Published with permission from Sterling Lord Literistic and The Van Lear Agency LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holders.

© Hal Elrod International, Inc., 2014 Proprietor’s website address is: www.TMMbook.com

© Translation into Russian, edition in Russian, design. Mann, Ivanov and Ferber LLC, 2019

* * *

This book is dedicated to the most important people in my life - my family: my mother, my father, Hayley, my wife Ursula and our children, Sophie and Halston. I love you more than I can express in words.

This book was written in memory of my dear sister Emery Christine Elrod.

There are only two ways to live life. The first is as if miracles don’t happen at all. The second is as if everything in life is a miracle.

- Albert Einstein

Miracles do not contradict nature itself, but what we know about it.

– Saint Augustine

Life begins every morning.

– Joel Olsteen 1
Joel Alsteen is a popular American Christian pastor and best-selling author. Note. ed.

Address to the reader

Every person, no matter what stage of his life he is at - at the pinnacle of success or in a period of misfortune and adversity, in search of a way out of the current situation - dreams of at least one thing (probably there are many more such things, but I know about this for sure): improve your life and yourself. This does not mean at all that there is something wrong with our lives. not this way, It’s just that we all come into this world with a desire and an innate thirst for continuous growth, development and self-improvement. I am convinced that this desire is characteristic of each of us. Yet it must be recognized that most people wake up every day to see that practically nothing has changed in their lives.

I am a writer, renowned speaker and coach; The goal of my work is to help clients move to a new level of success and self-fulfillment in every aspect of their lives, and to do this as quickly as possible.

I myself am a dedicated and diligent student who strives to maximize my potential and develop as a person, so I can say with absolute confidence that my method is the most practical, results-oriented and most effective for improving any (or all) aspects of you. life from all the methods that I know; with its help you can achieve what you want much faster than you probably think possible.

For those who have already achieved a lot in life, the Miracle Morning method will help you radically change the rules of the game and move on to something that is still unattainable. next level, to achieve personal and professional success that far exceeds past achievements. In some cases, this means increasing income, strengthening your business, increasing sales and profits, but more often it is about discovering new ways that allow you to achieve greater success and balance in areas of your life that you may have been neglecting. In particular, significant improvements are likely health, relationships with people, financial situation and other areas of life listed at the top of your priority list.

As for those who are going through difficult times right now and are trying to cope with emotional, physical, financial, relationship-related or any other problems, The Miracle Morning, as has been proven more than once, will literally help by oneself take up arms to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, make a revolutionary breakthrough and radically change your life circumstances, often in an incredibly short time frame.

Whatever your goal - to fundamentally change just a few key aspects of your life or to radically transform your entire existence so that everything you struggle with now becomes just an unpleasant memory - you have chosen the right book. You are about to embark on a wonderful journey and along the way, thanks to a simple but truly revolutionary process, you will certainly change any area of ​​your life - and you can do all this at the very beginning of the day, before eight o'clock in the morning.

Introduction. My story and why yours matters too

On December 3, 1999, my life was good. No, she was beautiful. I turned twenty, my freshman year of college behind me. I had spent the last year and a half becoming one of the top-performing sales reps at a $200 million marketing company, breaking all of the firm's records and earning more than I ever dreamed of at my relatively young age. I was in love with my girlfriend, had a prosperous, loving family and the best friends any young man could ask for. In a word, I was truly happy.

You could say I was on top of the world. And I, of course, had no way of knowing that that night my wonderful world would come to an end.

23:32: at speeds in excess of 100 kilometers per hour south on Highway 99

We had just left the restaurant, leaving a group of friends there. Now there were only two of us. My girlfriend, tired from the turbulent events of that evening, dozed in the passenger seat. But not me. I was awake and alert: my eyes were glued to the road running away into the distance, and I, like a conductor’s baton, waving my finger in the air, echoed the calm, beautiful melody of Tchaikovsky flowing from the radio.

I was still in a state of euphoria from the events of that wonderful evening, and sleep did not overcome me at all. I was flying down the freeway at very high speeds in my brand new white Ford Mustang. Two hours ago I gave the best speech of my life. For the first time I was awarded a real ovation, and, of course, I was absolutely delighted with it. I was overwhelmed with feelings, and at that moment I would have shouted words of gratitude with great joy to anyone who would agree to listen to me, but my friend was sleeping and there was no point in talking to her. I thought about calling my mom and dad, but it was already late and they were most likely asleep. And I didn’t call, but I should have. How could I have known that that minute was the last opportunity to communicate with my parents - or indeed with anyone - for quite a long time.

An unimaginable reality

No, I don't remember the headlights of a massive Chevrolet truck coming straight at me. But of course they were. By order of capricious fate, in an instant a huge Chevrolet, flying even faster than me, crashed into my small, clearly different weight class Ford Mustang. I lived the next seconds as if in slow motion; this terrible slow dance was performed to the wonderful sounds of Tchaikovsky's music.

