises to complete my Morning Ritual every
grateful. I am loving the clarity that daily journaling morning. When we had our success meetings the
gives me. I feel so refreshed. checklist was always one of the first things that we
looked at.

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4. What was your relationship with your success Instead, I moved checking email and social media to the
partner like and how did it help you? end of my ritual and used it as an additional reward for
completing my Morning Ritual. It was a tiny change of
We clarified what her role as my success partner involved, sequence but it helped me get the most from my ritual.
and then every Tuesday morning after our regular work-‐ It is true that sometimes the smallest things have the
related one-‐on-‐one meetings, Sally would step into her role biggest impact.
as my success partner. For half an hour, she would ask me
to talk about how I was progressing with my Morning 6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐Day
Ritual. She would print out my checklist for the past week Challenge how did you overcome it?
so it made the conversation more focused. We looked at Sticking with a meditation practice at the beginning was
the facts and data for that week, so it was my dedicated difficult. The first few times I did it, I felt very
time to reflect on what went well and what I could have uncomfortable. Sitting on the sofa being still is
done differently. I know this is something that Sally really something I am not used to. I moved to lying on the bed
appreciated. It was not long before she asked me to become and started to experiment with different guided
her success partner as she started her own Morning Ritual. meditations on YouTube. I discovered a meditation
It really brought our professional relationship to another practice that worked best for me. Looking back, I am so
level. I would strongly encourage every progressive boss proud of myself for sticking with it, as I know I am
out there to ask one of his or her employees (especially the reaping the benefits of daily meditation.
high potential ones who are hungry to grow) to become
their success partner. It is a great demonstration of 7. How did you manage setbacks during the 21-‐
leadership and humility with extraordinary benefits for all Day Challenge? / How did you turn “bad days”
involved. It really worked between Sally and I. I am so glad into “good data”?
I did it. What helped me with this was honest reflection with
my success partner about any setbacks that occurred
5. What was the biggest adjustment you make to that week. I found myself getting better at
your Morning Ritual over the 21 days? differentiating between stuff that was in my control and
I think imposing a “no email or no social media” rule what was out of my control. I was getting better with
helped me. I found myself checking my email at the how I reacted to setbacks. I was proud of myself with
beginning of my ritual and then, while I was meditating how I coped. It was empowering to know that, although
and practicing yoga, I was thinking about my response I may not be able to control the external stimulus, how I
to the emails as opposed to focusing on what I was reacted to that stimulus was 100% in my control. This
doing. I realized I was exposing my mind to other reflection process helped me stay on the right path.
people's "to-‐do lists" by opening my email so early.
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8. How are you helping others create a world-‐class reasons I have resisted meditation for so long. I
Morning Ritual as a result of your experience in encourage others to be more open-‐minded about the
completing the 21-‐Day Challenge? different things they can do during their Morning Ritual.
Sharing this with my team and, more importantly Yes, it may be new to you and may seem strange, but
practicing this with them, has been particularly you have to prove it to yourself by valid experiments
gratifying. We now start all our team meetings with rather than continuing to dismiss it. I am so glad I
some type of gratitude exercise: experimented, and I know I am a better person now
because I was willing to give it a try. It is one of the best
What gave you joy at work today? Who in the group do personal changes I have ever made in my life.
you want to acknowledge? What would you like to
acknowledge yourself for?
How Michelle has impacted others
These may sound like very simple questions, but I can’t Testimony from Sally (Michelle’s Executive Assistant and
tell you how powerful this is for our team. Spending just Success Partner)
five to ten minutes on this totally transforms the energy
of the meeting. One other thing we also started to do 1. What was your first reaction when Michelle
was to introduce group reflection exercises: What went asked you to be her success partner?
well? What could have we have done differently? We do I was not sure what being a success partner meant
this after every event or on the closure of a big project. at the beginning. However, when Michelle explained
the roles and responsibilities to me, it made sense. I
These habits I am now sharing with my team are all became excited about it. I was impressed that she
things I first learned as a result of my own personal asked me to be her success partner. No other
journey with Morning Rituals. Simply put, these habits employer that I have had in my 20 years of work has
make us a far more productive team. ever asked me to help them in this way. It was
inspiring how humble she was, and her willingness
9. What advice would you give others who are to ask me for my help made me admire her courage
about to start the 21-‐Day challenge? even more.
Have an open mind. Everything you believe is not
necessarily true. One of my greatest personal strengths 2. What impact has Michelle’s experience with
is my will and determination to succeed. However, the Morning Rituals had on you?
other side of that coin (the dark side of my ambition) is I could not believe how much she improved in the
that I know I can be very headstrong and not open to weeks after she started this Morning Ritual. It was
ideas other than my own. I feel that this is one of the like a new Michelle. She was more positive and more
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energetic than ever. What was most remarkable was
to see how her positive energy impacted the entire
Carlo
A first time father who was able to overcome the old
team and me. It was as though the whole
organization was feeling the benefits of her Morning destructive habits of his past and become a hero for
Ritual. Unlike many bosses I know who are all talk his wife and daughter.
and no action, Michelle was very different. She
modeled the idea of having a Morning Ritual, and it Background
became contagious. Our entire team, including
myself, now practices a Morning Ritual. Morale at
work has never been so high. It’s amazing to think Carlo finds it incredible to hold his new baby girl in his arms,
how much of an impact a small change can make to but a part of him feels overwhelmed when he thinks of all
the entire team, especially if the leader is the one to the responsibilities ahead. Carlo is determined to give his
go first. daughter the best start in life and dreams of being her role
model and hero. He does not want her to have a loser for a

father. He knows that he cannot continue as he has been
3. How have you shared with others what you
living: a party lifestyle is not what his daughter needs in her
learned from Michelle?
Dad.
We delivered a special training program for the
entire organization on personal change. We created
Carlo realized that none of his close friends are fathers so
a training program through which we would help
he began to speak to more experienced fathers, men that
our employees design the first hour of their work
he greatly admires, to get advice from them. From these
day to set themselves and their team up to optimize
conversations, it became clear to Carlo that, when it comes
their day. It was amazing to see the positive reaction
to being the leader of your family, you must have self-
the staff had to it. By focusing on the start of the day, discipline. That convinced Carlo to start The 21-Day
it helped us solve some very simple problems within Challenge even though he has failed many times in the past
the team like lack of communication and lack of at making lasting personal change.
prioritization. Some of our partner and clients have
been very impressed by the impact this training has He believes that having a World-Class Morning Ritual will
had on our people: they are now even asking if we be his way of proving to himself and others that this time he
could train their employees too. I felt really proud is serious about changing and serious about his new role as
when I heard that other people are noticing how a father.
productive our team has become.

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detail, but I am being honest at least – haha). While I
Carlo’s new Morning Ritual am on the toilet I will read three pages of one of my
business books.
Wake up at 6:15 a.m. • Then I will get dressed for work and leave the house
• Go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. at 7:30 am to go to work.
• Splash cold water on my face — after which I will • While on my way to work (a 15-‐minute walk), I will
look at myself in the mirror and say, “Today is going continue to listen to my audiobook.
to be a great day!” • Once I get to the office desk before I open my email I
• Drink one glass of water with a splash of apple cider will look at my planner for the day and write down
vinegar (I read once that this is a healthy thing to three things I can do to make today great. Then I will
do). go start my 8 a.m. morning meeting with my team.
• I will go to my baby’s crib, give her a kiss and tell her
that I love her.
• I will give a kiss to my wife and tell her I love her. An interview with Carlo before he started the 21-‐
• I will then start my 15-‐minute morning exercise Day Challenge
while I listen to an audiobook.
• When I finish exercising I will drink one more glass
of water. 1. Immediately after completing your new Morning
• After that, I will shower. Ritual how do you want to feel?
• Then I will go to the roof deck of my building and I want to have more energy and feel more powerful.
meditate for 15 minute using a guided meditation Most of the time I hate getting out of bed and have
app on my phone. I will do this while the sun shines crashes of energy in the afternoon. I want to feel
on my face. more productive and positive — that I have started
• Then I will make a healthy breakfast for my family. my day winning.
• While eating breakfast I will practice expressing
gratitude with my wife. We will take turns asking 2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐Day
each other questions like: “What gave you joy? What Challenge what is the desired result you want to
are you grateful for? What was amazing about achieve the most?
yesterday?” I will also ask her questions like, “What I want to have a new perspective on what it means to be
can you do to make today great?” successful. I want to have a new level of discipline in my
• After breakfast, I will go for my morning poo using a life. I would like this to be the beginning of a series of
squatty potty (don't know if I should include that powerful personal changes in me.
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actual amount of hours that I play them every week
3. Why is this desired result so important to you? it was close to 20 hours and I was concerned. At the
I want my wife Tammy and my parents to see that I am same time, I started to research the negative
making a significant effort to become a better man. We consequences of addiction and realized that I really
have been having some arguments lately, so I want to prove do have a problem here. My mentor told me that I
to them that I am really making an effort to change myself: should ask myself just one question: "What would a
to become a better father for my baby; a better son for my great father do?" So I made the decision to stop
parents; and a better partner for Tammy. playing video games. I will sell my X-‐box and buy
something nice for our little family instead. I will
4. How are you going to make it easier for you to also delete all the games on my phone so that I am
wake up at the time your promised yourself no longer tempted to waste my time playing these
(that you don't hit the snooze button once your games. I am better than that now. I need to show
alarm starts ringing)? others that I am serious about becoming the model
I realize that if I get enough quality sleep then, for father for my baby girl.
sure, I will be able to wake up on time every
morning. So I am going to make little changes in the 6. How are you going to make it easier for you to
evening to improve the quality of my sleep. My first measure and evaluate your progress during the
rule is no drinking caffeine after 4 p.m., my second 21-‐Day Challenge and at the end of the 21-‐Day
rule is no electronics allowed by my bedside, and my Challenge?
final rule is that at 9 p.m. I will always switch my Wi-‐ I think one of the best pieces of advice I have
Fi off. I have a bad habit of watching Netflix, received so far regarding my new role as a father
browsing YouTube or playing video games until has been: to become a great Dad to my little girl, I
midnight. I realize that I have to stop this. Instead, I must love her mother everyday. As simple as that
will use the last hour, from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., before advice is, it really was an "a-‐ha" moment for me. I
I sleep to either journal or read my books. really want to be a better man for my wife. So I am
going to do something I have never done before:
before I start the 21-‐Day Challenge I am going to ask
5. How are you going to design your environment her how many points out of ten she would give our
to make it easier for you to do your new Morning relationship. I will then ask what do I need to do to
Ritual and more difficult for you to not do it? achieve a 10 out of 10 score?
I really like playing video games. When my wife
accused me being addicted to them, I kind of
laughed it off. However, when I started to record the
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I am just going to listen to what she says and not slowly realizing that I can’t do everything on my own. I
comment or try to defend myself. I am sure she will will tell her exactly what my new Morning Ritual is and
be surprised that I am being so vulnerable but I am I will ask for her support. Once I explain to her what a
serious about this. My mentor once told me that success partner does, I know she will be excited to help

“The quality of your life is directly related to the 8. Who is the first person you will help after you
number of uncomfortable conversations you are successfully complete the 21-‐Day Challenge?
willing to have”. Why did you choose that person?
Who: Chad and Marv
So I am not going to hide away from these Why that person: These are my two best friends but I
uncomfortable conversations any more. The old now realize that these guys are wasting their lives
Carlo does not live here anymore. playing video games. I am sure they could do so much
more. I want to show them that another path is
Once the 21-‐Day Challenge is complete I will ask her possible. I know I would be a hypocrite to start talking
the same questions again. This will be a very good to them now when I myself have just started, but I
way for me to measure the progress of our
really hope that after these 21 days are over I will be in
relationship over the 21 days.
a better position to be a positive influence on them

For daily progress, I will definitely use a paper

checklist that can easily fit in my wallet. When I get

to my office, before I go to my 8 a.m. meeting, I will
9. How are you going to deal with unplanned
take it out and fill it in for that morning. It will be
setbacks during the 21-‐Day Challenge? How are
motivating for me to check it off every day.
you going to turn “bad days” into “good data”?

