Hal: [00:00:00] That night, my car was hit, hit on by a drunk driver at 70 miles per hour. I was found dead at the scene. [00:00:05] I broke 11 bones, uh, suffered permanent brain damage, which I still struggle [00:00:10] with today. Um, and, uh, was told I would never walk again and spent six days in a coma. [00:00:15] Uh, miraculously I maintained, unwavering. Rory: You were actually, you were actually dead for six Hal: minutes. My heart stopped for six [00:00:20] minutes on the side of the freeway when they, they, the car was keeping me alive, all the pressure from the car and when [00:00:25] they, they’d use the jaws of life, it took them an almost an hour to cut the car apart and pull me out. And [00:00:30] when they did, I had been losing blood for an hour and just, you know, bled out essentially.[00:00:35] [00:00:40] [00:00:45] Rory: Hey, I am so excited to [00:00:50] introduce you to one of the most inspiring people that I know personally. This [00:00:55] man has made a huge impact on my life. My mom is a huge fan. Um, [00:01:00] all my friends are huge fans, and he is someone who is not only a colleague, but someone [00:01:05] who is become a dear, trusted friend. We share the stage at events together. We’re in [00:01:10] masterminds together. I respect him so much with the, the highest level of esteem. [00:01:15] Uh, this gentleman has sold four and a half million copies of his [00:01:20] book. His books have been translated into over 40 languages. He has over [00:01:25] 380,000 people in his Facebook group for his book. [00:01:30] Uh, has an app that has thousands and thousands of five star reviews.[00:01:35] He has died, uh, died for real once and nearly died another time. We’re [00:01:40] gonna talk about that. This is no other than Mr. Hal Elrod, author of The [00:01:45] Miracle Morning, creator of the Miracle Morning Series. Uh, there’s a documentary on his life, a [00:01:50] movie that you can check out. And anyways, Hal, thanks for being here, buddy. Hal: Rory. [00:01:55] You’re welcome. Thank you. And what an introduction. You should be a professional Hall of Fame speaker or something. Rory: There [00:02:00] you go. That’s pretty good. Maybe there’s hope for me. Hal: Yeah. Rory: Um, so I want [00:02:05] to know, you’ve had, you’ve had a lot of, so that bio talks about, you’ve done a lot of [00:02:10] awesome things. You’ve, a lot of crap happen to you. Hal: Yeah. Rory: You’ve had a lot of [00:02:15] seriously hard stuff. What do you think are the [00:02:20] most, what do you think are the most difficult things you’ve gone through that have actually shaped like [00:02:25] who you are today? Like, uh, ’cause I know you’ve, you’ve, you’ve been through a lot of them. Yeah. [00:02:30] Hal: Yeah. Um, I’ll tell them quickly ’cause I tend to go into a lot of detail in my stories and, [00:02:35] uh, just, just so we can go into anyone that you want. But, um, the first one I, I didn’t talk about [00:02:40] until the last year. I didn’t really even realize this was a part of my life and, and who I am as [00:02:45] much as it is, which is the death of my sister. Um, when I was eight years old, my baby [00:02:50] sister, uh, I woke up on a Saturday morning and my mother was screaming across the hall, my baby, [00:02:55] my baby God, don’t take my baby. At eight years old, I ran across the hall and my mom was [00:03:00] pushing on the chest and breathing into the mouth of my, my little 18 month old sister. [00:03:05] And, uh, Anne Marie was her name, and she passed away that morning. And at eight years old, you know, it’s [00:03:10] like I, I like, I don’t fully comprehend death, and this is very weird. I don’t [00:03:15] understand the emotions that I’m feeling and the ones that my mom’s feeling. Within six months, my [00:03:20] mother led a support group. She started a support group for other parents who had lost children. And so I didn’t realize it until I was [00:03:25] going through therapy in like 2020, uh, dealing with some difficulties after chemo, some PTSD, [00:03:30] but as a therapist asking me about my childhood, I realized, oh, I think that’s weird. The seed was planted that [00:03:35] like, when you go through adversity, you take your, your adversity, your pain, and you find [00:03:40] purpose in it. And when you do, it uplifts you, it uplifts others. It, it becomes actually a, [00:03:45] a, an asset of benefit to, to humanity. So that seed was planted there. And then fast forward 12 [00:03:50] years later, um, I was driving home after giving a speech at a Cutco conference. Uh, I survived, or that night [00:03:55] my car was hit head on by a drunk driver. At 70 miles per hour, I was found dead at the scene. I broke [00:04:00] 11 bones, uh, suffered permanent brain damage, which I still struggle with [00:04:05] today. Um, and, uh, was sold. I would never walk again and spent six days in a coma. Uh, [00:04:10] miraculously I maintained, unwavering. You were actually, you were actually dead for six minutes. My heart stopped for six minutes on the side [00:04:15] of the freeway when they, they, the car was keeping me alive, all the pressure from the car and when they, they’d use the [00:04:20] jaws of life it to come in almost an hour to cut the car apart and pull me out. And when they did, I [00:04:25] had been losing blood for an hour and just, you know, bled out essentially, um, six days in [00:04:30] a coma, flatline twice more. And when I was, came outta the coma, I faced this unimaginable [00:04:35] reality that I broke all these bones. I’m never gonna walk again. And I just, I accepted the worst [00:04:40] case scenario. If I never walk again, I’ll be at peace with it. But. I’m going to maintain unwavering [00:04:45] faith that I can walk again until proven otherwise, right? Like, and I thought, like, if you know, I’m gonna, I [00:04:50] prayed about it every day. I visualize walking. I like, I meditated on all of my [00:04:55] cells healing. Um, and three weeks after the crafts, the doctors came in with routine [00:05:00] x-rays and they said, we know how to explain this, but your body is healing and [00:05:05] we’re gonna let you take your first step in therapy today. And even me as an optimist was thinking like a year of [00:05:10] healing. It was three weeks later that I took my first step and my dad has a picture of it, which is, I’m so glad he [00:05:15] captured, you know, that moment. Um, and then you fast forward nine years later, uh, very common [00:05:20] 2008 financial crash. I, my business failed. And, uh, my house that I’d just bought and, [00:05:25] and landscaped and so much pride, a year and a half prior Inc. Took it away, couldn’t pay [00:05:30] the mortgage, and that’s when I created this thing called, became called the Miracle Morning. [00:05:35] And, uh, which turned my life around so profoundly that it felt like a miracle. And then last but not least, you [00:05:40] fast forward, uh, what, nine years after that, give or take. Um, as a dad [00:05:45] with a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, I was given a 30% chance of [00:05:50] surviving. I was di diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive form of leukemia. And at the time of [00:05:55] diagnosis, my heart was failing, my kidneys were failing, my lungs were failing. Uh, and the doctor said, [00:06:00] I have one to two weeks to live if I don’t start chemotherapy. And I didn’t wanna do chemotherapy ’cause [00:06:05] most people die from the chemotherapy. So it’s kinda like you’re, you’re darned if you do, darned if you don’t. Right. It’s like you’re [00:06:10] dead in a week or two without chemo, but if you do chemo, it’s gonna wreck your body, wreak [00:06:15] havoc on, you do irreparable