The metal bumpers of the two cars collided with a terrible squeal and were immediately twisted and broken. The Mustang's airbags deployed with such force that we were both knocked out instantly. My brain, still racing forward at over a hundred kilometers per hour, crashed into the front wall of my skull, destroying the lion's share of vital brain tissue, my frontal lobe.

As a result of the collision, the rear of my Mustang was thrown onto the right shoulder; the car turned so that the driver's door inevitably became a target for the car driving behind me. A Saturn sedan, driven by a sixteen-year-old boy, slammed into my door at over one hundred kilometers per hour, the twisted iron piercing the left side of my body. The frame of the metal roof literally crushed on my head, splitting my skull and nearly tearing off my left ear. The bones of the left eye socket were crushed, the left eyeball was literally hanging in the air. The left arm was broken, resulting in a rupture of the radial nerve in the forearm; the elbow was shattered and the broken bone pierced the skin over the bicep.

My pelvis was given the impossible task of preventing the Saturn bumper from colliding with the B-pillar of my car, and it, understandably, failed to cope with this task. As a result, the pelvis was fractured in three different places at once. And finally, my femur, the largest bone in the human skeleton, snapped in half, and one end speared through the skin of my thigh and came out, tearing my black suit pants.

Everything around was covered in blood. My body was destroyed and my brain was permanently damaged.

Unable to withstand the terrible physical suffering, my body gave in, my blood pressure dropped sharply, everything around me turned black, and I fell into a coma.

You only live... twice?

The rescue team members who arrived at the scene used hydraulic shears to cut out my bloody body and pull it out from under the rubble. By the time they finished, I had lost a lot of blood. My heart didn't beat. I stopped breathing. Clinically speaking, I was dead.

The paramedics immediately loaded me onto the rescue helicopter and began to diligently try to prevent me from leaving completely. Six minutes later they succeeded. My heart started beating again. I inhaled pure oxygen. Fortunately, I was alive.

I lay in a coma for six days, only to finally wake up to find out that I would never walk again. After seven weeks of difficult recovery and rehabilitation in the hospital, where I tried to walk again and again, I was discharged into the care of my parents - back into the real world. With eleven broken bones, permanent brain damage, and the loss of a girlfriend who broke up with me while I was in the hospital, I knew full well that life would never be the same. And believe it or not, it later turned out that she would change for the better.

Of course, facing a completely new reality was difficult; sometimes I couldn't help thinking: Well why did this happen to me? However, I had to take responsibility for getting my life back on track. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and talking about how everything is it should have been I accepted what is and stopped wasting energy on meaningless wishes, completely focused on making the best possible use of everything he had. I couldn’t change the past, so I just had to tune in to move forward. Ultimately, I dedicated my life to maximizing my potential and achieving what I dreamed of, as well as teaching other people to do the same.

And precisely because I decided to be sincere grateful fate for everything she gave me, of course accepted everything that he had not accepted before, and took full responsibility for implementation everything I dreamed of, this essentially devastating car accident ended up being one of the best experiences of my life. Based on the belief that everything that happens to us happens for a reason - and we We are responsible for choosing the most inspiring and self-esteem-boosting challenges, events and circumstances in our lives - I used what happened as fuel for a triumphant return to normal life.

year 2000. The year that began with me finding myself in a hospital bed, broken, broken, but undefeated, ended completely differently. I now didn’t have a car, nor did I have normal short-term memory, so I had every reason to sit at home and feel sorry for myself. However, I returned to Cutco to my position as a sales agent. And this year was the best of my career: I finished it as number six in the entire company (which had more than sixty thousand very active sales representatives). At the same time, I was gradually recovering - physically, mentally, emotionally and financially - from the terrible accident.

year 2001. After learning some invaluable life lessons through my own experiences, I realized it was time to turn my adversity into inspiration and start teaching people how to succeed in life. So I started speaking at high schools and colleges and telling my story. The response from students, teachers and professors alike to my stories was overwhelmingly positive, which led me to decide that my mission was to influence young people.

2002 To help me further inspire people to overcome life's challenges, my close friend John Bergoff convinced me to write a book about myself. And I started writing. But as soon as he started, he immediately stopped. I, you know, not a writer. For me, school essays were quite a difficult task, let alone a whole book. After repeated attempts to resume work on the book, which invariably ended in another wave of disappointment, I was almost convinced that this book was not destined to appear. Well, at least I was the number two employee in Cutco's top ten two years in a row. Not bad already.

2004 Deciding to try my hand at management, I accepted a promotion and became a sales manager in Cutco's Sacramento office. And our team finished first in the company, breaking a new annual corporation record. Also, that fall I achieved my highest ever personal sales record and had my photo hung in the Cutco Hall of Fame. Feeling like I had achieved everything I wanted at this company, I decided it was time to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a professional keynote speaker and motivational speaker. And it began to seem to me that I could even write a book, the thought of which had not left me for the last couple of years. And I also met Ursula. We were inseparable and I felt that she could be mine the only one.