7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and why do
I have a history of quitting when things don't go to
you think that person is the best choice in
plan. I think I take failure very personally. If I am
helping you successfully complete the 21-‐Day
going to be successful in transforming myself, I must
Challenge?
stop this pattern of thinking. I am not a failure! If

things don't go to plan (especially if I do not wake up
Who: My wife, Tammy
when I said I would) I want to make two promises to
Why that person: She really wants me to become a
myself:
better man and, thanks to some of my mentors, I am
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1. That the mistake will not happen two days in a group of people that I
row; and, dislike more than those
2. That I will honestly reflect on the mistake to guys. I will be totally
see how I can prevent it from happening again. sickened with myself if I
have to give them this
I am going to be a master student of myself over the money.
next 21 days.

10. How are you going to incentivize yourself to
ensure you successfully complete your Morning
Ritual and the 21-‐Day Challenge?
An interview with Carlo after he completed the 21-‐
My reward for My punishment for Day Challenge
I will finish work on time I will punish myself by 1. How do you feel after completing the challenge?
at 5 p.m. and begin my working 30 minutes
commute home. extra at work. I have never been better. I have never had so much
energy and I never felt happier. Who would have
My reward for My punishment for failing thought that these tiny changes would have made
successfully completing to complete the 21-‐Day such a big impact.
the 21-‐Day Challenge Challenge
I am going to buy myself The money I would have 2. What was the single most effective thing you did
that new big screen TV spent on the new TV I will over the 21days and why? By far the best decision
that has been on my wish instead donate to an I made was to totally give up playing video games
list for years now. “Anti-‐Charity” -‐ the official (both on my phone and on my X-‐box). I really
supporters club of a debated it for a long time in my head, as I thought
professional basketball that I could try a different approach where I
team in my country that I gradually reduced the time I spent playing. But, for
hate with all my heart. To me, going cold turkey was the 100% right thing to
put this in context, I do. Seeing my little girl gave me a new perspective
cannot think of a single on life. There are thousands of things more
important than video games. I am so glad I did this.
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checklist. And, amazingly, I became her success
3. How did you use your checklist and how did it partner!
help you?
The checklist was really powerful. I was surprised. A part of
my brain, let’s call it my ego, did not like the idea of using a 5. What was the biggest adjustment you made to
checklist. I felt uncomfortable at first and thought it was too your Morning Ritual over the 21 days?
restricting. To be honest, I really wanted to not use it, but
that would have been a mistake. Most of the adjustments I made were more on my
evening ritual rather than on my Morning Ritual. I
“Discipline equals Freedom” -‐ Jocko Willink experimented with a couple of things that helped
me. I left a pen and notepad on my bedside table,
The more self-‐control I practice in the present, the greater which really encouraged me to write more. I also got
choices I will have in the future. This checklist gave me that three biographies that I wanted to read for ages and
discipline. It gave me that self-‐control. It helped me to focus left them on my bedside table, which as simple as it
on doing what was right, not what was easy. Every Sunday sounds really did encourage me to read more. But I
evening after dinner (as part of our efforts to make that a think the most effective change I made was banning
special family day), I showed my wife Tammy my checklist all electronic devices in my bedroom after 9 p.m. I
for the past week. It gave me a lot of pride to do so and I wanted to use those hours for family time and to
think she was also proud of me for making such a positive prepare myself for the following day. To prove to
effort. myself that I was serious, I removed the TV and DVD
player from the bedroom. I would put an alarm on
my phone every evening at 8:55 pm with the
4. What was your relationship with your success message: "Switch off Wi-‐Fi: you are a better man
partner like and how did it help you? now." I know that may sound like crazy self-‐talk, but
I needed that daily reminder so that I didn’t slip
Initially, I was uncertain if I should have Tammy as back into my old habits. I was determined to make
my success partner, I thought I would be exposing this a lasting change so all these tiny things
too much of myself. But now I know it was a great combined really did help me to stick with it.
decision. The more vulnerable I was to her, the more
she appreciated it. It really made our relationship 6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐Day
better. She was so inspired that, after the third Challenge and how did you overcome it?
Sunday in a row when I showed her my checklist,
she actually created her own Morning Ritual The most difficult part for me was getting up on
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time, especially in the first seven days. I found months the best 12 months of my life ever?”
myself lying in bed once my alarm went off looking I found myself asking myself dozens of questions
for any reason to stay in bed longer. What really like this. I feel I have really discovered more about
helped me was implementing the five-‐second rule. myself over the past 21 days than at any other time
This is so simple but it really worked for me. Once I in my life..
heard the alarm go off in the morning, I simply
counted backwards (five, four, three, two, one) and 8. How are you helping others to create a world-‐
once I got to one, I jumped out of bed. I now do this class Morning Ritual as a result of your
every morning. It has really trained my brain into experience in completing the 21-‐Day Challenge?
taking action and not dwelling on all the excuses to
procrastinate like I did in the past. I realized that if I wanted to help my two friends –
Marv and Chad, I would have to meet them one-‐on-‐
one for lunch or over a coffee. I knew that we could
7. How did you manage setbacks during the 21-‐Day not meet in our usual hangout areas (in bars when
Challenge? / How did you turn “bad days” into drinking). We never have any serious conversations
“good data”? there. I knew that if I switched the location to a
The process of journaling allowed me to really study coffee shop or lunch place, the new environment
when things went wrong, rather than constantly could help us have a proper serious chat.
beating myself up like I did in the past. I discovered
some great insights about myself. It allowed me to I was very conscious before I met them that I
see many tiny changes that I could make to improve. shouldn’t come across as preachy or make them
think I was better than them. I just told them my
In particular journaling in the evening while I was in story, my new Morning Ritual, and why it was
bed really helped me remind myself why I was doing important to me. Chad, in particular, was really
this Morning Ritual: it really helped me get clarity impressed and, judging by all the questions he asked
about what was most important. To give a practical me, I think he is also really curious about starting a
example, answering the following three questions Morning Ritual. I have given him this book as a gift
really helped me, so fingers crossed. Sadly, Marv didn't seem that
interested in any of this. I was a bit disappointed, to
“What are the things I fear the most?” be honest. I guess he behaved in the same way I
“If I were not afraid of failing, how would I live my life would have behaved a year ago. The experience
differently?” reminded me that I cannot influence everyone I
“What are the things I can do to make the next 12 want to help. Sometimes it takes a different person
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and a different time and place to move someone to 1. What was your first reaction when Carlo asked
the point where they are ready to transform their you to become his success partner?
life. I am not taking it personally and, instead, I am When he first told me that he was experimenting
going to focus on helping Chad and others who are with a Morning Ritual I was surprised. I was even
really interested in waking up and living the more surprised when he asked me to be his success
extraordinary life they deserve. partner. We have never done anything like this
before, so once he explained that my role as his
success partner would primarily be to help him
9. What advice would you give others who are think and reflect, I got really excited. I knew this was
about to start the 21-‐Day challenge? something that I could help him with. I am so
grateful that he asked me.
If you spend your life being casual every day, you
will end up becoming a casualty. Life is too short to 2. What impact has Carlo’s experience with
spend on things that, at the end of the day, really Morning Rituals had on you?
don’t matter. I know that becoming a new father was This has had a tremendous impact on me and on our
the spark that created all these great changes but I relationship. I noticed the changes within just a few
did not have to wait so long to realize this. I wish I days of him starting. I am so proud that he takes this
had realized this when I was a teenager because I seriously and is really committed to change. Carlo
would have saved myself years of wasted hours. has improved so much over these past few weeks.
He is a new man. He inspired me to create my own
So my final message is to not wait for a dramatic Morning Ritual. It’s so funny to see us both practice
change in your life to start a world-‐class Morning a Morning Ritual now. Especially when we do our
Ritual. Instead, take control of your destiny today gratitude sharing over breakfast. This habit of
and create a Morning Ritual for tomorrow that will expressing gratitude to each other has become one
help you win the day. I promise you it will be one of of the best things we do together to grow as a couple
the best decisions you’ll ever make. and as parents. I love him so much. I feel so grateful
that he was the one who took the lead on this and
shared it with me.

How Carlo Has Impacted Others 3. How have you shared with others what you
Testimony from Tammy (Carlo’s Wife & Success Partner) learned from Carlo?
The discovery of the importance of Morning Rituals
became a revelation for me. I immediately started
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sharing it with my closest friends and to all those
who attend the new mothers club that I am part of. I
Matt:

was shocked to realize that a lot of them are prone
Stuck in his career, Matt was finally able to pursue his
to neglect themselves because they are so focused
on others (their husbands, partners, parents and passion and at the same time empower his younger
children). Mothers are always the ones to sacrifice brother to breakthrough to the next level.
first. But now I realize that if you continue to neglect
yourself then, over time, you will reduce the love Background:
that you can give to others. Someone will end up
having to look after you. I did not want that to Matt hates his job. He has been doing it for five years
happen to the other mothers in my club. So, I began now and, although he is grateful that the job has
sharing this book with them and letting them know given him a living, he knows it is not something he
how they and their families could significantly wants to do for the rest of his life. He wants to
benefit from doing this. pursue a career that is more aligned to his passions.
He doesn’t want to live with regret. He feels that he
deserves better.

Matt knew he needed to make a change but didn’t
know where to start. After he read about so many
people he respected testifying to the power of
Morning Rituals, it seemed like a good first step.

He has never practiced a Morning Ritual before as he
never felt he had enough energy or motivation to do
something like this before he starts his work shift.
However this time is different, Matt is at the point
where he would rather make a change and fail than
stay in this job and never know.

Matt’s New Morning Ritual

I work night shift (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.), Monday to Saturday, so
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I typically go to bed at 9:30 a.m. and wake up at 5 p.m. My 1. Immediately after completing your new
“morning time” will be the first few hours after I wake up, WORLD-‐CLASS Morning Ritual how do you
before I go to start my night shift. want to feel?
• Wake up at 4:15 p.m. I want to feel that I am using my most creative hours of the
• Drink one glass of water. day on work that matters most to me, and that I am
• Go to the washroom, throw water on my face and consistently making progress towards my goals.
brush my teeth.
• Do a six-‐minute workout in my room (one minute of 2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐
jumping jacks, one minute of sit ups, one minute of Day Challenge what is the desired result
pushups and then repeat one more time) you want to achieve the most?
• Drink one more glass of water. I want to use this time to write my first book. I had wanted
• Shower. While in the shower, I will practice my to do this for years, but I constantly made excuses to myself
affirmations to myself. (I will especially focus on that I was too busy. So, by 21 days, I want to have made
saying things that replace my false limiting beliefs significant progress and feel that I am on my way to
that I am not good enough or smart enough.) completing it.
• Write three things I am grateful for and put them
into the jar of awesome. 3. Why is that desired result so important to
• Look at my vision board for a few moments and you?
remind myself of where I want to go and why I want I feel that the world is not getting the best of me. I don't
to do it. want to be one of those men whose song dies inside them. I
heard a preacher once say that one of the greatest human
• Say a short prayer and ask for God’s help.
tragedies is how so many people will miss out on your
• Make a cup of coffee.
talents, gifts, and blessing to the world because you decided
• Write for 30 minutes on my book project.
to live your life in a comfort zone. That really stuck with
• Drink one glass of water. me. It has haunted me for weeks. I know that I was born to
• After writing, I will get dressed, get a snack, and write this book. I will not let this opportunity slip by. I
head to work. know I must become better.

