The truth of the matter is that we are each individually responsible for our own lives, actions, self-awareness, and mindfulness… whether we choose to utilize and benefit from that responsibility or not. And no, it isn’t always easy; inner work takes a whole different level of perseverance and paying attention, and for it to truly have a positive impact, you should be practicing at least one mindfulness exercise every day. To get you started, here are some simple examples of ways to practice mindfulness for ten minutes or less a day.
There are many ways you can begin practicing mindfulness without even changing anything in your schedule. We all know how crazy, busy, and chaotic life can get at times, especially if you’re responsible for other people as well as yourself. But does the hectic chaos have to affect your life negatively or be stressful? No, it certainly does not. In fact, practicing mindfulness every day, even just for a few minutes, can reduce your stress levels, help you stay motivated, and help you stay on track.
5 Actionable Mindful Motivation Habits
1. During your lunch break, don’t work; focus only on what you’re eating and drinking. Eat slower than you normally would; take a couple of minutes to fully immerse yourself in the flavors and textures of the food as well as the sensations in your body as you’re eating. Food is your body’s fuel, but it also tastes delicious. Make it a point to take an extra five minutes for lunch and savor the fuel you’re putting into your body.
2. At any point during the day, take ten minutes and do a short yoga routine (10-Minute Mindful Morning Yoga is a personal favorite on YouTube). It’s easy to memorize, a mat is less than $20, and you can easily find enough space to do a routine. Once you have your routine memorized, you can listen to whatever music you want to and just do the routine, no biggie. Not only will yoga help you focus on your breathing, but it may even help you lose weight… in ten minutes a day.
3. You can meditate anywhere. It is literally the easiest thing to do anytime you find yourself with two minutes to pay attention to your breathing. If you’d like, you can think of 1-3 affirmations to focus on while you meditate throughout the day. The more often you can fit in a short meditation, the more mindfulness will seem to happen automatically. You’ll begin to catch yourself before reacting (allowing you to think before you speak, a very good bonus), develop more patience, and be more content and joyful overall.
4. Write. If you think this takes up a lot of time, it doesn’t have to; you can pick up a copy of Mindful Moments Volume 1 and write for five minutes (or less) and gain the benefit of practicing mindfulness more often. Of course, you can also write in a plain journal, but mindfulness journals are specifically designed to help you focus on being mindful throughout each day, without all of those other pesky thoughts getting in the way.
5. Daydream for a few minutes! You don’t have to have your head all the way up in the clouds, but nobody says you can’t take a peek up there from time to time and get excited at what’s possible =). Daydreaming is one of the best ways to meditate and visualize your goals, which will help you stay on track and achieve them faster.
I hope this helps you with some ideas to begin implementing mindfulness in your daily life =). No matter where you are on your path to the best version of yourself, stick with it; mindfulness is one tool to help you do that consistently and with minimal effort. As always, continue leading mindfully and have a wonderful week!
Please check out our YouTube Channel for dozens of videos on mindfulness and meditation.
For more mindfulness tools, resources, and information, please visit:
http://executivecoachinguniversity.com/mindfulness-movement