February 2005. Sitting in the audience at my last conference at Cutco, I suddenly realized with painful clarity: but I never realized my potential here. Sure, I've won a few awards and broken a few sales records, but as I watched two of my top employees receive Cutco's highest annual award, the coveted Rolex watch, I suddenly realized that I had never set out to achieve this. goals are in full force, at least not all year. And I would not be able to live in complete harmony with myself if I left the company without maximizing my potential in it. I should have stayed here for another year, but this time I had to give the company my all.

Spring 2006. My first book, Taking Life Head On: How to Love the Life You Have While You Create the Life of Your Dreams, reached number seven on the Amazon bestseller list. And then something completely unthinkable happened. My publisher fled the country, taking with him all my royalties from the sale of the bestseller, and was never heard from again. My parents were desperate - unlike me. If that unfortunate car accident taught me anything, it is that there is no point in complaining and suffering over something that you cannot change. So I didn’t suffer. I also realized that by focusing on what we learn from suffering and hardship, and how to use that knowledge to add value to the lives of others, we can turn any adversity into an advantage. That's what I did.

2006 Having virtually no knowledge of this profession, I suddenly became coach- after a forty-something financial advisor asked me to take his life seriously. I agreed. And I really liked it. My first client quite soon achieved very real results in his personal and business life, and now I was simply torn with the desire to help other people. I was only twenty-six years old, and my chances of succeeding in the field of professional coaching were probably minimal, but the idea aligned so clearly with my main goal in life that I went for it no matter what. And my new business began to quickly gain momentum; soon I was working with hundreds of entrepreneurs, sales representatives and company owners.

Then the Boys and Girls Clubs of America invited me to be a featured speaker at a national conference, and I gave my first paid lecture. Although I had been speaking to large business audiences quite often since 1998, the lion's share of which were salespeople, managers and corporate executives, I decided that with my tousled hair, (fairly) youthful appearance and the nickname Your Buddy Hal, I had a direct path to work with young people, and began speaking and telling his story at local schools and colleges.

2007 This year my life went to hell. The US economy was hit by a crisis. Literally overnight, my income was cut in half. My clients could no longer afford coaching. And I couldn’t pay the bills, including the house. I had accumulated over four hundred thousand dollars in debt, and I was crushed and devastated. Mentally, physically, emotionally and financially. And he plunged into the darkness of despondency. Never in my life have I felt so hopeless, so broken, so desperate. Completely at a loss to find a way to get my life back on track, I struggled to solve insurmountable problems: I read self-help books, attended seminars, even hired a personal coach - all to no avail.

2008 This year the situation began to improve little by little. I finally admitted to a close friend how bad I was doing (up until this point, I had stubbornly kept my problems a secret). He immediately asked: “Are you doing exercises?” I replied that I actually have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, so no, I don’t.“You start running,” he said. “You’ll see, it will make you feel better and clear your head.” Ugh, I hate running. But I was so desperate that I took my friend’s advice and went for a run the next morning. What I realized while jogging became a turning point in my life (read more in). It was while running that inspiration struck me and I developed a set of daily activities that would help me develop into the person I needed to become in order to solve the problems that beset me and change my life for the better. And, incredible as it may seem, my method actually worked. Almost every aspect of my life that was important to me improved so quickly that I called this method my “Miracle Morning.”

Autumn 2008. I continued to develop yours The Miracle Morning, experimenting with different personal development practices and sleep patterns and exploring how much sleep a person actually needs. I must say that my conclusions completely destroyed the patterns and attitudes of many people, including myself, to this issue. I liked the results so much that I shared them with my coaching clients, who also liked them. They shared my findings with their friends, family, and colleagues. And one day the moment came when I began to see stories on Facebook and Twitter about “miracle mornings” of people whom I had never met in my life (I’ll tell you more about this later).

Nikitayskaya Natalia

Nikitayskaya Natalia

Sun in the morning

Natalia Nikitayskaya

Sun in the morning

You, of course, will not like the first option

bathroom, you're in the shower, only I Se will go m

The new thing about you is hard work. In this sense, you beat everyone. If among biologists, like footballers, there was a count of precisely scored ideas, then you would shine brighter than Pele.

However, you sparkle.

Now I. I'm thirty. I am divorced. I live with my son in a one-room apartment. I work at a small factory in the legal department. The entire department is three people: Marya is the boss, Boris Petrovich is a lawyer, and I am the one doing the paperwork.. I have a secondary technical education. In the evenings I take care of my son. And when I go to you, my son stays with a neighbor on the site, a sweet elderly woman.

Yes, I completely forgot to say: your name is Evgeniy, my name is Olga. My son Yurka, nicknamed the Scientist.