An interview with Matt before he started the 21-‐Day It like what Warren Buffett’s business partner Charlie
Challenge Munger said
“ To get what you want you have to deserve what
you want, the world is not yet a crazy enough place
to reward a whole bunch of undeserving people”.
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6. How are you going to make it easier for
That quote really got me determined to put the effort into you to measure and evaluate your
making my dreams a reality.. I am going to show people progress during the 21-‐Day Challenge and
that I deserve this success. at the end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?
I am going to make a big goal of writing 10,000
words of my first book by day 21. This will be well
4. How are you going to make it easier for past the halfway point of my book and would be an
you to wake up at the time your promised extraordinary motivation to finish it. I know that
yourself (that you don't hit the snooze some days I will write more than others (especially
button once your alarm starts ringing)? when my mind is in a state of flow) so I will
I will use two alarms, each going off at the same target writing a minimum of 500 words every day. I know
time. I will leave them at the other side of the room that, if I get into the habit of writing every day, I will
forcing me to get out of bed to switch them off. I will eventually become more and more creative and the words
leave my glass of water beside them so, once I will eventually just flow out of me. Immediately after I
switch the alarms off, I will immediately drink the finish my writing, I will use a simple electronic checklist on
water. After I come back from the toilet, I will do a my phone to track my daily progress: entering the number
six-‐minute workout just to get my blood flowing. of words I just wrote.
While I am exercising, I will be talking to myself:
reminding myself why I am doing this.
7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and
5. How are you going to design your why do you think that person is the best
environment to make it easier for you to choice in helping you successfully
do your Morning Ritual and more difficult complete the 21-‐Day Challenge?
for you to not do it? Who: My work colleague, Jeff
I do not have the habit of writing every day. This will Why that person: Jeff is in a similar position to me. He
be new to me, so I think preparation is key. Before I really hates his job and wants to follow his passion but, like
go to sleep I will have my computer, pen and writing me, he is stuck in his comfort zone
pad ready at my table. Everything will be nice and
neat so that things go smoothly when I wake up. I
will also switch off my Wi-‐Fi so that I am not 8. Who is the first person you will help after
tempted to check my email or social media while I you successfully complete the 21-‐Day
am using my computer to write. Challenge? Why did you choose that
person?
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Who: My little brother, Gary. will allow myself to play today.
Why that person: I think he is so talented (more than me) my favorite video game
but I fear he too is stuck in a job he hates. If this Morning while on my way to
Ritual works for me, then it could also really work for him. work.
However, I know I will need to lead by example, so thinking
about how this can help him will be an extra motivation for My reward for My punishment for
me. successfully failing to complete the
completing the 21-‐Day 21-‐Day Challenge
Challenge
setbacks during the 21 days? How are you I am going to buy myself For the rest of the year I
going to turn “bad days” into “good data”? a new phone. am not going to allow
My relationship with setbacks must improve. I don't myself to go on another
want to run away and feel so defeated by them like I beach vacation.
usually do. I want to be like one of those world-‐class
athletes who studies hours and hours of video
footage of their performance so they can maximize
their learning from any mistakes, and study why
they were able to be successful at certain things. I An interview with Matt after he completed the 21-‐Day
am going to dedicate a weekly time every Sunday Challenge
morning for quiet reflection on my Morning Ritual. I
know that even more effective action will come from
this quiet reflection. 1. How do you feel after completing the
challenge?
10. How are you going to incentivize yourself
to ensure you successfully complete your I feel I have made massive progress. I have written
Morning Ritual and the 21-‐Day Challenge? 75% of the book already. This practice is really
working for me. I am now excited every time I write.
My reward for My punishment for In the past, writing was something that I always
completing my failing to complete my procrastinated over. But this time it is different. I
Morning Ritual Morning Ritual have never been so excited about completing a
My guilty pleasure — I No video games for Matt project like this before.
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Bizarrely, knowing that my coach was going to look
2. What was the single most effective thing at it sometimes became my primary motivation to
you did over the 21 days and why? do what I promised I would do. And it worked. I
I think the most effective decision I made was to find a new didn’t sleep in once during the 21 days.
success partner. My initial choice, Jeff, was not the right fit
for me. I realized that after having one conversation about 4. What was your relationship with your
this with him that the assumptions I made about him were success partner like and how did they
completely wrong. He really isn’t in a position to help me. help you?
The main reason I chose him at the beginning was the As I mentioned earlier, I decided to hire a
convenience factor (we see each other at work every day) professional coach to help me as both my success
and the similarity factor (we both share the same problem). partner for the 21-‐Day Challenge and to help me
However, he had a completely different mindset about achieve the other big personal goals that I have been
personal change. As much as I like the guy, he was just so procrastinating about for years. I think hiring JB as
negative all the time and was totally ignoring his own my coach is one of the best investments I have ever
responsibility to be proactive. I didn't need someone who made in my life. My coach has been amazing. I feel
would drain my energy. So I decided that I would just pay like he gives me so much more clarity and focus.
for a professional coach instead. I didn't want to repeat my After our first few sessions together, we agreed to a
bad experience with Jeff, and I ended up finding someone three-‐month coaching program in which we meet
who knew exactly what is needed to successfully change once every week for a coaching session. It really has
behaviors and achieve big goals. changed my life. Having a coach is something that I
had never really considered before, but now I realize
it really is worth the investment. All of the world’s
3. How did you use your checklist and how top-‐performing athletes, artists and entrepreneurs
did it help you? have coaches. So, if world-‐class performance is what
I was very curious to see how a checklist could help I am striving for, then it makes sense for me to do
me create new habits. I have always associated the same.
checklists with hospitals or airplanes and never
made the connection with how it could help me 5. What was the biggest adjustment you
achieve my goals. I am so glad that I gave it a try. I made to your Morning Ritual over the 21
found a free app for my phone (HabitShare) that days?
gave me all the features I needed. Even better, I This may seem something so trivial, but I am so grateful
could share it with my coach JB, enabling him to see that I added the tiny act of making my bed to my start of
real time updates on my progress. It was fantastic. day ritual. I realize now why this is so important. It is
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not because of the act itself but because of the impact of energy or choose to be positive, to be grateful, and
seeing a tidy bed on your subconscious mind. It gives to rise above the situation. The results blew my
me visible proof that I have made progress today, mind away. I found myself snapping that rubber
regardless of how bad I think my days are going. It gives band many times during the day but, wow, did that
me a visible win and, as crazy at it sounds, my tidy bed help me stay in a positive mindset! My “21-‐Day No
acts as a symbol of my daily progress: giving me a great Complaints Diet” really did complement the positive
feeling of satisfaction and confidence that I take with me energy I created in my Morning Ritual.
into my day.
Example of Matt’s Affirmation (3 consecutive days)
6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐
Day Challenge and how did you overcome My false belief -‐ I My false belief: I My false belief: I
it? am not smart will be single will never be
I think the most difficult part was when I started to enough to write and lonely for financially free
listen to the ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) in a book the rest of my
my head. I would say horrible stuff to myself like: life.
"I’m not good enough to be a writer. I’m too stupid My affirmations: My affirmations: My affirmations:
and this will never work. I am being too serious and I am a unique I am a great I trust my inner
I am missing out on life.” I really hated that voice. I child of this person. I love and wisdom and
think overcoming this self-‐doubt has been by far my world. My Creator approve of intuition. I know
biggest achievement. has great plans myself. I know that challenging
for me. I am not that I have times are only
The thing that helped me the most was doing the born to play extraordinary designed to make
"21-‐Day No Complaints Diet" at the same time as the small. I have love to give to a me stronger. I
21-‐Day Challenge. Like this book, it challenges unlimited special someone. know that
people to go on a 21-‐Day Challenge during which potential. I am I know that the wonderful things
you wear a rubber band on your wrist. Every time committed to right person is lie in store for me.
you find yourself complaining or having negative unleashing my waiting for me. I I believe that I
thoughts about yourself, someone else, something, inner genius. This know that all have everything I
or a certain situation, you snap the rubber band book will inspire things will work need within me to
against your wrist. The act of flicking the band snaps thousands of for the good. I am create
you back to your conscious awareness that you are people. I am a excited to fall in extraordinary
in a negative state. It reminds you that you really do talented writer love with the wealth for my
have the choice to either dwell in this negative
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and nothing will right person. I am family and me. I success. It was like I removed myself from the
hold me back patient and kind am committed to drama of my own emotions and observed myself
from my destiny. because I know I becoming better independently. I highly recommend that people
Slowly but surely am going to be an every day at follow a similar process.
the world will see amazing partner attracting the
my greatness. I for that special right people into 8. How are you helping others create a
matter, and the person. my life. I know world-‐class Morning Ritual as a result of
story I have to that financial your experience in completing the 21-‐Day
share with the freedom is what Challenge?
world also lies ahead of me if The amazing progress that I have made has already
matters. I continue to do helped my little brother, Gary. I told him about all
what is right. the changes that I have experienced and long story
short, it eventually inspired him to develop his own
7. How did you manage setbacks during the Morning Ritual. I found myself becoming his success
21-‐Day Challenge? / How did you turn partner. It gives me so much joy that I was able to
“bad days” into “good data”? help my brother like this and I feel that I have really
There were many setbacks during the challenge. become the supportive and encouraging big brother
There were times when there were factors out of my he deserves.
control, which meant I had to practice a shortened
version of my Morning Ritual instead of what I had 9. What advice would you give others who
planned. When this happened, I always made up for are about to start the 21-‐Day challenge?
it the next day by doing an extended version of my Don’t be hard on yourself. That fact that you have
Morning Ritual. I think this really prevented me failed before is really not an excuse for you to not try
from beating myself up when the unexpected a new approach. After doing the 21-‐Day challenge, I
occurred. realized that the primary reason I failed in the past
was because I was using the wrong strategy and not
To be honest, there were many times when I woke because I was stupid or lazy. This insight was
up that I really did not want to do my Morning extraordinarily empowering for me.
Ritual. I think two things really helped me:
dedicating time every week on my own to reflect on I realized that not every story that I tell myself in my
my progress that week, and discussing my head is true. I feel that everyone who starts this
reflections with my coach when we met. As simple challenge will have to overcome these negative
as this was, I believe it had a profound impact on my voices in their head. I really believe that once you
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have the right story in your head, put your body in game-‐changer for me. I have changed my ritual
the right state, have the right strategy in your hands, many times now, as I am constantly looking for
and have the right support network around you, you small things I can do to improve it. The benefits are
will be unstoppable. worth so much more than the effort. I am so glad I
am doing this and I wish I had started years ago.

How Matt has impacted others 3. How have you shared with others what
Testimony from Gary (Matt’s younger brother) you learned from your brother?
I have become very active online, sharing my own
1. What was your first reaction when your experience with Morning Rituals with the various groups
brother shared with you his Morning and communities I am a part of. There is so much amazing
Ritual? content about how Morning Rituals can really help you. It is
My brother is always giving me advice so it wasn't a nice to be able to share these articles with my friends, as
surprise that he was sharing something he had well as add my own commentary about how it has helped
recently learned. However, this time was different. I me. Even if just one person reads what I share, I will be
have never seen him so enthusiastic. He shared in happy. The more people are enlightened about Morning
great detail how a Morning Ritual has totally Rituals, the better the entire world will be. I am thankful to
transformed his life. Because this was something he my brother for introducing all of this to me.
was getting great results from, it made me very
curious to see if it could work for me.