damage, but there’s a 30% chance you’ll live. Mm-hmm. [00:06:20] You’re like. These are my, these are the two options that I have. And so [00:06:25] between faith and every natural holistic practice that I could possibly implement into my [00:06:30] life, um, I’m grateful to say that I, and the Miracle Morning was actually a big part of my cancer journey. [00:06:35] Like, utilizing that to manage my mindset and my mental and emotional wellbeing and, and even [00:06:40] physical self-healing, if you will. Um, and, uh, I’m here to, to share it all today. [00:06:45] Rory: mean, Hal: dude, that’s Rory: a very intense five minute. That’s like, that is [00:06:50] a lifetime. I mean, I, here’s what I think if the rest of your life is gonna be smooth sailing, ’cause you’ve, you’ve had many, many lifetimes. [00:06:55] Hal: Knock on wood, man. Rory: Let’s hope. Hal: Well, Rory: praise the Lord for [00:07:00] what has come out of that and what, how you’ve been shaped like and, and the [00:07:05] impact that you’ve now had on millions of people. And I, I hope people, I, I, [00:07:10] you know, I obviously know all of that stuff as we’ve known you for a long time. Hal: Yeah. Rory: But I [00:07:15] think there’s a couple really key things about that, that people need to see. One is that like. [00:07:20] The pain that you’re going through is in [00:07:25] many cases, God’s way of shaping you and making you, and molding you into the [00:07:30] person that you one day are gonna be to help other people. And you exhibit that and model [00:07:35] that as good as anybody I’ve ever met. And it’s, that part is beautiful. Um, you [00:07:40] know, I, I don’t, I don’t think God, like causes horrible things to happen, but like he can redeem [00:07:45] anything. Yeah. And that has certainly been your story. So The [00:07:50] Miracle Morning is where this all starts. Yeah. You write a book, that book has sold like three and a half [00:07:55] million copies. Hal: Yeah. Rory: And then you’ve had all these other series, and I want to talk about some of the business side of that later. [00:08:00] Yeah. Because I, I’m super fascinated with how you’ve done the international stuff and like the co-authoring. And [00:08:05] I think that will be interesting. The audience, you know, to me the, the core of the, the [00:08:10] story is the character that you’ve developed, that you’ve built to help you build a personal [00:08:15] brand. Talking into the Miracle Morning. [00:08:20] Is there a part of the Miracle Morning that you wish people understood better [00:08:25] or something that you, you think they don’t really get the full [00:08:30] gravitas of? Like the, of like the whole, whole system? Hal: Yeah. Rory: Or just something that’s been like [00:08:35] extra powerful for you that, you know, maybe people don’t [00:08:40] realize it in, in terms of the whole sequence and step. Hal: Yeah, I think that the premise of it is [00:08:45] what’s important to understand. ’cause you hear Miracle Morning and you think, oh, okay, so a you know, I need [00:08:50] to be a morning person. Or this is about a morning routine, which it is, but it’s a means [00:08:55] to an end. And the end is becoming the person that you need to be to create everything [00:09:00] that you want for your life, right? It’s having a daily personal development practice each day to [00:09:05] start the day in a peak, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state. And develop your [00:09:10] mindset, the beliefs that you need, the habits, the skills, the knowledge, right, to become a [00:09:15] better version of yourself. And, and the premise of it started with a Jim Rohn quote, like that was the whole reason [00:09:20] this I created a morning routine was Jim Rohn said, your level of success, [00:09:25] and I actually like the word fulfillment better. Um, but so let’s say your level of fulfillment in each area [00:09:30] of your life will rarely exceed your level of personal development. And in other [00:09:35] words, I quantify that. So on a scale of one to 10, everybody wants level 10 fulfillment. I wanna be as [00:09:40] happy and healthy and wealthy as I possibly can be. And I had to like look in the mirror when I heard that [00:09:45] quote. This was 2008, economy’s crashing. I’m in debt. I’m, I’m in, you know, in a bad spot. And I [00:09:50] go, okay, I want level 10 fulfillment, but what’s my level of personal development? Because if [00:09:55] my personal development or my success won’t exceed it, I need to make sure that I’m [00:10:00] developing myself at the highest level each day. And my answer was like, I think for. Most people would [00:10:05] be, like, I say two, like I’m, you know, I do a little bit of, I dabble in it here and there. I read books here [00:10:10] and there. Um, but I had nothing consistently. And so I just looked at what are the most, what are [00:10:15] the most timeless, proven personal development practices that the world’s most successful people have sworn [00:10:20] by for centuries. I’m not looking for the new app or the new program, or the, I’m like, what, what the, [00:10:25] what works? And I was looking for one practice and I ended up with a list of six. [00:10:30] It was, and these are the SA now through, you know, iterating and brand building. It became an [00:10:35] acronym. Savers, S-A-V-E-R-S. Those are the six practices for [00:10:40] assesses for silence. It’s your prayer, your meditation, starting your day in a calm, peaceful way. [00:10:45] The A is for affirmations, not the goofy kind that, you know, like, like I’m a money magnet, [00:10:50] but like affirmations that are rooted in truth that are reinforcing your commitment. Um, in [00:10:55] fact, one thing that I’ve, it’s only in the last year that I thought of this like came up for me, is what you affirm [00:11:00] repeatedly becomes your reality. Right. So if you affirm I am blank, fill [00:11:05] in the blank, I am worthless. I’m amazing, I’m capable, I’m whatever. Right? Um, so for me, I’m affirming what I’m [00:11:10] committed to, why it’s a must for me, what actions I’m gonna take there. Like Rory: Yeah. Like, I mean, neuroscience has proved that, [00:11:15] again, again, the brain does not delineate Yeah. Between positive and negative. It just bleeds whatever you tell it most [00:11:20] often. Hal: Yeah. Yeah. Rory: And, uh, yeah, so that’s key. So the affirmations is critical. Part of the [00:11:25] morning routine. Hal: It’s, to me, it’s the most important part of the mirror. The savers is the affirmations or the anchor. ’cause I’m [00:11:30] affirming what I’m committed to. So it’s like, okay, what actually, why are you even doing this? What do you want, what are you committed to as a dad, as a [00:11:35] husband, as a CEO, as a right in your finances and your health and your fitness. Like, [00:11:40] that’s where I start by affirming all of that and then getting clear on. Affirming, why is it a must for you? Which [00:11:45] actions are you gonna take to ensure that you are moving toward that outcome that you say you’re committed to? And if every day you’re affirming [00:11:50] that a, it’s top of mind, there is no, oh man, I forgot. I really wanted to do that. And then I got away from it and [00:11:55] got distracted. It’s like, no, it’s in writing. And I read it every day and then, and, and it’s like, I wanna make a million [00:12:00] dollars. Yeah, that’d be fun. It’s like, no, no, no. Why? Oh yeah, I wanna put my, I wanna retire my dad, and I wanna put [00:12:05] my mom like, right. Like, you, you have the reasons. It’s just the, it’s simple components of like, [00:12:10] if you’re gonna achieve something, you gotta know what it is and be committed to