Have I told you everything? No, not all. It's not clear how we met. And it couldn't be simpler. The cultural sector of our factory committee invited you to talk about the impact of environmental pollution on the human body. You arrived and refused payment. The workers approved of this. They also approved your story. Nowadays it is common to speak in an accessible way. But you also spoke with enthusiasm and figurativeness. You were clear. And so clearly I see you between the presidium table and the shabby podium. And you're not talking into the microphone. And you look at me so often that I think I would fall through the ground with happiness. In short, I fell in love with you at first sight. And she stayed, supposedly asking a question. And you - Lord! I understand now what it cost you! - invited me to explain everything on the way to my house. This was just four years ago.

I kissed you that evening myself. And you fell so close to me that for a second I even felt superior. But I didn't know you yet. And I didn’t think that, having gone over this whole evening in your mind, you would consider me frivolous. Then you have not yet appreciated my love and impulse. But you immediately appreciated the impulse that fell on you. And after our first night - how long I had to wait for her! - it became clear: we can’t live without each other.

It's time to stop here. It’s impossible to retell everything that happened to us in four years, and the plot doesn’t require it.

Let's return to the conversation that takes place while you are in the shower, and I seem to be preparing dinner for us.

Where's the sour cream? Have you really put the sour cream in the freezer again?

I say you froze the sour cream again!

Do not carp! These are small things compared to your shoes!

This is about the fact that I bought a great pair of shoes in the store, only both shoes were on one foot.

It’s rightly said: two boots make a difference, I’m hinting that it’s time to get married.

You don't hear any words or intonation.

You don't hear. He probably wrapped his head in a towel.

Exactly. You come out bundled up, your face is moist and radiant.

Well, what poison have you prepared for me today?

You love to eat, and I try my best to please you.

No, nothing, nothing, delicious...

Liked? For once I got it...

You glance at me, looking up from your plate, quickly and devotedly.

Will you stay the night?

No. She promised the Scientist to draw a duty schedule for his star.

Commander?

Didn't I tell you? I was happy all evening yesterday.

Joyful child.

Brings me joy.

I am also attached to him.

You just rarely see it.

Well, Olya...

I'm silent, I'm silent.

You're coming. And you put your arm around my shoulders. Affection makes me stupid and I go ahead:

Zhenya, let's get married.

A woman, Olya,” you say, smiling joyfully, “must wait to be called to marry.” Don't perform male functions.

You know everything about functions better than me. And I’m not making you an offer at all, but persuading you to make it to me.

Yeah! And you will think and refuse! - you put forward an assumption so ridiculous that we both laugh.

You know how much I love your jokes. Each new meeting added looseness and warmth to our relationship. And one of the signs of both is your humor.

But our meetings, especially recently, brought out not only good things. Or rather, my whole life - mine, in any case - was divided into periods: we are together and we are apart.

And since the first were much less common than the second, and the second, again for me, meant bitter loneliness, and my emotional nature knew how to somehow exaggerately experience this bitterness, and when we were together, I did not allow myself to throw out negative emotions, considering, that tears and reproaches will push you away - then the warmth multiplied over the years was still not enough for me to have peace of mind.

And that's why today I wanted to get an answer.

Well, but still?

Olya! Oleshek! I’m not fit to be a husband; I’m not mature yet, apparently...

When you mature, you will say... - I was offended.

I'll tell you. And remember, if this happens, it will only be for you, and you first...

You always felt it was time for a pat on the head. I accepted the gesture.

Don't cheat. You have already proposed to one woman, for her you are already ripe.

How's that? Who is she?

She has a sonorous name. She is bloodthirsty and precise. Elusive and beautiful. She's a vamp. She's a sissy. And you love her more than anyone!

Who is this? Of course, I wouldn’t refuse one!

Her name is Biology! And I am jealous of you for this side-eyed beauty.

Why is it oblique?

One eye of hers cannot see enough of the exact sciences, the other winks at the humanities, and she is only interested in mortal creations.

Don't blame her for this. After all, we are such creatures. How can you not be interested in me?

Listen, can she hug like that? And kiss? - I pressed my lips to your ear and whispered a prayer like a shaman: - Why, why are two people so suitable for each other, so loving... No, in my opinion, we are depriving ourselves of happiness...

You're holding me tight. But this is not so much a loving embrace as a belittling embrace.

How you elude the main decision! How can you combine the incompatible: being with me and keeping me at a distance! I don’t understand what’s stopping you from being like others, I can’t understand. But I don’t want to see you humiliated, so I roll back.

However, we are already happy, right?

True, true,” you repeat with relief.

It should be noted that you are afraid of losing me. You’re afraid that I won’t be able to withstand such a life: meetings once a week, scanty conversations on the phone, your frequent trips - for some reason not a single international symposium can do without you.

But I can stand it. And Marya with her lifting; “What kind of character do you have, Olga? You didn’t get along with your husband. And this one won’t marry you.” This is not said seriously, not by a strange coincidence, always after I show dissatisfaction with Marya’s leadership style. I repeat, I tolerate Marya, I tolerate your indecision, the loneliness that for some reason you do not feel, I humble myself and my impatience. I humble myself because I love you and am afraid of losing you.