2. What impact has Matt’s experience with
Morning Rituals had on you?

A lot of the stuff my brother has shared with me in
the past was either not interesting or relevant to me.
However, this was different. His passion was so
contagious. I could not help but get excited by it. He
gave me this book to read and I found myself
starting my own 21-‐Day challenge. Now, I fully
understand why a Morning Ritual is so helpful. I see
a big difference in my energy, in my happiness, and
in my clarity. Like my brother, this has become a
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Pia
Pia thought, “OK, I am going to give it a try, maybe I
An entrepreneur who was able to revitalize her am wrong. Maybe I can become a morning person.
struggling online business and motivate her friends And if so many of the best entrepreneurs in the
to follow her example of mastering personal change. world are telling me to do it, the least I can do is give
it a try.”
Background:
Pia’s New Morning Ritual
Pia has been struggling to find new clients for her
online business. A few months back she lost a big Wake Up Time: 8:00 a.m.
contract, which was a major disappointment. She
made some assumptions that really backfired. Pia
has been an entrepreneur for three years now and • Go to the washroom and throw water on my face.
while she loves the freedom it gives her, the last few • Then brush my teeth.
months had been tough. She feels she is letting down • Drink a glass of lemon water.
lots of people who have supported her. Some of her • Put on my exercise shoes and clothes.
family members are putting her under pressure to • Go for a 25-‐minute walk around my estate. While
get a “normal job.” Pia, however, refuses to give up walking I will listen to a podcast from Christian
on her dreams. preachers and the online business leaders that I
follow.
Pia noticed that many of her entrepreneurial heroes • Once I get back, I will make myself a hot cup of
have declared Morning Rituals as key to their coffee.
transformation. But Pia has resisted taking their • Once the coffee is ready, I will begin my 5-‐minute
advice, as she did not see how applicable it was for journal practice (three things I am grateful for, three
someone like her who works from home and feels things I can do to make today great).
more creative in the evenings. • After that, I will practice my inner genius muscle and
write down 10 ideas
Recently, however, Pia has been reflecting on many • After that, I will cook a healthy breakfast for myself
of the assumptions she has made about how she is while listening to my favorite music.
spending her time. One of the quotes that really left • After breakfast, I will start work on my most
an impression on her was: important creative task for that day.

"Don’t believe everything that you think.” An interview with Pia before she started the 21-‐Day
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Challenge 4. How are you going to make it easier for
you to wake up at the time your promised
1. Immediately after completing your new yourself (that you don't hit the snooze
Morning Ritual how do you want to feel? button once your alarm starts ringing)?
I want to live my life in such a powerful way that This might sound crazy to others but I am going to
when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, set up an automatic tweet to go out at 8:02 a.m.
"Aw shit, she's up!” I want to feel that I am a woman every morning (except Sundays) that says, "Hey, I
with a purpose. That I have gotten my day off to the am a lazy ass — sleeping in. To punish myself, I will
best possible start and be excited about the give $10 each to the first three people who reply."
possibilities for the rest of the day. Thus, every morning I have to get up, log-‐in to my
Twitter account and manually stop the tweet from
2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐ sending. I know people who swear by this approach,
Day Challenge what is the desired result so I am going to give it a try to see how effective it
you want to achieve the most? can be for me.
What I really want to feel is more focus: to be a
productivity ninja. I want to have better clarity in
my thinking. I want to know that I am doing the 5. How are you going to design your
right things and saying no to the stuff that steal my environment to make it easier for you to
time. I want to be able to look back at my day and do your new Morning Ritual and more
feel like I am really making progress in moving difficult for you to not do it?
forward my business and attracting new clients. I will leave my exercise clothes and shoes in the
middle of my room. I will ensure that my shoelaces
3. Why is that desired result so important to are open so that I don’t waste any time getting
you? ready. I will also put my phone and earphones in one
I am so determined for my business to be successful. of my shoes (as a visible reminder to bring it with
I want to show those people who discouraged me me for my walk). I will leave a glass of lemon water
and criticized me (especially members of my own for me on the kitchen table so that it is ready for me
family) that they are wrong. I was really hurt by to drink when I see it.
their lack of support but I refuse to give up on my
dreams. I am willing to do whatever it takes. I feel 6. How are you going to make it easier for
that this Morning Ritual can give me the you to measure and evaluate your
breakthrough that I desperately need. progress during the 21-‐Day Challenge and
at the end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?
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I love whiteboards. I have one in my room that I use
all the time. I will draw a simple checklist on it for
the 21 days. Every morning, I will just tick the box if 8. Who is the first person you will help after
I did it or not. you successfully complete the 21-‐Day
Challenge? Why did you choose that
I really want to ensure that I am doing the right person?
things every day. So I am going to add a 5-‐minute
end–of-‐day journaling exercise, where I look back Who Why that person
over my day, reflecting on what went well and what Elaine Elaine and I have been great friends for the past two
I could have done differently. I will do this after I years. She also has her online business but I know that
brush my teeth at night when I am dressed for bed. I she struggles more than I do. I think she gets really
think it will really help me gain a proper perspective depressed sometimes. I really want to help her.
on my day as well as help me see the progress I am
making.

7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and 9. How are you going to deal with unplanned
why do you think that person is the best setbacks during the 21-‐Day Challenge?
choice in helping you successfully How are you going to turn “bad days” into
complete the 21-‐Day Challenge? “good data”?
I read once about the difference between shame and
Who Why that person guilt. Guilt is when a setback occurs and you say, “I
I don’t know yet. I am an active member of this group made a mistake.” Shame is when a setback occurs
for the past two years. I am going to and you say, “I am a mistake, I am a failure, I am a
Perhaps someone from send a message to the group loser." I think shame is the most horrible feeling of
my online freelancing explaining the roles and all our human emotions. I will not allow myself to
group for mom responsibilities of a success partner experience shame throughout these 21 days. Of
entrepreneurs that I to see if anyone is interested in course, there will be setbacks, where I fall off the
am a member of. creating a success partnership. wagon and don't keep my promises to myself. But
I think some of the ladies would for me, how I respond to those setbacks will be my
really benefit from this — as we all greatest victory in those 21 days. I will promise that
share the common goal of growing I will learn from every setback and not allow myself
personally and professionally to go into a self-‐defeating negative talk.

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One of the things that I worried about was how I will spoil us.
do my Morning Ritual when I don’t have as much
time as I want for reasons outside of my control.
Like when I am traveling or when I have an early
morning or late night appointment. So I agreed to
myself that, when these circumstances occur, I
would not panic. I will instead do a shortened
version of my Morning Ritual rather than skipping it
altogether, with the promise to myself that I will
make up for it the next day.

to ensure you successfully complete your

I will allow myself to I will not allow myself to
check my social media check my social media
immediately after my until lunch (this will be
Morning Ritual is torture for me)
finished

successfully completing failing to complete the
the 21-‐Day Challenge 21-‐Day Challenge
I am going to treat my I will donate 200 USD to
friend Elaine and I to a day an anti-‐charity: a certain
spa. The full package extreme political party in
please. I am really going to my country that I hate.
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each member was performing. We agreed that for
An interview with Pia after she completed the 21-‐ 40 days, each of us would use it to help us turn our
Day Challenge new behaviors into habits. I got so much
satisfaction from updating it after I completed my
Morning Ritual. At the same time, I could see how
1. How do you feel after completing the the other ladies were performing. It was like we
challenge? were competing with each other but in a good way
— no one wanted to be the one left behind. Even
I feel like a champion. This is one of the best things though I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, I loved
that I ever did for myself. I could not believe how filling out my checklist as well as having the
much more energy I have. It has given me the boost responsibility of reviewing someone else’s.
that I desperately needed. The focus it gave me
really helped me revitalize my business. It really 4. What was your relationship with your
wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I wish I success partner like and how did it help
started years ago. you?

2. What was the single most effective thing One of the girls that responded most enthusiastically
you did over the 21 days? to my initial Facebook group post was a girl called
I think engaging with my Facebook group was a game-‐ Zara. She lives in another part of the country and we
changer. I could not believe the amount of positive have never met before, but we immediately figured
feedback that I got from the ladies. It was really exciting to out that we had a lot in common especially when it
see how they responded. Six of us ended up creating a came to a hunger to grow both our business and
separate group that was dedicated to helping each other ourselves. We became each other’s success partner. I
become successful with our Morning Ritual. Just knowing am so thankful to have found her. I found myself
that I had a small group of ladies that were there to chatting with her on Messenger, two or three times a
encourage me and hold me accountable was something that week, updating each other on our progress as well
really helped me. as sharing tips and strategies on how to further
improve it.
3. How did you use your checklist and how
did it help you?
Our group all used a habit tracking app (HabitShare) make to your Morning Ritual over the 21
as our online checklist where we could all see how days?
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improving your Morning Ritual but on significantly
I intentionally excluded meditation from my original improving your quality of sleep. It really does all
ritual. I have never practiced it and never really come down to the power of tiny changes.
understood how it could help me. But after about 10
days, I really felt the benefits of having a disciplined
ritual so I was excited to take on more. So I began to
add a short breathing exercise, where I would focus 7. How did you manage setbacks during the
on my breathing for two minutes. Gradually I started 21-‐Day Challenge? / How did you turn
to add on more minutes. Currently, I do it now for “bad days” into “good data”?
five minutes before I begin my writing. I did not
realize that meditation could be so simple. So it was I experienced many setbacks during the challenge.
nice to add that element into my ritual. And there was one time I felt that I came really close
to quitting the entire thing. However, my end-‐of-‐day
6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐ reflection exercise really helped me process any
Day Challenge how did you overcome it? setback I had that day. I found that all I really
needed were two or three minutes at night to reflect
The most difficult part by far was getting to bed on on the day. Before I would frequently overreact to
time. I created a new rule for myself to always be in small things and underreact to big things, totally
bed before midnight but I broke that rule too many being driven by my emotions and not using
times. When I did not get a good sleep, I really felt it objective reasoning. I discovered that there is real
the next day. So I started to research different things power in making time at the end of every day to ask
I can do to ensure I got to bed on time and get a good yourself, "What could I have done differently?" It’s
quality sleep. One of the things I did was to funny that my ego never liked me answering that
significantly minimize my time looking at a question. Even on my best days where I expected to
computer screen at night. I know the blue light that find no answers to that question, I would always
it emits is not good for the quality of my sleep so I come up with two or three tiny things that I could
got myself one of those infrared glasses that I can have done differently. I know that many people talk
wear at night to block out the blue light from hurting about “continuous improvement” but I believe it
my eyes. I would wear the glasses for the last 2 means nothing if you don’t have a daily personal
hours of computer work I would do at night. I made practice and knowledge of how you are getting
lots of other little changes so I am not sure which better. Even just 1% better every day makes a huge
ones had the biggest impact. But I really would difference in the long run.
recommend to people to experiment on not just
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chef. 6. Hire a health existing
Example of Pia’s journal entries for creating ideas (three 6. Remind and wellness clients for
consecutive days in a row) my coach. feedback
brother to 7. Start checking on what I
10 ideas of how I 10 ideas of how I can 10 ideas of how I call her the do well
can make my eat healthier food can attract more more ingredients of and what I
mom worry less clients often. the food I buy could do
1. Never allow 7. Get my at the store. differently
1. Send her a myself to 1. Ask for my daughter 8. Stop snacking .
text bring existing to write while 6. Create a
message unhealthy clients to her a watching TV. free e-‐
every day. food into my recommen thank you 9. Experiment book so I
2. Buy her home. d me. letter. with a new become
that TV 2. Ask my friend 2. Attend 8. Every time diet plan. know as
series box Alicia for more I call here 10. Research an expert
set that advice on networkin I need to restaurants in in my
she loves. healthy g events. affirm to advance to field.
3. Ask her recipes. 3. Ask the her that I ensure they 7. Study my
more 3. Prepare a three am very have some competiti
questions packed lunch most happy. healthy on to see
about her for days when successful 9. Directly options on what I can
work. I am on the online ask her the menu. learn from
4. Plan a road. entrepren what can I them.
mini-‐ 4. Drink one eurs that I do to be a 8. Finish
vacation glass of water know for better reading
with her before every their daughter. the
at meal. advice. 10. Plan a marketing
Christmas. 5. Research 4. Write a surprise book that
5. Buy her a more on what blog post visit my friend
cookbook foods are every home. recommen
from her healthy for week. ded to me.
favorite me to eat. 5. Ask my 9. Attend a
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marketing 9. What advice would you give others who
course. are about to start the 21-‐Day challenge?
10. Rewrite
my profile Life is like a video game, it’s all about having fun and
to make it getting to the next level. Like playing video games,
easier for life is more fun when you do it with others. So don’t
others to try and do your Morning Ritual on your own. I am
understan convinced that it is far easier and far more fun if you
d the involve others on the journey.
problem I
It is really hard when you try to do this on your own.
help them
It is even harder if your own family, friends and
solve.
work colleagues do not share your enthusiasm for

personal change. So I want to really encourage
people to seek like-‐minded communities of people
8. How are you helping others create a that you can partner with. The sad reality is that
world-‐class Morning Ritual as a result of most of my friends and family would have made
your experience in completing the 21-‐Day terrible success partners. I was lucky that one
Challenge? simple post I wrote on in the right Facebook group
attracted so much interest from the right people. I
Of all the things that I am most proud of from this believe that the reason I was so successful in finding
journey, sharing what I learned with my good friend so many success partners is that I targeted the right
Elaine was the most satisfying feeling of all. She has groups. People really are looking for this so you just
been really going through a tough time recently so have to find them. I have learned so much from this
to tell her about the power of Morning Rituals was experience and have lots more ideas of how I can
really amazing. I know that she really appreciated it, use success partners and success groups to help me
she has already started to apply it in her life. I feel create even more positive changes in my business
blessed that my decision to do this challenge and life.
allowed me to be of greater influence to her. Just
being able to help her is enough to make this entire
experience worth it. How Pia has impacted others
Testimony from Zara (Pia’s online friend + Success Partner)