that, why it’s important. And then know what are [00:12:15] the actions you’re gonna take. And so for me, I have affirmations for each goal and each role [00:12:20] in my life. The V is for visualization. And I would just say like the world’s greatest athlete to visualize [00:12:25] the E is for exercise. You don’t have to go to the gym in the morning, but move your body for even a minute, right? Get the blood flowing, [00:12:30] move your body. Exercise some jumping jacks. Stretching. I do a five minute workout every morning [00:12:35] where I do one minute of plank, one minute of back, bend. One minute of downward dog. [00:12:40] One minute of jumping jacks. I forgot the minute. But anyway, so, um, and then the R [00:12:45] is for reading and the S is for scribing, which is a fancy word for journaling, but the J would’ve made the [00:12:50] acronym Same. Awkward. Yeah, same word J Rory: This is better. Hal: So we got, and that’s my wife’s idea by the way. She’s like, get up the [00:12:55] source. She’s my, she is my muse. I have realized, I’m sure AJ is your muse in many ways, right? Rory: Yes. [00:13:00] Hal: Um, so those are the practices and uh, and, and the point being you don’t [00:13:05] have to be a morning person, you just have to, uh, one of my co-authors said it. Well, [00:13:10] he said it’s not about starting, it’s not about waking up early, it’s about waking up better. Rory: Mm-hmm. Hal: Right. Like you could do Miracle Morning at [00:13:15] noon. Rory: Right. Well, Hal: and I think it’s, you know, for our audience in particular, Rory: there’s this, this [00:13:20] joke around the National Speakers Association that says most speakers have [00:13:25] written more books than they’ve read. Hal: I love that. Rory: And I think. You [00:13:30] know, agent and I were just talking about this recently that we’re like, golly, like [00:13:35] we are products of the personal development industry. Yeah. We are the biggest personal [00:13:40] development junkies There are. Yeah. Even now, uh, you know, Chris was actually talking to me about this the other [00:13:45] day. He, he’s like, you would never watch a course. I’m like, I am watching a course, course every, [00:13:50] every moment of my life I’m in somebody’s course learning something. Learning something. Yeah. Doing, doing [00:13:55] something. And it’s just like, I think a lot of personal brands, it’s [00:14:00] easy to overlook, to be like, oh, I’m the one writing the book. I’m the one speaking on the stages. Hal: Yeah. Rory: [00:14:05] I don’t need to be doing, but it’s like, and then you overlook like, am I doing the fundamentals? Totally. Am I, do [00:14:10] I, am I ha do I have a vision? Do I, I have affirmations. Am I conscious about like, [00:14:15] you know, what I’m reading and all, all that kind of stuff. ’cause clearly that’s been a big part of. Your personal [00:14:20] brand journey also. Hal: Yeah, and I’m, I mean, and I’m guilty of that in that I’ve done the Miracle Morning [00:14:25] probably 6.2 days a week for the last 17 years. I mean, I do it seven days a week unless [00:14:30] I’ve got like late night with my wife or concert or whatever. But otherwise, I’m, it’s almost every day. [00:14:35] Um, and including when I’m traveling. But I also will realize sometimes I’m like, wait, I [00:14:40] actually haven’t visualized in like three months. Like, you know, so it’s like my brain says I’m doing [00:14:45] it every day, but I’m like, I’m actually get, we all do that. We get away from the basics, right? Like you said, do I have [00:14:50] a vision? Do I, it’s like, well, I used to, but then I got where I wanted to go, and then I kind of let some of the, you know, [00:14:55] you kind of drop some of the plates that you’re spinning. Um, yeah. So I, I, I do my New York morning every day, but for sure [00:15:00] it’s not perfect. Rory: Yeah. And I mean, Hal: if you’re gonna become a better teacher to [00:15:05] other people, it’s like you have to Rory: become a better person. You have to be a bigger vessel. Hal: Yeah. Rory: You gotta increase. [00:15:10] Increase your, your capacity. Um, what are some of the. What are some [00:15:15] of the doubts you’ve had about yourself in building your own personal brand? Mm. And [00:15:20] being, you know, a speaker, coach, teacher, you, you know, podcaster, [00:15:25] all the things, the author. What are some of the like, limiting beliefs that you started [00:15:30] with, that you have had to coach yourself through to be able [00:15:35] to build the, you know, the empire that you guys have built? Yeah, I Hal: think that the [00:15:40] big picture answer to that, um, there’s lots of specifics, but the big picture was [00:15:45] if, and, and I’ll, I, I go through the phases of like, you know, the, the stair stepping of growth. [00:15:50] So when I was 19, um, up until that point, I had never [00:15:55] achieved anything remarkable. Meaning, like, I, I didn’t get good, I wasn’t an [00:16:00] achiever. I didn’t get good grades. Mm. Um, I wasn’t an athlete. I never played organized [00:16:05] sports. Um, I, uh, I wasn’t popular. I got bold, right? Like, so I was, I had [00:16:10] nothing in my brain that was like, you know, like there’s the kids that we know growing up and you’re like, oh, they’re gonna [00:16:15] be super successful, right? Like, they get, they’re, they’re everything they do, they’re the best at, like, I wasn’t [00:16:20] that, and it was my second day of my Cutco training when my mentor Jesse said, [00:16:25] right, y’all, you’re about to enter into your fast start. It’s the first 10 days and if you sell a thousand [00:16:30] dollars, you get a trimmer. And we’re like, dude, I want a trimmer. Let’s go. Rory: What’s a trim? Hal: It’s, it’s like the, it’s [00:16:35] like the most popular everyday, just a small little like tomato knife. Like that’s you use every day, right? Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. [00:16:40] Um, thank you for asking that. Um, if you sell 2000, you get a spatula spreader, which is like a spatula with [00:16:45] a knife. You’re like, oh my God, I love this bread. Yeah, I mean, and it’s funny ’cause you’ve just been through two days of Cutco training. [00:16:50] You’re like, you love this stuff. And uh, and then he goes all the way to the top and he is like, now the [00:16:55] highest level is the record. It’s the most anyone has ever sold in the last 50 years. In the [00:17:00] first 10 days. He goes, it happened to have been broken last week by a gal in Bakersfield, California, and I was [00:17:05] in Fresno. You’re, uh, uh, uh, um. An hour and a half south. [00:17:10] And, uh, he said, if you break that, you get everything on this board. Plus we’re gonna take you to dinner in a [00:17:15] limo, plus I’ll take you skydiving. Like, and I’m like, this is it. And so for the first time in my life, [00:17:20] and if anyone’s listening right now, we all have this limiting belief of separation between [00:17:25] people that we view as superior to us in some way. Right? Rory: Hmm. Hal: So you’re looking on stage [00:17:30] and you’re like, oh man, they’re more, they’re better looking than me. They’re older than me, they’re [00:17:35] wiser than me. They have more experience, they have more money, they have more talent. They’ve written 15 books, yada [00:17:40] yada. Rory’s got a company. We create separation between us. We, we, like, [00:17:45] literally as humans look for the reasons why we’re not as good as other people. [00:17:50] And in that, and I had done that my whole life, and in that moment I went, wait a minute.