You see what happens: we are both afraid of losing each other. And we both love Yurka. True, you rarely see him.

Here I go, here I go. I’m getting closer to the main events and I’m still afraid of missing out on something. This is true. She did not explain her son's nickname. They began to call him a scientist almost from the nursery. He is, as you put it, a child with frequent flashes of genius. Do you like logic in. his thoughts and actions. You see him as a future mathematician. But I think that Yurka is more inclined towards art: he is very emotional. Of all our trinity: you, me, him - I am the most uneventful. I'm ordinary.

Well, now about the most important thing. If this were a historical work, the words “turning point” would certainly be used here. After all, everything really turned upside down. The change of scenery happened as suddenly as is possible only in a magic theater. I stepped over the threshold. You went out onto the landing and stood on the stairs, holding the door. I wasn't having much fun. Another meeting has ended. And everything is the same as before. Nothing changed. I was returning to normal life - without you. As a farewell, I stroked the sleeve of your terry robe. And failed. I didn't even have time to scream. Fell into oblivion. Then you told the same thing: “You touched your sleeve. It was so tender. I felt so warm. And suddenly, a complete blackout. Like a dream. Or death.”

Why did they choose us? Who knows how they spotted us among billions of earthlings? But, one way or another, the second act began. Alien ship. Glowing texts on the wall in a large room built especially for us. The first text was: "We welcome earthlings to our ship. Peaceful spies." Then the word “scouts” faded away and two words appeared instead: “scouts of the Universe.” The scoreboard reminded me of Aksakov's "The Scarlet Flower". And the fact that their translator does not always immediately find synonyms in our language was so human. For some reason, I immediately realized that what was happening was real. You stood there tense.

And this tension was about to turn into admiration. You believed it too. And he was shocked. But what shock could stop the work of your mind? You mentally analyzed your impressions, you wanted to find out with what forces these “infiltrators” managed to extinguish consciousness, and then revive it again, without damaging anything, without disturbing anything. You tried to understand what happened objectively and impartially. But is this possible right away? You started asking questions. They answered you. But the answers - I saw - did not satisfy you. I tried to understand your conversation, but after several impressive formulas that you uttered quickly, I gave up trying, just firmly...

We are in this world for a very short time compared to Akhirat. Therefore, every hour, every minute, every period of our life should be spent in worship of Allah Almighty. It is not necessary that this be precisely prayer, fasting and the like.

After all, some worship can be performed without prejudice to a person’s worldly concerns. Also, by choosing a suitable place or time for worship, one receives more rewards. One of the most favorable periods for performing an act of worship is the morning hours.

Allah Almighty made the morning hours blessed for us and indicated that at this time we should praise Him, say various prayers and duas. If we follow this instruction, our whole day will become blessed, and we can receive barakah from the Almighty on this day.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَنْ صَلَّى الفَجْر في جماعةٍ، ثُمَّ قَعَدَ يذكرُ اللَّهَ تَعالى حتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَمْسُ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى ركعتين، كانت له كأجْرِ حَجَّةٍ وعمرةٍ تامةٍ تامةٍ تامةٍ

« Completely, completely, completely the same reward as for Hajj and Umrah will be received by the one who performs the morning prayer in the jamaat, then sits until sunrise, remembering Allah Almighty, and then prays two rak'ahs ». ( Tirmizi)

According to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there are certain prayers and duas that are advisable to be read in the morning hours. To protect yourself and your loved ones from troubles, and make the coming day blessed, read the following dua in the morning:

1. " »;

الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذي أحيانا بعد ما أماتَنا وإلَيْهِ النشُور

From Abu Dharra (may Allah be pleased with him) it is narrated:

كان رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- إذا أوى إلى فراشه قال: باسْمِكَ اللهم أحيا وأموت وإذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ قالَ: الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذي أحيانا بعد ما أماتَنا وإلَيْهِ النشُور

When going to bed at night, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “ Allahumma, bi-smi-ka amutu wa ahya » – « O Allah, with Your name I die and with it I live».