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1. What was your first reaction when Pia shared with
you her Morning Ritual?
I have read many articles in the past about why having a
Morning Ritual is important but I never did anything about
Angela
it. So I was pleasantly surprised when I first read Pia’s
request for a success partner. It was exactly what I was A recently promoted manager, Angela was able to overcome
looking for to inspire me into action. the biggest challenge of her career and transform the
performance of her new department.
2. What impact has Pia’s experience with Morning
Rituals had on you?
Pia and I have known each other online for a long time, but Background
(would you believe it!) we have never met in person. But
Angela recently got promoted at work. Whilst a fantastic
the advice she shared with me has changed my life. She
opportunity, it also means that Angela now has twice the
really inspired me to not only practice a Morning Ritual but
number of people under her responsibility thus
to also become a role model for others.
significantly increasing her workload. Expectations of

Angela are higher than they have ever been, and there is
3. How have you shared with others what you learned
quite a lot of pressure from her superiors because her new
from Pia?
department has been underperforming for years.
I now have become a personal development coach to some

of my closest friends. I am actually thinking about adding it
Until recently, Angela only rated her Morning Ritual a mere
as an additional service that I can offer to my current
2 out of 10. She was not doing anything special in the
clients. Of all the things I can teach others, I feel that a
morning: nothing that was helping her to become a better
world-‐class Morning Rituals are possibly the most
person. She usually just got up, showered, had breakfast
transformative practice one can have. It really inspires me
and then headed to work. However, Angela’s perspective
to think that it was just by chance that I saw Pia’s initial
changed after a conversation with one of her mentors —
post about her experience. Now I know that this was not a
Minnie. Minnie told Angela that her level of success in both
coincidence, I needed to read that message. She has
her career and life is directly related to her level of
significantly impacted my own journey and that of so many
personal development. She told Angela to spend one hour
others. Such a blessing. Pia, you are my hero.
every morning focusing on herself. Minnie explained that,
the more valuable Angela becomes, the greater influence
she will have on the people she leads.

Angela loved this advice: it inspired her to create her own
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World-‐Class Morning Ritual to educate herself as a leader
and to get ahead in her career.
Angela’s 3-‐minute Visualization Exercise: I remind myself
what I want a specific part of my future to be like. I think
Angela’s New Morning Ritual about how being successful in that area will make me feel,
Wake Up Time: 8:30 a.m. (my office hours are 11 a.m.-‐8 how others around me will look at me. For example, in my
p.m.) role as manager, I think of my team at work being inspired
because of my leadership. I see the look on their faces as I
• Drink one glass of water. lead the team meetings. I see how focused and attentive
• Play my favorite music in the background. they are because of my ability to connect with them and
• Go to the washroom and throw water on my face. empower them.
• Brush my teeth.
• Take a shower then dry myself.
• Dress myself in casual clothes.
• Turn off music, then light a scented candle in my An interview with Angela before she started the 21-‐
room, go on my knees and talk to God and thank Day Challenge
Him for all the blessings in my life. Ask for wisdom
and courage to make today great. 1. Immediately after completing your new
• Lie on my bed, put on my earphones and listen to a Morning Ritual how do you want to feel?
guided five-‐minute breathing exercise, just focusing I want to feel empowered: that I am becoming smart and
my mind on my breathing. wiser.
• After the breathing exercise, I do a three-‐minute
visualization exercise. 2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐
• Drink one more glass of water. Day Challenge what is the desired result
• Go to my reading table and read one of my you want to achieve the most?
leadership books for 25 minutes. I take notes as I I would love to be able to make reading a habit. It is
read (so that I can remember it better but to also something that I have been procrastinating about for so
ensure that I am reflecting on how I can apply this to long. I really want this challenge to finally help me achieve
my situation). it.
• After that, I dress myself for work then go
downstairs to the kitchen to prepare my breakfast. 3. Why is this desired result so important to
• I drive to work at 10:15 a.m. you?
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Improving my leadership and management skills by sleep I will already know what I am going to wear and what
reading every day will really put me in a great position to I am going to eat for breakfast when I wake up in the
be of greatest influence to my team and help me transform morning. I know that the more decisions I have to make in a
this department. I do not want to fail in this new position. day the more exhausted my brain becomes. Thus I will
My bosses have put a lot of trust in me and I am determined make my morning as automatic as possible so I save my
not to let them down. brain for when I need it the most.

4. How are you going to make it easier for 6. How are you going to make it easier for
you to wake up at the time your promised you to measure and evaluate your
yourself (that you don't hit the snooze progress during the 21-‐Day Challenge and
button once your alarm starts ringing)? at the end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?
To ensure I don't snooze, I will place my phone alarm at the I am definitely going to use a checklist and post it in my
other side of the room so that it forces me to get out of bed bedroom next to the mirror. There is always a pen on my
to switch it off. bedside table that I can use. There I will see the progress I
am making every day. When I am going to bed later that
5. How are you going to design your night I will fill in the checklist for the day to check how
environment to make it easier for you to successful I was in completing my Morning Ritual.
do your new Morning Ritual and more
difficult for you to not do it? During the 21-‐Day Challenge, I am going to give myself the
I typically wake up at 9:30 a.m., so this new time of 8.30 target of finishing reading at least one book (7 Habits of
a.m. will be an adjustment for me at the start. I think the Highly Effective People by Steven Covey). I know a part of
most important thing is that I set myself a rule for what me feels a bit overwhelmed (since I have not read a book in
time I must be in bed every night. I know if I get enough years) but I know I have what it takes to do this.
sleep I will be able to get up on time. I will put reminders in
my phone in the evening for when I should stop using my 7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and
computer/watching TV and when I should be in bed why do you think that person is the best
preparing to sleep. choice in helping you successfully
complete the 21-‐Day Challenge?
I will also add to my checklist a requirement for me to Who Why that person
prepare my room for the morning before I got to sleep. I am Not sure yet. I know that if I am serious about changing I
going to ensure that everything I need is ready for the I will join the need to find someone who is also
morning and in the correct position. I don't want to waste Unlocking the passionate about personal development
any time in the morning searching for things. Before I go to Habit Code and has the same mindset as me when it
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Facebook group comes to self-‐improvement. Ideally don't go to plan. But I know I must be realistic. First, if I
and find someone who has read this book, and who experience a setback, I want to be able to study it correctly.
someone there. is also interested in doing the 21-‐Day I want to make sure that I don't jump to any false
Challenge. Initially I was thinking of asking conclusions about the root causes. I will journal about it
my best friend, Rachel, but then I slowly that evening before I go to bed and really ask myself, "What
realized this would be a mistake. Rachel is could I have done differently?" I think making time for
not the most proactive person I know. As honest reflection every evening will ensure that I keep
much as she talks about making personal adjusting as I go and learn from any setbacks.
changes, she never does and always has an
excuse. 10. How are you going to incentivize yourself

8. Who is the first person you will help after My reward for My punishment for
you successfully complete the 21-‐Day completing my failing to complete my
Challenge? Why did you choose that Morning Ritual Morning Ritual
person? Once I get to the office I No morning coffee for
Who Why that person am going to give myself me.
Members of The entire department has had little a nice cup of coffee.
my new organizational development training in the
department past three years. I am going to change that. I My reward for successfully My punishment for failing to
know that if this Morning Ritual works for me completing the 21-‐Day complete the 21-‐Day
then it will also help them become more Challenge Challenge
confident, proactive and productive. I was planning to go with my
There is an upcoming flower friends on a three-‐day
show next month that I mountain trekking trip later
9. How are you going to deal with unplanned would love to attend. I am this year (I am really excited
setbacks during the 21 days? How are you going to get myself tickets as to go on the trip as I have
going to turn “bad days” into “good data”? a reward for being never been to that part of the
This was the question I did not want to answer. Sometime I
disciplined with my country). However, if I miss
am so driven to achieve my goals that I don't allow myself
mornings. just two mornings of my
even to think about how I am going to react when things
Morning Ritual then I will not
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allow myself to go on the trip. 3. How did you use your checklist and how
I would be really angry with did it help you?
myself if I did not go and my I was surprised how much the checklist helped me. It really
friends would be really gave me no excuse to say that I forgot what to do. I got
disappointed, so this will be a great joy from ticking the box at the end of the day when I
big motivation for me. would fill it in. Also, when I met with my success partner, it
made the conversation a lot easier.

An interview with Angela after she completed the 4. What was your relationship with your
21-‐Day Challenge success partner like and how did it help
you?
1. How do you feel after completing the I found my success partner Clara in the private Facebook
challenge? group (Unlocking the Habit Code Community). I wanted to
I feel like superwoman. I am so grateful that I did this find someone who is also passionate about personal
challenge. I really feel I am more disciplined, have more development and would take the role as my success
energy and am getting more things done in the day. It partner seriously. It didn’t take me long to find someone.
definitely was a great decision to do this. Clara was one of the five people who responded to my
initial Facebook post and she turned out to be a perfect
2. What was the single most effective thing match. We were both in similar positions in our careers and
you did over the 21 days? we are both equally driven to succeed. It turned out to be a
This might seem crazy but I think that intentionally massive win-‐win. We lived in different cities so we
drinking eight glasses of water a day really did significantly communicated with each other online. We had a total of
help my health, energy level and overall concentration. In three short video calls (day 6, 13 and 21) each taking turns
addition to my Morning Ritual, I started to track the playing the role of the success partner. Now, three months
amount of water I drank and it was shocking to see how after finishing the 21-‐Day Challenge we still are in regular
little water I was drinking in a day (sometimes only two contact and have a call every other week. Every time I
glasses). Once I began to drink more water I finally saw a speak with her we add value to each other. She gave me the
trend: headaches, tiredness, and energy crashes started to accountability that I really needed.
go away. I realized it wasn’t difficult for me to drink more
water, it was just that I did not have any reminders that
helped me stay disciplined. So that tiny change really made
a big impact.

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my ego wanted me to do this all by myself and not ask for
anyone's help. I realize that is a dangerous way to think. On
Angela’s original post to the Unlocking the Habit Code about day five, I finally had the courage to write a short
Facebook group: post to ask if anyone was interested in becoming my
success partner. Having a success partner really makes this
Hi guys, my name is Angela. Is there anyone here looking for a process easier.
success partnership? I have recently finished reading the book
and I’m looking for a success partner for the 21–Day 7. How did you manage setbacks during the
challenge. You can check out my profile here. If there is 21-‐Day Challenge? / How did you turn
anyone interested, please send me a private message. Looking “bad days” into “good data”?
forward to connecting. Have a great day J What really helped me deal with setbacks was my end of
the day reflection exercise. At the end of every day, I would
write down what was amazing about the day and what I

could have done differently. I always found myself writing
about my Morning Ritual. When I did not get a good night’s
made to your Morning Ritual over the 21
sleep, when I rushed my Morning Ritual, or when I felt I
days?
was not learning anything from the books I was reading, I
I have a commitment every Monday night, which means I
would start to objectively investigate the reasons why. It
get to bed an hour later than I would like. So, rather than
was like I became a scientist observing my day and then
not get enough sleep or skipping my ritual completely, I
identifying little changes I could make to improve the next
found myself doing an adapted and shortened version of
day. I really recommend people adopt this practice of
my ritual every Tuesday morning. I made up for that time
reflection. It really helped me not to take the setbacks
during the weekend by doing an extended version of my
personally and instead use them as opportunities to
ritual. It worked really well and prevented me from feeling
improve.
bad about it.