[00:17:55] And I don’t know if I would’ve had, it’d been a girl that lived like in proximity to where I could visualize, wait, Bakersfield, that’s [00:18:00] like Fresno, that’s not like Beverly Hills. Like, that’s like a Rory: Right, Hal: right. They call, you know, no offense to Fresno, it was like the arm pit of [00:18:05] California and Bakersfield is like the other armpit, right? So that’s not my words, but I actually love [00:18:10] living in Fresno. But anyway, so uh, I go, why not? Why not me? If that [00:18:15] girl in Bakersfield could sell $12,338 in 10 days, [00:18:20] why not me? And uh, and so that, that was the [00:18:25] first limiting belief that I overcame. And I think it’s one of the most important. And what it [00:18:30] is, is which Rory: is that which is that someone else has something that you don’t have and [00:18:35] that’s why they’re more successful Hal: than you are. It’s, it’s trading separation for evidence, meaning [00:18:40] not, oh, their separation. ’cause they have more blank than me, more ability than I do [00:18:45] looking for commonality, looking for, oh, they did it. That’s evident [00:18:50] that I could do that in greater. I think Jesus said that, right? You do. You know, you shall do what [00:18:55] I did in greater. Like that belief that other people is just showing you what’s [00:19:00] possible, not showing you that what you can’t do, ’cause they’re better than you. And I think that’s the most important fundamental [00:19:05] commonality. They’re a human being and I’m a human being. Everything else [00:19:10] is just details. Right? Everything else is possible beyond that. Mm-hmm. [00:19:15] And then, so in that moment, I mean, how did you get past that? It was like a [00:19:20] spatula and then it just clicked. So, so, so then, so I went to Jesse after training and I said, uh, [00:19:25] I was like, I thought he was gonna be so excited and be like, wow, how you’re gonna do it? I said, Hey Jesse, [00:19:30] I’m excited to tell you something. I said, I wanna break the record. I wanna, I wanna sell, I wanna beat that gal. [00:19:35] Christina’s 12,000 303 38 bucks. And I thought he’d be, I thought he was gonna jump up and down and, you [00:19:40] know, I like envisioned him spinning me around and, you know, and he goes, he just nodded his head, kind of [00:19:45] cocked his head and he goes, okay. He goes, Al let me ask, I wanna ask you a question. [00:19:50] How often do you think I hear that in training? I run training every week. How often think I hear that somebody wants to break the fast [00:19:55] start record and I just like put on heels. I go, I don’t know. He said, every [00:20:00] week, guess how many people have done it since I’ve been a manager? I said, I don’t know. He said, [00:20:05] none. He said it, it’s easy to get excited, but if you want to break the record, [00:20:10] I you can, I can help you, but you have to be committed at a level you’ve [00:20:15] never been committed to anything in your life. And again, he’s telling this to a, a c [00:20:20] student, not an athlete. Lazy, undisciplined. And I, I’m like, [00:20:25] uh, and at that point I just, I, I admired this guy and so it’s interesting how [00:20:30] things work, but if like I was in isolation and no one knew, I’d be like, Nope, nevermind. I’m not, [00:20:35] I’m not ready for that. But because I didn’t wanna let him down, I go, I’ll do it. I’ll commit. I’ll [00:20:40] do whatever you tell me to do. And thanks to his accountability, right, it reminds me of like, if. [00:20:45] Wanna build a brand, right? Get a coach, get Rory ba. You know what I mean? I mean, and I’m not, I’m not just saying that, but [00:20:50] seriously, if it wasn’t for him and his support and daily, I had to call him every morning [00:20:55] before I got on the phone and made my calls, I had to call him like after every single appointment.[00:21:00] ’cause he understood that my mind, that I would be dealing with rejection and [00:21:05] adversity and self-doubt. And he knew that I wasn’t equipped at that point, at [00:21:10] 19 years old, to, I didn’t have the tools, but he did. So I called him. I mean, I talked to him [00:21:15] 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 times a day. And he managed my mindset through the ups and the [00:21:20] downs and the no sales and the rejection. And, you know, and on the, my last appointment on the 10th day, I broke, [00:21:25] you know, broke that record. Rory: Yeah. See when you’re talking, for some reason, I’m being reminded of [00:21:30] one of my all time favorite quotes, and it’s from Mike Tyson. He says [00:21:35] everyone has a plan punch until, until they punch in, punched in the face, punch face. Yeah. And [00:21:40] that is how building a personal brand is. Right. Like, there’s not a person that we meet that’s like, I wanna [00:21:45] be a bestselling author. I wanna, I wanna be, I wanna speak on the biggest stages. Yeah. I wanna have a huge [00:21:50] podcast, you know, and it’s not always I wanna make money or be famous, but it’s like, I wanna make an impact. Yeah. Rory: And [00:21:55] people, people somehow think that just because they wanna make an impact, it should be easy. Hal: Yeah. Rory: And it’s like, [00:22:00] no, it’s extreme work. Yeah. And commitment and dedication over an Hal: [00:22:05] extended period of time, Rory: over an extended period of time. Like you have to earn the right [00:22:10] Yeah. To impact other people. Hal: Yeah. Rory: And I don’t, and people, I, you know, I don’t, they don’t, [00:22:15] they don’t realize that, you know, recently I was talking, um, at one of our events and I said, you, [00:22:20] you have to decide that your calling matters more than your comfort. [00:22:25] Hal: Mm-hmm. Rory: Right? Like, to build your personal brand is, is to go like. I’m, [00:22:30] I’m willing to deal with the rejection. I’m willing to deal with the uncomfortable, you know, learning new [00:22:35] things and figuring new stuff out. And it’s like, uh, Jasmine Starr was, uh, at an event we had recently speaking, [00:22:40] and I said, you know, how, how much do you enjoy social media? She’s like, I hate it. [00:22:45] I hate social media. Yeah. And I’m like, you’re the queen of social media. She’s like, I hate every minute of it. Hal: Wow. Rory: She’s [00:22:50] like, but that’s not why I do it. I do it because it, it’ll grow my business. Mm. And it was such an epiphany, [00:22:55] like everyone in the room gasped, like, couldn’t believe it was like sacrilege that she would say [00:23:00] that. Hal: Yeah. Rory: Going. Oh, she doesn’t actually enjoy this. She’s doing it [00:23:05] because she’s, and she’s like me. But it’s that separation. We all go, well, the reason she’s big on social media is ’cause she [00:23:10] loves it and she doesn’t have anything else to do with her time. Hal: That’s why I think about everyone. I see it. ’cause I don’t like social media. I’m like everyone, I’m [00:23:15] like, oh, I wish I liked it like they did. So, that’s such a great point, Rory: Uhhuh. Um, that’s really powerful. So I [00:23:20] wanna ask you about, you, you, you, you mentioned, you’ve been talking about affirmations and you mentioned discipline. [00:23:25] Hal: Hmm. Rory: So, you know, we met around the days of my first book, take the Stairs, which was all about [00:23:30] self-discipline. And I wanted to talk to you about the difference between identity [00:23:35] and self-discipline. Hal: Hmm. Rory: And which one do you think matters more [00:23:40] or. Or do they work together? Or like, uh, what’s the, what is [00:23:45] your view on establishing someone’s identity versus like [00:23:50] creating discipline? ’cause ’cause affirmations to me is more like identity. It’s [00:23:55] more of like who I’m gonna be. But then the whole, you know, savior’s routine is like, that’s a