When he woke up, he said: “ Al-hamdu li-Llyahi llazi ahya-na ba'da ma amata-na va ilay-hi-n-nushur » – « Praise be to Allah, Who revived us after He killed us, and Who will resurrect us and call us to Himself to account)». ( Bukhari)

2. " Al-hamdu li-Llyahi llazi radda ‘alaya ruhi, wa ‘afa-ni fi jasadi wa azina li bi-zikri-hi »;

الحمدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذي رَدَّ عَلَيّ رُوحِي، وَعافانِي في جَسَدِي، وأذِن لي بذِكْرِهِ

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

إذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَقُلْ: الحمدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذي رَدَّ عَلَيّ رُوحِي، وَعافانِي في جَسَدِي، وأذِن لي بذِكْرِهِ

« When one of you wakes up, let him say: “Al-hamdu li-Llahi llazi radda 'alaya ruhi, wa 'afa-ni fi jasadi wa azina li bi-zikri-hi (Praise be to Allah, Who returned the rukh to me, healed the body mine and allowed me to remember Him)" ». ( Ibn As-Sunni)

3. " La ilaha illa Allahu wahda-hu la sharika la-hu, la-hu-l-mulku, wa la-hu-l-hamdu, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in kadir »;

لا إِلهَ إلا الله، وحده لا شَريكَ لَهُ، لَهُ المُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ على كُلّ شيء قدير

‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَقُولُ عِنْدَ رَدّ اللَّهِ تَعالى رُوحَهُ عَلَيْهِ: لا إِلهَ إلا الله، وحده لا شَريكَ لَهُ، لَهُ المُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ على كُلّ شيء قدير إلاَّ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ تَعالى لَهُ ذُنُوبَهُ، وَلَوْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ ربد البَحْرِ

« Allah Almighty will definitely forgive the sins of any slave who says: “La ilaha illa Allahu wahda-hu la sharika la-hu, la-hu-l-mulku, wa la-hu-l-hamdu, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay' in qadir (There is no god except Allah alone, Who has no partner; to Him belongs the power, to Him is the praise, and He is omnipotent)”, every time after waking up from sleep, even if his sins are like sea foam (as numerous as foam flakes)». ( Ibn As-Sunni)

4. " Subhana Llahi wa bi-hamdi-hi »;

سُبْحانَ الله وبحمده

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَنْ قالَ حِينَ يُصْبحُ، وَحِينَ يُمْسِي: سُبْحانَ الله وبحمده، مائة مَرَّةٍ، لَمْ يأْتِ أحَدٌ يَوْمَ القِيامَةِ بأفْضَلَ مِمَّا جاءَ بِهِ، إِلاَّ أحَدٌ قالَ مثْلَ ما قالَ، أوْ زَادَ عَلَيْهِ

« On the Day of Judgment, no one will bring with him anything better than the one who repeats a hundred times in the morning and evening: “Subhana Allah wa bi-hamdi-hi (Glory to Allah and praise be to Him),” except for the person who said something similar or added ». ( Muslim)

5. " »;

It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that in the morning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to say:

اللَّهُمَّ بِكَ أصْبَحْنا، وَبِكَ أمْسَيْنا، وَبِكَ نَحْيا وَبِكَ نَمُوتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ النُّشُورُ

« Allahumma, bi-ka asbakhna, wa bi-ka amsayna, wa bi-ka nahya, wa bi-ka namutu wa ilyay-ka-n-nushur » – « O Allah, thanks to You we lived until the morning, and thanks to You we lived until the evening, thanks to You we live, and You take our lives, and to You we will return». ( Abu Dawud)

6. " Bi-smi-Llyahi llazi la yazurru ma'a ismi-hi shay'un fi-l-arzi wa la fi-s-sama'i, wa huva-s-Sami'ul-'Alim »

باسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذي لاَ يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا في السَّماءِ، وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ العَلِيم

It was reported from ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَقُولُ في صَباحِ كُلّ يَوْمٍ وَمَساءِ كُلّ لَيْلَةٍ: باسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذي لاَ يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا في السَّماءِ، وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ العَلِيم، ثَلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ لَمْ يَضُرَّه شيءٌ

« Nothing will harm the servant of Allah who says three times every morning and every evening: “Bi-smi-llahi llazi la yazurru ma'a ismi-hi shay'un fi-l-arzi wa la fi-s-sama' and, wa huwa-s-Sami'ul-'Alim (In the name of Allah, in whose name nothing will cause harm either on earth or in heaven, because He is the Hearing, the Knowing”». ( Tirmizi, Abu Dawud)

7. " Hasbiyah-Allahu; la ilaha illa Khuva; ‘alay-khi tavakkyaltu, va Khuva Rabbu-l-‘arshi-l-‘azim »;

حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ، لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ، عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَهُوَ رَبّ العَرْشِ العَظِيمِ

From Abu-d-Dard (may Allah be pleased with him) it was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَن قالَ فِي كُلّ يَوْمٍ حِينَ يُصْبحُ وَحِينَ يُمْسِي: حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ، لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ، عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَهُوَ رَبّ العَرْشِ العَظِيمِ؛ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ، كَفَاهُ اللَّهُ تَعالى ما أهمَّهُ مِنْ أمْرِ الدُّنْيا والآخِرَةِ

“The one who every morning and every evening will say the words seven times: “ Hasbiyah-Allahu; la ilaha illa Khuva; ‘alay-hi tawakkyaltu, wa Khuva Rabbu-l-‘arshi-l-‘azim (Allah is sufficient for me; there is no god but Him; I trust in Him, and He is the Lord of the great ‘Arsh) ”, Allah Almighty will relieve you from the worries of this world and the hereafter ». ( Ibn As-Sunni)

As we see, we just have to make a little effort and try a little, and Allah Almighty will take problems away from us and write down a huge reward for us. It is also worth noting that in order for our dua to be accepted, certain conditions must be met.