6. What was the most difficult part of the 21-‐
Day Challenge and how did you overcome
it?
The most difficult part for me was asking for help from
others. Although I promised myself that I would go to the
online community to find a success partner, I
procrastinated about it. I finally figured out that a part of
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been more breathing • Listened to my
patient with exercises. team more and
Angela’s end-‐of-‐day 5-‐minute reflection exercise (three Anna during our • Not have asked them
consecutive days) meeting this checked my e-‐ what they
Wednesday PM: 3 Thursday PM: 3 Friday PM: 3 morning and mail until after thought before
amazing things amazing things amazing things asked her better my Morning I give my
about today about today about today questions. Ritual was opinion
• Our new clients • I got to hear • No traffic on • I could have complete. • Sent a thank
were really my mum’s the way to called my Mum. • I could have you email to
impressed with voice and make work today. responded to my mentor,
my her laugh. • I got my inbox Alex’s request Minnie, to let
presentation. • I went for an to zero. for help her know how
• I got a thank amazing walk • Alex really sooner. much her
email from my after work. values the advice has
former • My niece asked career advice I helped me.
teammate, Ralf. me to help her gave him and

• I completed my — I am grateful looks up to me
3 most that she looks as a mentor. 8. How are you helping others create a
important tasks up to me as a Morning Ritual as a result of your
before lunch. role model. experience in completing the 21-‐Day
Challenge?
Wednesday PM: 3 Thursday PM: 3 Friday PM: 3 After I experienced so many benefits from having a
things I could have things I could things I could Morning Ritual I was determined to teach it to every
done differently have done have done member of my team. A few of my fellow managers thought I
• I could have differently differently was crazy, as this type of training has never been done in
resisted the • Not got angry • Have planned the company before and it sounded very non-‐traditional to
them. Then I remembered what I read in one of my
temptation to when I was my lunch
leadership books.
eat those stuck in traffic better —

donuts in the — instead I picked a
“The thing about smart people is that they seem crazy to
afternoon. could have healthier dumb people”. Stephen Hawking
• I could have practiced my option.
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1. What was your first reaction when
That piece of advice really made me smile and encouraged Angela shared with you her Morning
me to keeping pushing through, because I know that if I am Ritual?
looking for a radical change in this team then I have to do I had never heard about the importance of Morning Rituals
something that has never been done before. And I am so before, so when Angela shared it with us at a team meeting
grateful I did. I found it very interesting. I was surprised at first as you
don't really expect your boss to share things like this but
I was amazed at how the team reacted to the training. In the entire team really appreciated her openness. What
just three months we have gone from being one of the surprised us even more was when she said she was going to
worst performing departments to being one of the top insist that we all undergo a special training program
three highest performing departments in the company. dedicated to helping us create our own Morning Rituals. It
Some of the senior leaders have sent me congratulations really created an exciting buzz that we have not had for
messages via email labeling us as a "miraculous some time in our department.
transformation." But what has impacted me the most is
when some of my team members came into my office to 2. What impact has Angela’s experience
personally thank me for this training: telling me not only with Morning Rituals had on you and
how much it impacted their performance at work but also the rest of the team?
how it has had a profound impact on their personal lives. I Well, I think I can speak on behalf of our entire team: it was
am still a bit emotional when I think about it. the best training we have ever received. I have experienced
so many boring training sessions in my career but I have
9. What advice would you give to others who never experienced something as practical and useful as
are about to start the 21-‐Day Challenge? this. Everyone in the office started to do the 21-‐Day
First, find a success partner. Second, find a second success Challenge. It is amazing to see how much positive energy it
partner. Third, find a success partner. Don't let your ego created. It transformed us. The rest of the company is
and pride stop you from becoming successful with this 21-‐ amazed at how we have totally turned around our
Day Challenge. performance. I can proudly say that our team has never
been more motivated and productive.

How Angela has impacted others
Testimony from Alex (a member of Angela’s Team) 3. How have you shared what you
learned from Angela with others?
I found myself sharing my experience with morning and
evening rituals with my kids. I have even gone into their
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bedrooms and helped them prepare the night before so Chapter 7
they get a great start in the morning. We never tried
anything like this before. I can’t believe I am now Unlocking the Habit Code:
passionately sharing with my family something that I The MESSI Approach
learned at work. Doing this challenge has opened up my
eyes to all the hundreds of tiny changes I can make every “When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first
day to improve. Angela really led by example and I’m very solutions you come up with are very complex, and most
grateful that she persisted in helping us develop these people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the
success habits. problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can
oftentimes arrive at some very elegant and simple
solutions.” — Steve Jobs
So did you figure it out yet? Did you see the approach
that was used in all seven stories to transform new
behaviors into habits? After reading just two or three of
the stories, I am sure you will have already realized that
it is how our characters answered certain questions that
was the key to their success. Once they created their
new Morning Ritual (and before they started to
implement it), they answered 10 very powerful
questions.
I refer to these 10 questions as the MESSI* approach to

Habit Creation. This is how they Unlocked the Habit
Code. This is how they made personal change easy.
Meaningful You make the new behavior

Meaningful, so that you have clear
purpose behind your actions
Easier You intentionally design your
surrounding environment (or leverage
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certain tools), so that it is Easier for The MESSI approach was used in all seven stories and
you to do the new behavior (and more it was this approach that empowered each character to
difficult to not do it) successfully convert their new behaviors into habits.
Social You become Social, by involving This is how they Unlocked the Habit Code and created
other people in the process (who will extraordinary personal change within 21 days.
help you and who you will help once
you are ready) To understand the MESSI approach more, let’s look in
Setback You become Setback-Ready, so that greater detail at the above five components.
you both anticipate unexpected
Ready Meaningful
setbacks and have a plan for how you
are going to deal with them.
“If you speak to the heart the head will come, if you speak to
Incentives You Incentivize the process, by the head the heart may never arrive” — Rabbi Akiva
promising yourself specific rewards if
you succeed and punishment if you 1. How do you want to feel straight after
fail. completing your new Morning Ritual?
*I want to credit the inspiration for this name to Lionel 2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐
Messi: the Argentinian and Barcelona footballer, a name Day Challenge, what is the desired result
synonymous with world-class and one of the greatest you want to achieve the most?
3. Why is that desired result so important to
players of all time.
you?

“I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year, it

took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight
success.” — Lionel Messi The first part of the MESSI approach is to make the
behaviors meaningful. Meaning is attached to a
My hope is that when you now see the name MESSI, behavior when you make a clear connection to how that
you will not just think of the world-class athlete, but behavior can help you get from a current undesired
also the world-class approach to creating habits in your condition to a future desired condition (or how it can
life. Thank you, Lionel, for the inspiration. help you avoid a future undesired condition). As
meaning is both logical (head) and emotional (heart),
the above questions were used to bring conscious
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meaning to the behaviors. People need to know the do your new Morning Ritual and difficult
desired feeling they are seeking in both the short term for you to not do it?
and long term. Most of the time we forget how much
influence we have on our own lives. We must remind
6. How are you going to make it easier for
ourselves of how much control we have of our future.
you to measure and evaluate your
Answering these questions gave them a greater sense of progress during the 21-‐Day Challenge and
clarity and purpose. Forcing themselves to explain why at the end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?
they are doing it helped them remember that this
activity is a just a step along a longer journey. And by
choosing that path they are getting closer to objectives
that really matter to them, because it is a part of The second part of the MESSI approach is to make the
something bigger and more emotionally rewarding that behaviors easier to do and more difficult to not do. Ease
the immediate task that needs to be done. As over 90% is created by both intelligent design and in leveraging
of our decisions are driven by emotion, this was crucial the right tools. It is about intentionally exploring ways
in giving them the emotional fuel they needed to keep to make it easier to start and complete your new habits
moving forward. & to make it easier to see your progress so that you can
continue to build your momentum but also make
adjustments along the way.
Easier
Goals on its own are not enough. Losers have goals,
“A bad system will beat a good person every time.”
—W. Edwards Deming
winners have systems. This is about designing the right
system to make it easier for you to succeed. Even
4. How are you going to make it easier for creating a system of completing a simple daily checklist
you to wake up at the time your promised can have a massive impact on your ability to follow
yourself? (So that you don't hit the snooze through.
button once your alarm starts ringing.)
The checklist is one of the most high-powered

5. How are you going to design your productivity tools ever discovered.
environment to make it easier for you to
Brian Tracy
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As the seven stories testify, making tiny changes to your behaviors social. No man is an island, no woman is an
environment can have a major impact on your success. island. It has been proven time and time again that
Think about it from another perspective: why would you humanity’s greatest achievements cannot be achieved in
want to make it more difficult for yourself? isolation. In some cases, involving others can multiply your
chances of success by a factor of 10.

Social
Making the decision to pay it forward and commit to
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go
helping someone else has the extraordinary advantage of
together.” — African proverb helping you see how other people will benefit as a result of
your success. Not wanting to let them down can be an
7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and extremely motivating force for your journey. This need to
why do you think that person is the best serve others also links directly back to the Meaningful
choice in helping you successfully component of the MESSI approach. Being social provides
complete the 21-‐Day Challenge? another level of meaning to your journey.
Who Why that person

Setback-‐Ready

“At some point, if you’re changing a really deep-seated

behavior, you’re going to have a moment of weakness.”
8. Who is the first person you will help after — Charles Duhigg
person? 9. How are you going to deal with unplanned
Who Why that person
How are you going to turn “bad days” into

“good data”?

The fourth part of the MESSI approach is being
setback-ready. Unexpected things are going to happen
no matter how much we plan. None of us can accurately
The third part of the MESSI approach is to make the
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predict the future. To always think that Plan A will be we do not learn from it. How we respond to setbacks is
perfectly executed is to live in a fantasy world. My what defines our character the most.
mentor once told me: "Mike, no plan is a plan without a
plan for how you are going to deal with setbacks." For Incentives
transformative change to be successful, you need to
“A goal without real consequences is wishful thinking. Good
create the expectation of failure: not the failure of the follow-through doesn't depend on the right intentions. It
mission itself, but failure en route. depends on the right incentives.” — Tim Ferriss

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the 10. How are you going to incentivize yourself
mouth." — Mike Tyson to ensure you successfully complete your
Our characters from the seven stories were My reward for successfully My punishment for not
completing my Morning Ritual completing my Morning Ritual
physiologically and practically preparing themselves for
setbacks. They removed the “drama queen” crown from
their head that wanted them to quit just because they
missed a day or went to bed late.