discipline. Yeah. [00:24:00] Like, you’re sitting down and doing those, the practices. So how do you reconcile those two concepts? Or what do you think [00:24:05] about in your own journey and with the, you know, the millions of people that have gone through Miracle Mourning? Hal: Yeah. To [00:24:10] me it’s a yes. And, and they’re done simultaneously. Uh, and it brings [00:24:15] up, I was at a father son like adventure retreat the other day. And, uh, yeah, it was cool. [00:24:20] And they talked about courage and we were talking about all these attributes of becoming a man, you know, a [00:24:25] young man and, uh, and courage. And they talked, they pointed out that courage is not the absence [00:24:30] of fear. Mm-hmm. It’s, it literally can’t exist without fear. ’cause it’s doing the thing you’re [00:24:35] afraid of doing. Mm-hmm. And thus you are mustering up courage. And so what that makes me think about [00:24:40] is. Self-discipline, uh, self-discipline is doing the thing that you don’t feel [00:24:45] like doing otherwise. It doesn’t take discipline if you feel like doing it, it [00:24:50] requires zero self-discipline. Rory: Mm-hmm. Hal: And so I think that people, and then you bring in the identity piece, they’re like, [00:24:55] I’m just not self-disciplined. It’s like no one is, you know? [00:25:00] And, and at least not to start. And I was just talking to our friends, Sean Johnson and Andrew East, and we were [00:25:05] talking about this, about how my identity deep seated in my subconscious from when [00:25:10] I was a kid is I view myself as lazy. I view myself as undisciplined. [00:25:15] And it’s like, but, but anyone from the outside goes, well, no, no, dude, you do all [00:25:20] the things. But for me, it’s, I don’t feel like doing them. [00:25:25] And so that makes me think that I’m not disciplined ’cause I don’t feel like doing ’em. So I’m actually, [00:25:30] as I’m, we’re talking about this, I’m even kind of coaching myself like, well, no, [00:25:35] discipline isn’t feeling like doing them. It’s doing them even though you don’t feel like it.[00:25:40] Rory: Yeah. Hal: And you know, uh, John Maxwell, who I know, you’re, I think he has, doesn’t he have a book with you guys? Yeah. With mission driven [00:25:45] masters? Yeah. Uh, he, he didn’t publish a Mission Driven press, but he’s a client. Yeah. We a client. Yeah. Our Rory: last launch. Hal: So [00:25:50] John Maxwell, uh, one of the greatest lessons I learned from his book, failing Forward, is, [00:25:55] uh, to act your way into feeling. Rory: Mm-hmm. Hal: He said, nobody [00:26:00] feels like doing what they need to do, but the people that are disciplined go, [00:26:05] I don’t feel like it. And then they just get up and they walk through the door. Rory: Yeah. Hal: [00:26:10] And so, um, I, I really took that to like, to working out and I go, wow. The [00:26:15] secret to getting in the best shape of your life. Don’t, don’t think about it as working out. ’cause that [00:26:20] that’s gonna make you not do it. Discipline. All you need to do is pack your gym bag the night [00:26:25] before. Have it sitting out, set an alarm that just says, get in the car with your gym bag. Rory: [00:26:30] Mm-hmm. Hal: And I go and, and like, ’cause that’s, that takes almost no discipline.[00:26:35] But if you grab your gym bag. Easy. Just grab the gym bag off the coffee table. And then [00:26:40] you get in your car. Well, now there’s momentum. Where are you Probably gonna drive [00:26:45] to the gym. And then you’re gonna like, ah, then you’re gonna grab your gym bag off the couch and you’re still, [00:26:50] you’re still negative self-talk. Like, I don’t feel like this, I don’t really wanna [00:26:55] work out. But you’re, you’re doing it, you’re, you’re maintaining this way. Then you get outta the car and you walk in the gym. Well dude, [00:27:00] now speakers are blaring. The energy is palpable. People are [00:27:05] running like, you know, you’re okay. Now your energy and motivation are going up. And then you’re [00:27:10] like, I got a gym bag in my hand. I guess I’ll go get dressed. Then you go get dressed and you’re like, well, now I’m just, I [00:27:15] mean, I’m might as well walk over to the treadmill. I’m here. Then you go to the treadmill, then you’re like, ah, 10 minutes go right? [00:27:20] And then all of a sudden, and then now you actually feel more motivated. You just get in the best shape of [00:27:25] your life. One picking up of the gym bag at a time. Not one workout at a time. Don’t, don’t think that [00:27:30] far ahead. That’s gonna discourage you from even packing the gym bag. So it’s like when you [00:27:35] think about, again, act your way into feeling. And so for me, my alarm clock for the Miracle Morning, [00:27:40] that’s how I got myself to become a morning person. This is like a huge hack. And it’s what worked for my coaching clients at the time [00:27:45] that said, I’m not a mor. When I first created The Miracle Morning, it was just for [00:27:50] me. I didn’t know I’d ever teach it to ano a single person. It wasn’t a book idea. And then, I mean, it was like, [00:27:55] it was like God having one of my coaching clients, a, a a few, like a month or two after I [00:28:00] started doing My Miracle Morning. Every day when my coaching clients goes, Hal, do you have a morning routine? I keep [00:28:05] hearing about, like, I read up morning routines. I go and I’m just beaming. I go, oh [00:28:10] my gosh. I like, I’m so excited to tell you about this. And I, and I tell her all about Miracle Morning. She’s like, [00:28:15] I’ll try it. I’ll try it for a week. I said, I have to give you one tip because she’s like, I’m not a morning person. I said, the big, the the [00:28:20] game changer was I moved my alarm clock from my bed from my phone or my bedside table [00:28:25] to my bathroom sink. If you can, and this is for everybody listening, if you’re not a morning [00:28:30] person, this is a hack. And if you alarm goes off and you can wake [00:28:35] up and reach over and turn it off while you’re still half asleep, good luck mustering up any [00:28:40] discipline to do what you need to do. But if you have to get out of bed, if you’re upright and now you’re [00:28:45] moving your body, you’re, you’re 10 x more awake than you were when you were [00:28:50] fumbling to the, the, the, the tableside. So get outta bed. And then for me, it’s right next to the wa the bathroom [00:28:55] sink. And I have a clo cup of water there, which is like a, a reminder that I’m gonna hydrate and then my [00:29:00] toothbrush brush teeth, and every minute you’re awake, it’s that much easier to stay awake. Right. [00:29:05] So within a couple of minutes of washing my face, brushing my teeth, now I’m upright. It’s like, oh, I can stay up for the [00:29:10] rest of the meal. Rory: Yeah. The power momentum is so important. Yeah. One that there was, uh, you know, there was a time in my [00:29:15] life where I was about 40 pounds heavier than I am now. Wow. And, and one of the greatest hacks I [00:29:20] had, which helped me lose 45 pounds was I made a deal with myself, which [00:29:25] was. I don’t have to work out, I just [00:29:30] have to go to the gym. Yes. Hal: That’s Rory: it. And if I, if I get to the gym Hal: Yep. Rory: And I’m there and I [00:29:35] don’t wanna work out, I’m allowed to turn around and drive home. Hal: Dude, I loved Rory: it. It was a total, [00:29:40] like, just deal. And then it’s like, and I think there was one time where I actually did turn around and I was like, I [00:29:45] was like, sick or something. I’m like, I really just, but it was like every time, by the time you’re there, Hal: [00:29:50] yeah. Rory: The decision. Good. The decision you, the living epitome Hal: of a theoretical lesson that I just taught. Yeah. [00:29:55] That’s so, Rory: that’s so, that’s so good. Yeah. So, um, let’s talk [00:30:00] about Miracle Morning. And this is like, I mean, this thing’s become a movement.