Nurmukhammad Izudinov

Once upon a time, at the dawn of my freelance work, I earned very little, but I firmly decided to spend 10% of my income on books. Then with this money I could barely buy one normal book. Years passed, and I firmly adhered to this rule. Now, with 10% of my monthly salary, I can buy so many books that I couldn’t read in a year - and this means that I bought and read books for good reason.

Always save 10% of your income on books - this is the best investment of this money. You don’t need to save more, and you don’t need to save less either.

Here is my monthly norm at the moment:

2. Read with a notepad

I also like to call this rule “read smartly.” I never read a book twice. This happens because I “squeeze” all the ideas out of it in as much detail as possible - a notebook helps me. While reading a book, I write down all the interesting and useful ideas, all the links to other books, and write down quotes that inspire me. When I don’t have a notepad at hand or it’s inconvenient to use, I write in the margins with a pencil.

As a result, what remains in my notebook is a summary of the book, a concentration of its ideas, the quintessence of its meaning. It’s nice to re-read the notebook later - it’s very inspiring.

And most importantly, such reading allows you to penetrate deeply into the book.

3. Make a list of books you need to buy

Combining the first two tips, we have a rule of spending 10% of money on books and a list of interesting books in a notebook. This very list is the “to-do” for future purchases. It is regularly shuffled and recycled - personal and professional interests tend to change.

4. Read at least an hour a day

Or better yet, two. It doesn't really matter how much you read (although I highly recommend reading at least an hour a day). It is important to do this regularly - accustom yourself to the rule “not a day without a book.”

Finding an hour a day to read is very difficult, especially for a busy person. In this case, I advise you to break your reading into small twenty-minute segments that you can “eat” evenly throughout the day. Reading at night before bed is not cool; a tired brain will refuse to accept the book and consider it a sleeping pill.

5. Mix styles

I am a big fan of books about self-development and motivation (I’m probably one of those people for whom reading books about self-development has replaced self-development itself). However, reading only such books every day is boring. Therefore, alternate books, first useful, then fiction, then business and then fiction. Fiction books are also very useful and interesting to read.

6. Don't hold on to books

I recommend exchanging books with friends and acquaintances. First of all, it's a great way to save money. Secondly, you help your friends learn and develop. I have already lost count of the books that I have sent by mail to my friends - it is both pleasant for me and useful for them.

7. Switch to e-books

No matter what anyone says, the paper book is gradually dying out, turning into something like a vinyl record - a pleasure for fans. Reading in a reader is easier, simpler and much cheaper. For a reading enthusiast, the reader pays for itself in about two months. It’s hard to calculate how many trees you’ll save.

These are my simple rules and laws. Once you start reading, it is impossible to stop. I'll tell you this for sure. And one more thing: as the unknown designer Artemy Lebedev once said, every successful person is, first of all, the books he read on time.

Vasily Belov

Dates in the morning

Grandma got up at six o'clock, when cars began to make noise on the street. Now her sleep is not strong, she sleeps and thinks all night. The first, probably still empty, trolleybus passed outside the window. Every time something clicks in it, it seems to her that the machine has broken down in the morning. They look after cars poorly! There are a lot of cars, but they don’t take care of them...

Today is Saturday. Anxiety for the coming day began in the evening. Now this anxiety immediately grips the old heart. Grandmother began to be afraid of Saturdays and holidays. Previously, when I lived in the village, I was happy, but now I began to be afraid. Will something happen again today? Yesterday my son-in-law came home late, but my daughter did not talk to him.

We slept apart again.

The grandmother quietly, with her feet, feels for the shoes. She puts her feet in slippers and, holding back a cough so as not to wake up her granddaughter, whispers: “Sleep, mother, sleep! Christ is with you. There’s no need to go to kindergarten today.”

The granddaughter from the first son-in-law sleeps with her grandmother. Once you get rid of the boobs, everything starts to feel better. It happened that he would start roaring, and my daughter would immediately lose her temper. Throws the baby on the bed like a stranger. And all because neurons. The nerves these days are thin, many of them are very bad.

This is what she thinks, tucking the blanket around the child sprawled in bed.

The way to the toilet is now the most important for her. There are only four steps. But you also have to open the doors - two of them - and walk across the parquet. And the parquet creaks, and the rugs that they brought from the village don’t help. I wove it specifically for them. My daughter ordered in a letter when the fashion for many rustic things began. And that’s to say - fashion is not fashion, but you can’t buy enough carpets.