They instead put on a lab coat and analyzed their actions
rationally. They became scientists of their own

behavior. They did so in a way that did not negatively
My reward for successfully My punishment for failing to
lower their confidence in their ability to be successful completing the 21-‐Day complete the 21-‐Day Challenge
but in a way that embraced the realism of the Challenge
unexpected. Expect the unexpected.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Samuel Beckett

We must think of these setbacks (including the near
misses: the setbacks that almost occurred) as nuggets of

gold. Every one of them is a treasure. Every one of them

can teach us something. Failure is really only failure if
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In some cases selecting the right incentive can be the
The final part of the MESSI approach is providing critical ingredient between success and failure.
incentives. Anticipation used correctly can be an
extraordinarily powerful force in modifying human But will the MESSI approach work for me?
behavior. Just knowing that a certain reward is waiting The purpose of this chapter was to affirm to you what I
for you at the ‘finish line’ can be enough to get you am sure you already know: there is significant value in
through the most challenging of times. At the same each of the 10 MESSI questions that was asked in the
time, knowing that a certain punishment is waiting for seven stories after they created their new Morning
you if you do not cross the ‘finish line’ can be just as Ritual. I believe that you don't need me to go into more
effective. detail about why the MESSI approach to habit creation
is so effective.
There are two different types of incentives that you can
use: short-term and long-term incentives - both of which As far as I am concerned, a detailed discussion about
were leveraged in our 7 stories. Short-term incentives theory will not serve you. The seven stories about how
are the tiny rewards/punishments that you give yourself these questions were answered, and the outstanding
on the same day for completing / not completing your results they have achieved, are by far the most valuable
desired behavior. Long-term incentives are typically a part of this book.
significantly bigger and more valuable reward and/or
punishment and are associated with repeating your If those stories were not enough to convince you to start
desired behavior consistently over an extended period of your own 21-Day Challenge, I don’t think that anything
time (in our case – the 21 Day Challenge). I write here will either.
For any reward or punishment to be effective, it must I do not intend to be disrespectful about the different
carry a significant emotional meaning for you. Making theories of behavioral change and habit creation out
other people aware of your choice of reward or there, but my point is that I do not want arguments
punishment can also be extraordinary powerful – this is about theory to become yet another excuse for inaction.
especially effective if you give your Success Partner the
permission to be your ‘ Police Commissioner’ to ensure Acting your way into a new type of thinking
that you follow through on all your promised incentives. One of the reasons our education system is so broken is
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that we focus so much on theories, philosophies and The next chapter is your chance to do exactly that.
high-level concepts, and yet we fail to give people the
practical steps they need to help them discover the truth
for themselves. We force people to stay in our comfort
zones of our classrooms and conference rooms.
“It had long since come to my attention that people of

accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to
them. They went out and happened to things.”
— Leonardo da Vinci
This book is different. This book is designed to give you

those practical steps, to drive you towards self-
experimentation and empower you to achieve
extraordinary personal change. This is not a book made
to just enhance your theoretical views. My goal is not to
get you to agree with my theory on habit creation. I am
OKAY if you disagree with me. I wrote this book to
help you start experimenting with an approach to habit
creation that works best for you.
If the approach you use complements the MESSI

approach, then great. If you discover a more effective
approach, then even better.
What matters most is not the theory you use, but the
results you achieve. Your success is what is most
important here. I believe that it is much easier to act
your way into a new type of thinking than to think your
way into a new type of acting.
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Chapter 8 “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
— David Allen
Your 21-‐Day Challenge
Writing down your new Morning Ritual and your answer to
“Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is only the MESSI questions is your way of committing to yourself
potential power. Action is power.” — Anthony Robbins that you are really serious about this.

It's decision time! With all my heart, I want you to take this opportunity now
to answer these questions for yourself. There really is no
You are on the verge of something special. We have reached valid excuse not to do this. You have come this far on this
the climax of this book. The time has come for you to write journey: it would be a tragedy for you not to reach the
your own new Morning Ritual and answer the 10 MESSI summit and reap all the benefits. Don’t stay at base camp, if
questions. The time has come for you to successfully you do I would have failed as the author and you would
complete the 21-‐Day Challenge. By doing this, you will have failed as the reader. The reason this book is in your
begin the process of extracting a million times more value hands is not for you to finish reading it, it is for you to
from this book than if you decided to just read the stories complete this 21-‐Day Challenge. I do not want you to let
and do nothing. Reading stories about what other people this opportunity slip by. You are sitting on the edge of one
have done is not enough. Inspiration alone is not enough. of the best personal decisions you will ever make. You
Knowledge alone is not enough. You are the only one who deserve this! It is time for you to act. Take what is yours.
can solve your change problem. You must apply. You must
take action. “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it.” - Beyoncé
Knowles Carter
I encourage you not to skip any of the 10 MESSI questions.
There is value in all of them. Answering each question will Your 21-‐Day Challenge awaits..
only take you one or two minutes. Within 20 minutes, you
can have it all done.

And the lifetime benefits of those 20 minutes could be
immeasurable. This is something for which your future self
will thank you for. The extraordinary change you deserve is
waiting to be unleashed, but you must start by getting your
ideas about how you are going to do it out of your head.

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The 21-‐Day Challenge Please answer the 10 questions below. (The MESSI
Your Name: approach to habit creation.)
Start Date:
Finish Date (21 Days later): Meaningful

1. Immediately after completing your new
What is your new Morning Ritual? Morning Ritual, how do you want to feel?

2. After you successfully complete the 21-‐
Day Challenge, what is the desired result

you want to achieve the most?

3. Why is that desired result so important to
you?

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Easy
4. How are you going to make it easy for you Social
to wake up at the time your promised 7. Who will be your “Success Partner” and
yourself? (So that you don't hit the snooze why do you think that person is the best
button once your alarm starts ringing.) choice in helping you successfully

Who Why that person

5. How are you going to design your
environment to make it easy for you to do
your new Morning Ritual and difficult for
you to not do it?

8. Who is the first person you will help after
person?

Who Why that person

6. How are you going to make it easy for you
to measure and evaluate your progress
during the 21-‐Day Challenge and at the
end of the 21-‐Day Challenge?

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Setback-‐Ready

How are you going to turn “bad days” into
“good data”?

Incentives

My reward for successfully My reward for not successfully
completing my Morning Ritual completing my Morning Ritual

My reward for successfully My punishment for failing to
completing the 21-‐Day complete the 21-‐Day Challenge
Challenge
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Chapter 9 “I think that's the single best piece of advice: to have a
feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what
Improving Your Plan you've done and how you could be doing it better.”— Elon
Musk
“We all need people who will give us feedback.
That's how we improve.” — Bill Gates To give just one piece of practical advice on how you can
improve your plan, let me share with you one of the biggest
When I do workshops and seminars related to creating improvement opportunities I see after people make the
Morning Rituals, I find that the most valuable part of the first version of their plan. To significantly increase your
entire day is when the attendees get into small groups of odds of success, you need to make it very clear to your
four to six people, and each person shares how they subconscious brain what desired result you are looking to
answered the exact questions you just answered. achieve.

As one person shares, the others give feedback on what Remember: there is a part of the brain that is always
they like about it and what they think can be improved. It is looking for excuses to conserve energy. If you put vague
my favorite part of the workshop. The learning that language into your Morning Ritual, it will give that part of
happens in these small groups is incredible. As a result, the your brain the excuses it needs to justify inaction or
participants always end up updating their own plan minimal effort. Below are some common examples:
because of the new insights acquired from this sharing and
feedback process. Version 1 My coaching Feedback Version 2 (Improved)
"I will try my best to Really? Try your best? I will wake up at 6 a.m.

wake up at 6 a.m." You either will or will
If I had just one wish for you after you have written your not. There is no try.
new Morning Ritual and answered the 10 MESSI questions, “In the morning I will What type of exercise “After I brush my teeth,
it would be to find a person (or a group of people) with do exercise.” will you do? When will I will do a 12-‐minute
whom you can share your plan and to receive feedback you do it? How long guided workout in my
about what they like and what they think can be improved. will you do it for? bedroom.”
Of course you don't need to embrace all of their “I will drink water.” How much water will "Before I take a
you drink? When will shower, I will drink two
recommendations, but listening to other voices will give
you do it? What type pint glasses of water
you some powerful insights that you will not have thought of water? from the fridge."
of: especially if the feedback is coming from someone you
greatly trust and respect. Even better if they themselves I want to challenge you to look back over the answers you
have successfully completed the 21-‐Day Challenge. have written. Have you used any vague language like that in

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the above examples? If so, correct it by being more specific
and detailed. Remember: your attention to detail matters. It
is worth the effort. Chapter 10
The Success Partnership
“It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big
things happen.” — John Wooden
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

— Helen Keller
Now that you have created and updated your plan, there is

only one part remaining that we have not yet covered in
Why your choice of Success Partner matters
detail. It is possibly the most critical element that will

determine your success over the 21 days and beyond. And
So, what do you think is the most important component of
that’s your relationship with your success partner. To get
the MESSI approach to habit creation? Or, more specifically,
the most out of this relationship responsibilities and
which of the ten questions you just answered do you think
expectations must be defined at the beginning. Let's learn
will have the biggest impact in helping you successfully
more.
achieve the results you are looking for?

From my extensive research and personal experience, I
believe that your choice of success partner and how you
choose to interact with them that will be the biggest
determining factor on your level of success during the 21-‐
Day challenge. Thus, deciding who your success partner
will be on this journey is of critical importance.

All the main characters from the seven stories, after they
successfully completed the challenge, had a far deeper
appreciation of why their relationship with their success
partner had such a major influence on their performance.

Yes, technically they could have done it on their own. But
how much more difficult would that 21 days have been for
them? In my honest opinion, almost all of them would have
failed to achieve the transformative results that they now
celebrate if they had made the decision not to involve a
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success partner and tried to do it on their own. because you are afraid that you will appear weak.

The Resistance To Finding A Success Partner Beware: Your greatest enemy is always yourself.

Possibly the most dangerous thought that could occur What you think is not always true. Do not allow your ego to
inside your head as you start your 21-‐Day Challenge is the hold you back from your extraordinary potential. My belief
idea that you can do this on your own. That voice in your is this: when it comes to creating new habits, having the
head that’s telling you that you are the exception, you don't right success partner can infinitely increase your odds of
need a success partner. success. An overwhelming body of research on behavioral
change tells us that short, frequent touch points with the
So allow me to be honest and direct. right success partner when attempting personal change are
a critical element of success, especially during the first 21
Yes, it is possible for you to do this on your own. days when the desired behavior is not yet a habit.

In the same way, it is also possible for you to find your way “Nobody can succeed on their own.”
around a new city without asking for directions or using a — Sheryl Sandberg
map. It is also possible for you to organize a big wedding on
your own. It is also possible for you to build a new house on Finding the Right Success Partner
your own. From an idealistic and theoretical perspective, anyone can
be a success partner. No qualifications or experience
But WHY would you want to do this? WHY would you want required. However, this is not really helpful to you. The
to make things harder for yourself? reality is that, although many people in your network of
friends, family and work colleagues are capable, not
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win everyone is ready to be a success partner. So you need to be
championships.” — Michael Jordan very careful about whom you select.

There are really only two reasons why someone would Below are some of the most important factors you need to
choose to try and do all of this on their own. consider when finding the right success partner:

Ignorance: You just don’t know how critical involving A great choice for a Success A terrible choice for a Success Partner
others is in creating habits. Partner is someone who … is someone who …
Will be enthusiastic and Would ultimately discourage you from

supportive of your attempts to improving yourself. They have a crab
Pride: Your ego will not allow you to ask others for help
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improve yourself. They have a mentality, thus they begrudge seeing
positive outlook on life and are other people (especially those closest
excited that you have to them) progress as it highlights their
Clarifying the responsibilities and expectations of the
committed yourself to own inadequacies. They are skeptical
improvement. and critical of anyone trying to better
success partnership upfront is one of the most important
themselves. outcomes you need to achieve in your first interactions
Has successfully changed their Are constantly complaining and with your success partner.
own behaviors in the past. They blaming others for their problems. They
know change is possible for live with a victim’s mentality: they do I am not very proud to share this with you, but when I first
them, thus they believe change not take responsibility for their life. stepped into the role as someone’s success partner, a part
is possible for you. They have an They are constantly breaking their
of me assumed that I had to somehow justify my
existing passion for personal promises to both themselves and
development. others. qualifications for that role. I had to show the other person
Will be proactive, responsive Are reactive, do not take initiative, and how smart I was, how intelligent I was, how wise I was —
and reliable. Most importantly worst of all are unreliable. You may so I ended up doing most of the talking.
they will make themselves love them and you may enjoy their
available to you. company but deep down in your heart I got this very wrong. My thinking was totally messed up.
you know they would not be the right The moment I realized this was when one of my mentors
support for the personal changes that
gave me what I still consider to be one of the greatest
you need to make.
pieces of advice I have ever received:

After reflecting on the above, you’ve probably come to the
“Mike, the more you talk, the less they learn.”
conclusion that a lot of people you know are possibly not

the right fit for you. Don't be saddened by this. It is a
That simple piece of advice forever changed how I influence
common scenario. This should make you even more
other people.
determined to find the right person.