[00:30:05] How have you done the business of this? Y you know, I’m, I, I, I [00:30:10] wanna, like you, you’ve, how many books are there in the series? How did you structure the [00:30:15] co-authoring? How have you done the international deals? Like Yeah. You’ve taken [00:30:20] a book, which by the way, if people don’t know this is worth saying, was self-published.[00:30:25] That was a self-published book. So, Hal: until two years ago. Rory: Until two years ago, Hal: yeah. The first 11 [00:30:30] years it was self-published. Rory: Yeah. So like, you know, millions of copies. As a self-published [00:30:35] author, how did you start structuring deals and like co-authoring things and [00:30:40] like licensing this, I guess if this is the term, because it it made it a worldwide movement. Hal: Yeah. So it [00:30:45] kind of start at the beginning in terms of the launch of the book. So I self-published the book, uh, it took me [00:30:50] three years to write. I’m not a fast writer. It took me three years. Um, and I had no publisher with a deadline. So [00:30:55] it was like, I was just writing, you know, each day. Like, and uh, when I was [00:31:00] coming out with the book, I had a, I had like advanced readers and I just, the feedback I was getting, [00:31:05] even through the three years that I wrote it, ’cause I was teaching it in interviews at speeches [00:31:10] to my clients. So I had tons of feedback of this is changing my [00:31:15] life. Rory: Hmm. Hal: And so that fueled me of like, I, and this is important. I have a [00:31:20] responsibility to share this message. That, that’s literally why I did it. I [00:31:25] never, first of all, never in a million years did I imagine that it would sell a million [00:31:30] or 3 million co. Never. I taught it to my coaching clients. I taught to the one, and [00:31:35] for her at work, she’s like, oh my gosh, I’m running, I’m, I remember Katie Haney is her name. She like, she was the first [00:31:40] person, like, I’m not a morning personnel, but I routines good, Katie. Yeah, she’s crushes. And so, um, Rory: because if you had failed [00:31:45] Katie, this may have never happened. Hal: Literally, I wouldn’t because, because she came back to her call and I was like, she’s like, oh my gosh, how [00:31:50] I did it? I moved the alarm clocks to the room. I’m up every day, I’m running. I’m like, I’m doing it. [00:31:55] And I go, oh, wait a minute. I got, I’m gonna teach this to my other 13 coaching clients. So I teach it to [00:32:00] all of them. Most of them resist saying I’m not a morning person. And then, um, they, 13 outta [00:32:05] 14 came to the next call and they’re like, oh my gosh. Um, it’s, it’s working. It’s amazing. So then I go, okay, [00:32:10] if it worked for them, and it worked for me. And none of us were morning people. None of us identified as morning people. [00:32:15] This could work for anyone. I have to write a book. Okay. So that, that’s, so, it’s like I have a responsibility to [00:32:20] share this with the world. Rory: Mm. Hal: Um, so that, that’s an Rory: important Hal: huge switch that has Rory: to [00:32:25] flip for all of us. Mm-hmm. Like when you’re doing it for fame, you’re doing it for money, [00:32:30] you’re doing it ’cause you think you’re supposed to, like you’re doing it ’cause someone else told you, da dah, dah, dah, dah, [00:32:35] you’ll burn out. Hal: Yep. Rory: Like the only sustaining drive that it, [00:32:40] that it, to do what it takes to make it, I think in this business is, it’s like that switch has to flip [00:32:45] where you go, I feel obligated to share what I have with other [00:32:50] people. Yeah. And then Hal: once that switch flips, it’s like, okay, now we’re talking. [00:32:55] Yeah. And it’s, I mean, and I’m living example of that in terms of Miracle Morning came [00:33:00] out on 12, 12 12, December 12th, 2012. It’s 13 years later. [00:33:05] I still do interviews. It’s not self-published. I don’t make very much money on the book anymore. Right. Like, I make pennies on what I used to make, [00:33:10] but. You Rory: sold it to a Hal: experience. I sold it to a publisher, but it’s my mi it’s my life’s [00:33:15] work. I will, I don’t see me stopping for the rest of my life. So anyway, back, [00:33:20] back up. Um, so book comes out and I’m setting my goals for the year and, ’cause it came out [00:33:25] December 12th, 2012. So I’m like, all right, set my 2013 goals. And I just, [00:33:30] I go, I’m gonna change 1 million lives one morning at a time. I’m gonna try to sell, reach a million [00:33:35] people with the Miracle Morning this year. And it was very naive goal. It wasn’t based on any data. I had [00:33:40] no audience, I wasn’t well known. I had no podcast. I had I, no nothing. [00:33:45] And, uh, but I was like, it’s my responsibility. And I just believe in setting big. I have no [00:33:50] problem. I believe in the Jim, other than another Jim Rowan philosophy, which is the purpose of a goal is not to hit the goal [00:33:55] who it makes of you by giving it everything you have until the last possible moment and [00:34:00] beyond. Mm-hmm. Right. So that’s, I’m like, I’m gonna give it everything. I have to sell a million copies. And I affirmed that every day. I am [00:34:05] committed to, to do everything in my power. To sell, to change 1 million lives [00:34:10] one morning at a time. That was my mission driven message that inspired me a lot more than sell a million [00:34:15] books. ’cause who, who cares about a mil? Right? Like that wouldn’t motivate me. So my mission was change [00:34:20] 1 million lives one morning at a time. And how close did you get in the first 12 months? This is my, I [00:34:25] love, it’s my favorite stories. So, um, I was 987,000 copies short of my goal. [00:34:30] So I failed by 98.7% [00:34:35] Uhhuh. But I want you to know, I did everything in my power dude. I was on 152 podcasts and that was [00:34:40] before pod, like there were probably one 10,000 as many podcasts. Rory: Yeah. That must have been [00:34:45] what That must have been how we very first met. ’cause I was just like, I had just been podcasting for a few years. That [00:34:50] must have been, Hal: when did you start? Rory: Well, it was our, at our former company, I had a [00:34:55] podcast that I think I started in like 2012. Okay. Right. So right in that 20 13, 14, [00:35:00] 15, it was started to grow and I, I bet that’s right the way That’s right about when we met. Hal: Yeah. And the way I got on [00:35:05] podcasts was my Cutco skills. The way Cutco sold is referrals. You do an appointment and then [00:35:10] at the end, whether you buy or not, I say, Hey, Rory, did you, how’d you like the presentation? He goes, it’s great. You go, anybody you could refer me to that would [00:35:15] be nice enough to let me show this to them. And so every podcast I did at the end, I’d go, Hey, how was that? They, oh, it’s [00:35:20] amazing. This is gonna, you know, I said, um, I’m really trying to get on more shows and share the Miracle Morning. Who do you [00:35:25] know? That would be nice enough, maybe a podcaster that would have me on their show, and then I would send them a template to, and like they would, you [00:35:30] know, and so that’s, I got 152 podcasts. I gave 36 speeches across the country for, [00:35:35] I was probably making a couple thousand dollars a speech back then. And I think it was mostly colleges [00:35:40] too. I was just getting