She carefully opens the door to the corridor. He steps quietly on the rugs. But the parquet still creaks, as if dry birch bark had been placed underneath it. Thank God they didn’t hear it in their room. Now I wish I could open the door with my blessing. The door also creaks, and the switch clicks very loudly. She decides not to turn on the light; there is still a window in the toilet from the kitchen, so it’s possible at dusk. Even better. The new son-in-law covered the entire toilet with pictures, and in the pictures there were only naked girls. She is always ashamed to look at these people - they almost don’t wear what their mother gave birth to. They hang like that scheperi. But what will you do? Case theirs. Grandmother sighs and again thinks about what to do. You should really flush the water, but you'll make such a noise that it's a real disaster. If you don't let it go, it's also a sin. My daughter scolds me for the noise, my son-in-law is angry that the smell remains, you don’t know who to listen to, who to please...

She again decides half and half: she doesn’t drain all the water, but only part of it, carefully so that it doesn’t gurgle. The washing is okay, you can wait. She just as quietly returns to her six-meter room, where her granddaughter sleeps.

A sharp, but somehow short, seemingly bashful bell is heard from the front doors. Grandmother, holding her breath, tiptoes to her door. “Lord, you don’t know what to do. If you don’t open it, they’ll call again and wake everyone up. And you can’t open it either. If only my son-in-law would wake up and come out. Maybe to him..."

She waits tensely: maybe they will leave. He creeps up to the door and listens. No, they didn't leave. You can clearly hear: there is someone behind the doors. It's better to open it.

She carefully, quietly, turns the lock handle and quietly opens the door.

A bald old man in boots, in a gray cotton jacket, holding a cap in his hands, hesitates at the door.

Good health! - he says loudly, and the grandmother waves her hands at him: “Hush, hush!..”

The old man moves his backpack from place to place and also begins to whisper:

I would like this... I mean, Kostya... No Konstenkin?

No, no

Where is he? Not on a business trip?

I don’t know, I don’t know, father. He doesn't live here now.

Have you moved?

Moved, moved. Whose will you be?

Yes, I mean it... Tell Konstenkin that Smolin was there. Olesha, that means... Well, excuse me, please.

With God blessing.

Grandma carefully closes the door. It's good that no one woke up. Let them sleep, with Christ, they have also suffered for a week, she thinks with respect about her son-in-law, daughter and sister-in-law, who came from another city, to act. That's six o'clock on the alarm clock. After reading the prayer, she sits at the feet of her granddaughter. It is very bad and unpleasant to sit like this, doing nothing. And there is a lot to do, but they will wake up at nine, not earlier. I could knit it on knitting needles, but I just ran out of wool. I should write a letter to my son, but they have paper and envelopes in their room. I would like to go get some bread and milk, but the store only opens at eight o’clock. There is nothing to do for now. The Dumas themselves are surrounded on all sides. And all thoughts are only about them, about the children. The sons are far away, but my heart aches for them. One, an officer, serves in Germany - this is the youngest. The other lives in Siberia and left as a teenager. One daughter is in Moscow, the other - the eldest - lives in the village. That guy doesn’t drink, he’s a craftsman. You can think about them in the heat of the moment; they live well. They themselves have grandchildren. But I feel sorry for the local daughter, even in front of my eyes, more than anyone else. They live like in a train station. She herself has become like a piece of wood, she also quarrels with this guy almost every other day. The first one was divorced because of drinking. The second one, although he doesn’t drink, is an ordinary drinker, and not independent. He himself is worse than any woman. They argue about trifles, but why argue? There is money, you are fed, you have shoes. Thank God, times have improved, the stores are full of everything. It used to be that they would bring chintz to the shop - they bought it by lot. And now they don’t know what to wear, they take gifts for every holiday. And the holidays are humming along. What about among themselves? Often like dogs. “Is this what I taught her?” - Grandmother says bitterly to herself.

And she remembers a long time ago. Long ago, but so clear, here, as if it had never gone away. Men and wives never slept apart before. If they only go to war or to earn money. And now? Women are too lazy to give birth to children, men have forgotten how to feed their families.

Is it really a man if he earns less than his wife?

And suddenly she feels ashamed that she sneaks people through. She scolds herself in a hasty whisper and remembers yesterday’s letter from the village.

It's a pity. I feel sorry for everyone - those suffering now and those who have suffered. There, they write in the letter, a decent sir, younger than her, but he died. He planned to live until he was ninety. Don't forget to remember him in church. Oh, how much man has endured! He was wounded and robbed. They tore off their skin in captivity and spit into their eyes.

She also remembers her own husband, who died in the last war. His mother-in-law, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law come to mind behind him. What can I say, the deceased was not very affectionate. Yes, that's fair. He used to sit by the samovar, giving the first cup to his husband and the second to his son. And the third, not for myself and not for my young sisters-in-law, but for her, my daughter-in-law. The father-in-law, too, did not immediately, but thawed out, but then he did not let anyone offend.