The primary role of a success partner is not to give advice.
“Surround yourself only with people who are going to

take you higher.”— Oprah Winfrey
The primary role of a success partner is to help create the

environment in which the other person can think better.
All of the seven main characters from our stories pays

testament to the importance of choosing the right person to
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within
be their success partner. It is a decision that you must not
yourself, in your way of thinking. — Marcus Aurelius
take lightly. So choose wisely.

The success partner must be totally non-‐judgmental. They
How To Be A Great Success Partner
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must not give any destructive feedback (example: telling the success
them they are lazy, undisciplined or selfish). They must not partner to
imply that there is something wrong with the person if they intentionally start
do not follow through with their own promises. the meeting
focused on the
Although a detailed discussion of how to best influence positives. This
others is outside the scope of this book, below are the three approach of
most important rules that a success partner must follow in getting people to
order to be of greatest service to the person they are trying acknowledge
to help. their past success
has the
Three Rules On How To Be A Great Success Partner empowering
effect of giving
Rule Why is this How to do it? them the
important? confidence to
1. Start the The brain's Ask great continue to build
meeting default condition questions: on the progress
with is to focus on • What gave they have
gratitude what is wrong or you joy this achieved so far as
what is missing. week? opposed to
This negative • What went beating
focus directly well so far? themselves up for
results in • What are you any slip ups.
negative thoughts grateful for? 2. Listen 10 The more you Ask great
and negative times talk, the less they questions:
emotions, which more will learn. Trust • Tell me
may become a than you me. Resist the about your
massive barrier talk! temptation to week?
to helping the vomit stories • How did that
person think from your past make you
clearly. It is the onto them. feel?
responsibility of Anytime you • What else
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interrupt them are you to this in their what would
while they are thinking? own mind and in you have
thinking is an act their own time. done
of arrogance. This To affirm to them differently?
is especially true what they already • If your best
when it comes to know they must friend were
silences in the do. If you refuse in your exact
conversation. to be patient and situation,
Most people start telling them what advice
assume that what you think would you
silences in the they should do, give
conversation you are robbing him/her?
mean it is their them of the
turn to talk. chance to grow.
Silence does not You are doing
mean the person more harm than
is not thinking. Be good.
more patient and
allow them to Once the above expectations are clear, you will also need to
come to their determine the frequency and duration of the meeting with
own conclusions your success partner. I want to encourage you to keep an
by resisting the open mind on this and experiment as you go. The time and
temptation to duration will vary from person to person and situation to
interrupt their situation. Like the seven characters from the stories, you
thinking. and your success partner must experiment to see what
3. Hold back In 99 out of 100 Ask great works best for you. Ideally, your meeting is face to face.
on giving situations, the questions: However, if that is not possible, then a high quality virtual
advice person knows • What do you meeting can be just as effective. The more frequent and
exactly what they think you shorter the meetings, the better.
need to do. Your should do?
primary role as a • Knowing In summary, the key to being a great success partner is not
success partner is what you sharing your experience and stories. Instead, it is all about
to help them get know now, being a world-‐class listener by asking the right questions, at
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the right time, in the right way. The more you do it, the forward until their Morning Ritual becomes a habit.
better you will become, and the more you will be of greater
service to a greater number of people. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” -
Friedrich Nietzsch
I encourage you to share this chapter with the success
partner you have chosen for your 21-‐Day Challenge. Once When I do this exercise in my workshops and seminars it is
everyone knows what makes a great success partnership, one of the most powerful exercise of the day. Individuals on
then both of you will have achieved a major step forward in their own typically come up with a few different answers (6
ensuring you are both successful. – 12), but once I continue to push them and especially when
I get them thinking in groups, they eventually discover over
Super Bonus Tip: 50 different reasons why their Morning Ritual is important
to them -‐ For their health, for their career, for their
I feel that I could write another book on this subject alone. relationships, for their finances, for their family, for the
However, for now, let me share with you one super bonus legacy. The list goes on and on. I cannot tell you how many
tip that I think will really help you in your role as a success breakthrough moments I have seen after people have gone
partner. I believe that success in life is 80% about the why through this exercise. Even if it takes them 30 minutes to
and 20% about the how. I believe that this universal find all the answers, the power of this self-‐discovery
principal is at work when you are attempting to create a process is immeasurable.
world-‐class Morning Rituals. So, when you meet your
partner, I really want you to challenge them with this one
question:

“Why is your Morning Ritual important to you?”

What you will find is that people tend to answer this
question from the surface level. Common answers like “to
lose weight,” “have more discipline,” or “be more
productive” are not good enough. As their success partner,
do not be satisfied with short answers like these. Keep
asking them why. Keep pushing them! Get them to explore
the depths of their mind and heart so they discover the real
reasons why they are doing this. Once they get this clarity,
this will be their single greatest motivation to keep moving
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1. A business owner who want his employees to
Chapter 11 become more accountable and proactive.
2. A parent who wants her children to focus on their
Beyond Morning Rituals studies and not get addicted to video games.
3. A sports coach who wants his players to become
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought
more disciplined and organized.

together.”
— Vincent Van Gogh 4. A pastor who wants to help his church members flee
from destructive behaviors and practice righteous
living.
I have focused the scope of our personal change efforts in 5. A manager who wants her team to become more
this book in the development and realization of world-‐class creative and innovative.
Morning Rituals. I intentionally chose Morning Rituals 6. A teacher who wants her students to become more
because of the significant return on investment that they imaginative and insightful.
give compared to any other type of personal change I know 7. A public servant who wants to change the way the
of. general public thinks and acts.
8. An entrepreneur who wants to change the way their
Very soon, once you have completed the 21-‐Day Challenge, customers use their product.
you too will be able to join other high performers around 9. A humanitarian who wants to help the people they
the world and provide your own powerful testimony of the are trying to serve break free from the false limiting
extraordinary benefits of having a world-‐class Morning beliefs that are holding them back from their
Ritual. potential.

For a moment, let me ask a question that I'm sure has In attempting any type of personal, organizational or
entered your mind since you started reading this book. societal transformation, any change will just be temporary
if habits are not created. If lasting successful change is
"Can this approach to habit formation work for situations going to happen, then all of these situations will require
outside of Morning Rituals where behavioral change is people to create new habits. There is not a single area of life
required?" in which habit creation is not a critical component for
ultimate long-‐term success.
Let’s revisit some of the examples of typical changes people
want to make that I referred to earlier. I believe that there is a universal science of habit creation
and that the same principles we use to create success
habits at the start of your day can apply to habit creation in
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every area of life. So yes, the MESSI approach is not just Chapter 12
applicable to Morning Rituals. I believe that the MESSI
approach can be used successfully in all of the nine Conclusion
situations highlighted above. We can replicate our success
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
beyond our Morning Rituals. the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”
— Mark Twain
A detailed discussion of this is outside the scope of this
book. It is a conversation for another time and place. Simply If this book can be summarized into one message, it is this:
put: learning how to master habit creation and sharing this extraordinary personal change is easy if you focus on the
with others is something that we cannot afford to neglect. right things, at the right time, and you follow the right
approach.

Right things: The Nine TRANSFORM Habits
Right time: The start of your day — The MORNING RITUAL
Right approach: The MESSI Approach to Habit Creation

Reading this book has enlightened your conscious brain to
what your subconscious brain already knows. You now
have everything you need to Unlock the Habit Code. You
have everything you need to succeed in creating
extraordinary personal change.

However, with this enlightenment comes a great
responsibility, because words alone are not enough. You
still have a very important promise to make to yourself. Are
you really going to make this book different from every
other book you have ever read? Are you really going to
apply what you have learned? Are you really going to

The entire purpose of me writing this book was not for you
to read it, but for you to complete the 21-‐Day Challenge.
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Knowing without doing is not knowing. Learning without Epilogue: You Were Born for Greatness
doing is not learning. Understanding without doing is not
understanding. Simply put, if you do not complete the 21-‐
We live in an extraordinary time in human history. Never
Day Challenge, I have failed.
before have we had access to so much knowledge, so much

information and so much potential to make positive
It took me a long time to realize this, but absorbing
changes. Yet, at this same moment in history, we have
knowledge without application is useless. I do not want
never lived with so much hypocrisy. Our world has so many
you to make the same mistake I did. You do not need to
significant problems that need solving yet “most people,”
read another book, listen to another podcast, or watch
instead of seeking for solutions, spend their time focused
another TED talk of someone sharing yet another opinion
on criticizing and blaming others, and waiting for someone
of how you should change, how you could change, or how
else to fix it. Without even knowing it, they become what
you must change. More knowledge is not the answer. More
they hate the most: they become hypocrites.
technology is not the answer. More inspiring speeches are

not the answer. The answer lies in you. Everything you
When some of these people finally come to realize that
need to be great is already within you. You must
change really does start with themselves, they get excited.
immediately start to apply what you know you must do.
They start to visualize the positive impact their new

personal changes will have on people they want to
If you currently do not have a Morning Ritual and you now
influence, and the great things they will achieve. Then
decide that you will successfully complete the 21-‐Day
reality hits. They get punched right in the face by the
Challenge, then I promise you that this book will change
"change problem." They may know that they need to
your life. If you allow your ego to rule over you and you
change, they may really want to change, and yet they do
skip this challenge, then you will be missing out on what
not. They lose their momentum, their enthusiasm, and their
could be one of the most powerful personal changes you
motivation. They fall back into their old ways of thinking —
could ever make.
that personal change is too difficult. Without even knowing

it, they re-‐subscribe to the false belief that they are not
So what are you waiting for? What more can I say? What
worthy or powerful enough to create an extraordinary
more can I do?
change or make a difference in the world. They become

“almost leaders.”
“The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own
hands.” — Anne Frank
I have been on a long journey to write this book and there
The final decision belongs to you. have been many setbacks along the way, but the reason I
Now, what are you going to do? kept going, my greatest motivation, was thinking of you.
You rejuvenate my faith in humanity, because you are
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different from everyone else. You are not a hypocrite. You One Final Thing
are not an “almost leader.” You are a leader. This is your
truth.
Thank you for reading the pre-release version of this book.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you
I would really appreciate if you write a short and honest review
free.” — Jesus Christ
about the book on Goodreads before July 15, 2017.

You know that you were designed with extraordinary This may take you just one minute to do and is something that
power within you to create your own future. You know you will really help me promote the book to more readers.
were not put here on this earth to play it small, to play it
safe, and to live in fear. You know that you will not allow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35008438-Unlocking-
setbacks from your past to determine your future. You the-habit-code
know that you were born to achieve great things, to lead
the way and to show others what is possible. You know that
Thank you again for agreeing to be a Pre-Release Reviewer. I
you were born to change the world. And you know deep in
am honored to have you as part of the story of this book.
your heart, that at this moment in your life, you were meant
to read this book.

This is your time. So get out there and do what you know
you need to do. Make the decision today to live the Mike Grogan
extraordinary life you know you deserve. Become the role June 13, 2017
model that the world desperately needs. Your greatest days Manila, Philippines
lie ahead.

THE END

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Finally, it is important to note that the book is still a work in progress.

Thank you again for agreeing to be a Pre-Release Reviewer. Your

2. The Top 10 Reasons We Fail at Personal 9. Your Improvement Plan 106

6. Seven Stories of Extraordinary Personal One Final Thing

Wrong! Let’s revisit this again using a different approach in which

But You Have A Choice

I refer to these 10 questions as the MESSI* approach to

Meaningful You make the new behavior

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“It had long since come to my attention that people of

This book is different. This book is designed to give you

If the approach you use complements the MESSI

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