started. I did not have, I didn’t have much money at the time, and so [00:35:45] on a credit card, I paid this PR company to get me on 13 morning television talk [00:35:50] shows. Mm-hmm. Good morning, Sacramento. Good Day, Houston, right? Sure. You name it. Uh, [00:35:55] so I did everything like literally, and I didn’t have kids at the time. I worked six, seven days a week, [00:36:00] two change a million lives, and I was 987,000 copies short. And here’s [00:36:05] the lesson in that. I mean, there’s a few lessons, but one is be to your point, you [00:36:10] have to be, you have to have a mission, a purpose. I remember setting the goals for [00:36:15] the next year and I go. This doesn’t change my goal, it’s just that my timeline was way [00:36:20] off and I got a calculator. I divided 1 million times, 13,000 copies a year. Yeah. Is [00:36:25] 77 years, at which time I would’ve been 110 years old. Rory: Yeah. Hal: And so I basically, in that moment, [00:36:30] I was like, and I think I wrote my affirmations. I’m committed to change 1 million lives one morning at a [00:36:35] time no matter what. And no matter how long it takes, Rory: and I have to live to be [00:36:40] 110 Hal: years. Yeah. 110 years old. And so year two, I did everything again, everything in my power. I sold [00:36:45] 23,000 copies. So it’s like, it’s up a little, but it’s like, it’s still nowhere where I need to need to be. [00:36:50] But I go, this is my life’s work. You know? And, and then it ended up being six [00:36:55] years, uh, to get to a million copies. And here’s, [00:37:00] here’s the path, and that’s what people need to understand because it’s far [00:37:05] more important, the commitment that you have to do whatever it takes [00:37:10] for as long as it takes. You genuinely believe that it is your [00:37:15] mission to deliver. Like the, I I don’t, I I didn’t come up with the miracle morning, like [00:37:20] God whispered it here and whispered it there and put this person in my life and this person in my life, right? And, [00:37:25] and so I feel like this is my life’s work. This is my mission. Um, which also made it easier, by the way, [00:37:30] with everything that we’re gonna talk about with like the series and stuff is, you know, ’cause all these opportunities started coming outta the woodwork at [00:37:35] one point and you’re tempted to be like, oh yes, sure, yes, yes. And at one point I go, I’m saying no to [00:37:40] everything. That doesn’t help get the Miracle Morning into people’s lives. And that’s why we made the Miracle Morning movie. [00:37:45] The Miracle Morning App, 15 books of the Miracle Morning series, right? ’cause like, oh, now I know what to say yes [00:37:50] to. It’s things that help support this mission. Right? Um, [00:37:55] so lemme turn it back over to you. Remind me of the question or where you want me to go next. Rory: [00:38:00] Well, I, I think so I was just asking you about how the licensing all happened and the co the co-authors and [00:38:05] how you started to structure like the business side of Yes. Of that. And when’s the right time to like [00:38:10] create a. You know, a subsidiary title and like when’s the right time to do [00:38:15] international deals and that kind of thing. Hal: Let’s talk. Yeah, we’ll talk series. So we’ll go, let’s go series, then we go [00:38:20] like international, then app. In that order, I’ll go chronologically. A buddy of mine, [00:38:25] uh, that I used to saw Cutco with Ryan Snow, who is now a top real estate. He, he ran a real estate [00:38:30] office. He reached out to me and he said, Hey, I have given Miracle Morning [00:38:35] to everybody on my team, half of them. And he goes and I check in with them with accountability like we [00:38:40] used to do at Cutco. Half of them have read the book and are doing the Miracle Morning every day. Half of them are not give or [00:38:45] take, and he said the half that are doing it, every single one of [00:38:50] their sales are up the half that are not, their sales are not up.[00:38:55] He said, that cannot be a coincidence. Have you thought about doing a [00:39:00] Miracle Morning like a series Miracle Morning for salespeople where you [00:39:05] customize the entire Miracle Morning practice? The affirmations, right? For. A [00:39:10] salesperson. I said, no, or I said, I thought of it, but I don’t know how to do it. I said, [00:39:15] do you want to, you want to co-author a book together? He goes, sure. So it just super organic. Right. [00:39:20] Then I met Honoree quarter, I think you know honoree, don’t you? Rory: I do, Hal: yeah. And I met Honoree because she [00:39:25] wrote a Good Reads review for Miracle Morning, and I, and it just caught my attention. It was so heartfelt and so [00:39:30] sweet. And then I googled her and it turns out she’s the creator of the, the successful single mom book [00:39:35] series. Now she’s written like 50 books, but back then she had the successful single mom book series. So [00:39:40] I’m, I messaged her. I’m like, Hey, thank you so much for this review. I really appreciate it. Then we end up getting on a call and I’m [00:39:45] like, Hey, how’d you do a book series? Would you mind sharing that with me? And she tells me, and, and then I go, you wanna do a book [00:39:50] series with me? You wanna, you know, you wanna like help me with this? And so I end up hiring her to help [00:39:55] me. Produce the book series and right, and then, and then it just takes off and then it’s just organic. Where I’m [00:40:00] at Genius Network with Joe Polish, we become friends and he, he decides to Miracle Morning for addiction [00:40:05] recovery. I have a real estate trainer, Michael Mayer, reach out, say, Hey, miracle Morning needs to be, let’s do real estate [00:40:10] agent one. And now there’s 15 books give or take in the series for college students, for parents and [00:40:15] families, so on and so forth. And here’s what I would say, I have people approach me a [00:40:20] lot, Hey, how do you do a book series? I have, you know, my book’s out, [00:40:25] been out for six months, how do I do a book series? Uh, and I always ask them, how many copies has your [00:40:30] flagship book sold? You know, a thousand, 2000, 4,000, 5,000, or whatever. [00:40:35] I say, well, let me explain. Here’s my recommendation is that you put all of your [00:40:40] energy into selling a hundred thousand copies of that book. And then once you do that, [00:40:45] then you. Consider Fran, you know, franchising and creating spinoffs because your [00:40:50] spinoffs will sell a fraction of what the original cells, yet they will require arguably as much effort [00:40:55] to write and create that book sometimes even more. ’cause now you’re managing co-authors and so [00:41:00] on and so forth. Um, so that’s really what, you know. Do you partner with the [00:41:05] authors or do you just pay them a fee to do it? Or like, so the way that I did it, who write? Are they completely [00:41:10] different? Are all of them completely different? I created a template. Okay. So it’s the first four [00:41:15] chapters. Okay. Um, and with a bunch of fill in the blanks, like [00:41:20] affirmations are important for blank because of blank. Right. So I have a [00:41:25] template that’s the first four chapters that sums up the entire original miracle Morning, less of my story, more of the [00:41:30] tactics, et cetera. Um, and then the co-author, and then we actually, I take that back. We had [00:41:35] seven chapters pre-written. Uh, the next three chapters are just generic [00:41:40] mi uh. Personal development that applies to everyone. Like how do you optimize your energy and your [00:41:45] mindset, right? So I wanted to create as much as I could, but also fill in the blanks. [00:41:50] And then they would write, so they would fill in all the blanks to customize the entire book [00:41:55] for the niche. And then the last three chapters would be their original content.[00:42:00] So that was, and the reason I did that is I wanted to leave as little room for error. [00:42:05] Uh, meaning like, you know, instead of having them write six chapters and being like, oh, this is [00:42:10] too much. It’s all over the place, whatever. Now I will say some of my co-authors were adamant that they wrote that they [00:42:15] only kept the four Miracle Morning chapters and they wrote six chapters. Rory: Okay. Hal: Um, and I, you know, I, which [00:42:20] was fine. Um, but my biggest fear when I wrote it, and I think it’s for any author, [00:42:25] right? It’s like, you know, you’re thinking, oh, what if people don’t like this? And what if the reviews start pouring in that this book’s [00:42:30] terrible and I’m an imposter imposter syndrome. That was my fear is like, how do I make this so [00:42:35] it’s not a rip off of the original, where if they’ve read the original, they’re like, oh, this is just like, you know, like the [00:42:40] same. Uh, and I think we struck a perfect balance. In fact, the average [00:42:45] five star, or the average rating for the series books is, is 4.8 outta five [00:42:50] stars across all 15 books. The original Miracle Morning is 4.6 outta five stars. So people [00:42:55] actually rate the series books higher. Um, yeah. So that was kind of the, the [00:43:00] formula. And then I would bring on a co-author. I would usually introduce him to Honoree ’cause she was [00:43:05] more helping produce the books on the backend. Rory: Okay. Hal: Um, and, uh, so I’d go to an event, I’d meet somebody [00:43:10] and, you know, and, Hey Cameron Harold I met. He is like, let’s do an entrepreneur one. I’m like, great idea. Meet honoree. And then honoree would help [00:43:15] guide them through this process that we had designed. Um, and then, uh, yeah, [00:43:20] and then they would, you know, we’d promote a, to each of our lists and, and so on and so forth. Oh, and the way I structured the finances, this is important. [00:43:25] When I was creating the first series book, I watched an eeb, pagan interview with Tony [00:43:30] Robbins. Rory: Okay. And Hal: Eeb said one of his business philosophies is that, [00:43:35] is to learn to love to get the short end of the stick. He said everybody wants to, as [00:43:40] they want to capture as much as they can. And when I was creating the series, I reached out to two [00:43:45] Chicken Soup for the Soul co-authors and I said, Hey, what, what did you like? I’m [00:43:50] creating a series. What did you like about it? What didn’t you like about it? What anything you wish were [00:43:55] different that I can take into this, this process? And what they said is, you know, um, [00:44:00] and I, this is not on the record in terms of like, this is my recollection, was that they [00:44:05] didn’t make a lot of money from the books because I think they were traditionally published and then they were getting a little piece of what Mark [00:44:10] and Victor were getting, right? So I thought, I don’t ever want a co-op, I want this to be a huge financial win for [00:44:15] my co-authors. So I decided that it was going to be 50 50 where they [00:44:20] got 50% of the royalty. I got 50%, and then I split my [00:44:25] 50% with honoree who helped me produce the series so that everybody won. Rory: Yeah, [00:44:30] I, I remember, you know, I didn’t grow up. Around money. And one of the first [00:44:35] times that I met a very wealthy, like business person, I remember [00:44:40] he told me at a luncheon, he said, the key to this is to have [00:44:45] a small percentage of a really big pie. Hal: There you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that’s like, that’s [00:44:50] what re always says is I’d rather have, yeah, a small broth, a little bit of a, a watermelon and then a [00:44:55] lot of a grape. Rory: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So, um, and then what about [00:45:00] international? So, so how do you do international deals and is it different for traditional publishing [00:45:05] versus self-publishing? Hal: Yeah, like, so again, this is organic the way that it works for me. [00:45:10] So, um, or the way it worked for me, I was at a, an entrepreneurial dinner in San Diego. Um, [00:45:15] Mike Kenigs was there, do you know Mike? Rory: Mm-hmm. Hal: Um, John Asraf was there, John Lee Dumas was [00:45:20] there. Um, I only knew, uh, I only knew a couple of people and, uh, I remember being there. My wife texted me, how’s it [00:45:25] going? And I’m like. Dude, that guy from The Secrets here, like, I’m like, these are, I’m like [00:45:30] this guy named Mike Kig. I like went to his event last year. I’m like, I don’t know how I got invited to this dinner. I [00:45:35] remember that. And uh, and, and I get introduced to Mike from John Lee Dumas because I’ve been on John’s [00:45:40] podcast and we’re talking about Miracle Morning and Mike or John’s like, dude, household like a hundred thousand [00:45:45] copies of Miracle Morning. And Mike’s like, what? And he goes, do you have an agent? And I go, no, I’m self-published. He goes, [00:45:50] what? He said, have you thought about leveraging that a hundred thousand into a book deal? I go, I’d [00:45:55] love to, but I don’t know. I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know where to start. He goes, well, you need an agent. And I have the best agent. [00:46:00] So he introduces me to Celeste Fine. Who’s my agent to this day? Love her [00:46:05] to death. She’s the best. And Rory: she’s an agent for a lot of our clients. Hal: Oh really? Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm. Love Celeste. Um, we set a [00:46:10] call, we talk, you know, often, but, uh, so he introduces us and I remember before the meeting, I was [00:46:15] so nervous, so nervous. I’m like, she’s not gonna work with me. She represents all these big names. And um, and then [00:46:20] we get on the call and she is like selling me. I’m working with her. I’m like, oh, this is cool. [00:46:25] So I ended up signing with her and she pitches me to New York publishers, um, to [00:46:30] traditionally publish New York Morning, which in my mind was if I wanna reach, because I was at a hundred thousand copies, I’m like, if I wanna [00:46:35] reach a million people, this is the next step. I’ve gotta be a serious, traditionally published author. Right, right. [00:46:40] And be in stores and all of that. And, and back then, that was actually a lot more true than it is now. This was [00:46:45] 2013, you know, 14. And so we meet with publishers, I [00:46:50] get 13 offers. Uh, the biggest one is for $250,000 advance. [00:46:55] So I to to do the math for folks. I was selling [00:47:00] upwards of 10,000 copies a month at that point, at $7 a book [00:47:05] in royalties as a self-published author. Rory: $70,000 a month. Hal: Yeah. And, and actually I take it back, I [00:47:10] think at that point I was at like $35,000 a month, but significant. Right? Rory: [00:47:15] Yeah. Hal: So I go, wait a minute. Rory: Who says you can’t make money from books, by the way? Exactly. Right. 35 Gs a month. [00:47:20] Yeah. That’s like, that’s real dope. Hal: And so I’m doing the math like. So that’s eight [00:47:25] months of what I’m making right now. And then I get paid eight to 12% [00:47:30] for the rest of my life. And I felt ter, I’m a people pleaser, um, by nature. [00:47:35] And so I’m like, oh, Celeste worked so hard to get me these meetings, and like, I feel really bad.