A New Reality In 5 Minutes!

Hi Motiv8ers,

Happy Awesome Monday!!

So why are you here today? Maybe to learn how to be happier and less negative? Or to learn how to be more productive and stop holding yourself back? Or to learn a new way to start your morning?

That all sounds great, right? Well, good news! You can do all of this on your own without the help of anyone or anything. All you need to do is give yourself some attention for at least five minutes every day.

Before I go further, watch this short three minute video from Dan Harris from ABC news.

Pretty crazy right? Who knew that meditation can really affect the brain so much? I also found it fascinating that he feels that soon, meditation will be as normal in our lives as brushing your teeth.

Now let's get into the topic of the day: How you should start your morning!

Do you know what causes most of your stress, anxiety, depression, or shame? It isn't your job, or the people you work with, or the life that you live.

All of your stress is produced by your own mind and how you perceive your environment.

What if I told you that you could live the same life you live now, but be completely happy and in love with it? You would probably say I was crazy and full of sh$&. Right?

Let's get into the details of this.

The Monkey Mind!

In Buddhism, they call an out of control mind 'The Monkey Mind.' If you let the monkey take over, there is no telling how much trouble it will cause. The monkey mind is described as the story you tell yourself over and over again in times of negative emotions, like anger, greed, fear, or the feeling of lacking something, that holds you back from doing what is most important.

Here are a few examples of an out of control monkey mind....

1. You wake up in the morning for a 5:30a workout. But instead of going, you come up with a list of excuses that helps you justify why you shouldn't go. It's too cold out, my back is sore, I'll workout in the afternoon, I slept only six hours. Why would I ever think working out this early was a good idea??
2. Someone says a mean comment to you. Instead of just thinking that this person might have had a bad day, you go down the rabbit hole. Who does that person thinks he or she is? They don't know who I am. I'll put them in their place next time! Why doesn't that person like me, or do they really believe what they said about me, am I a bad person? This can lead you into a depression for sure.
3. You are writing a blog post that you know will help others but you can't seem to get the words out and your frustrations start to build. Who is really going to read it anyway? Why would others listen to me? Am I wasting my time? What is the point? I am never going to finish this post! Your stress builds and might even cause you to give up.

Think about your life. How many times has your monkey mind put you in a bad mood and caused a ton of stress?

I can think about how this happens to me almost every day.

So how do you calm this monkey mind?

You have to learn how to be aware of it. The mind is a powerful thing and can think of hundreds of topics in just a minute.

You have to learn how to train the mind to focus on what is important and learn how to let go of the thoughts that are not.

The only way to do this is through MEDITATION. All you need is just five minutes a day. You can do it in the morning, the afternoon, or before your big meeting at work. I have found that five minutes in the morning is best, but really anytime is good.

Many people think that meditation is hard because they can never seem to calm their mind or sit still. Calming the mind isn't the point. The point is learning how to be aware of your thoughts and focusing on what is important. That is why beginning meditations have you focusing on the breath. Put all of your focus on breathing in and breathing out. Eventually your mind will wander and go off on a day dream, but as soon as you realize this, refocus your mind back to your breath. The more you do this the more you will improve your focus and learn how to tame the monkey mind and keep it focused on what is important.

The Headspace app is a great tool to help you learn how to start meditating. Check out this one-minute video, from Headspace, that describes the topic above perfectly.

Does It Work?

The last thing I want to cover is something I bet most of you are thinking. I even thought about it when I first started meditating.

I think about my thoughts and life all the time and I never seem to improve my negativity! How is sitting on a chair, closing my eyes, and focusing on my breath going to help me improve my stresses at work or in my life?

I use to think this too, but I have found that meditation is different then just thinking about your stresses in the shower or in your car. I have found that closing my eyes and really paying attention to myself for 5 to 10 minutes has helped me solve my problems versus letting them build up. I always find a solution to my problems during meditation and when I practice regularly my day is always perfect!

Now For The Challenge!

So crew, I challenge you! Can you set aside five minutes every day this week to spend time paying attention to yourself? I promise that if you do, you will see huge improvements in your life.

Here's what to do:

1. Find a quite comfortable place to sit. In a chair or on the floor.
2. Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes.
3. Start with just focusing on the sounds around you. 
4. For 2 minutes, just focus on your breath. Think about breathing in, then breathing back out, over and over. Every time a thought comes up, recognize it, let it go, and return to your breath. Maybe even count your breaths. See how high you can count without letting your mind wander. If you forget which number you are on, start over.
5. For the last minute or two, think about everything you want in life. This is where you get to let your mind do what it wants. What job do you want, your family, your friends, what vacation you want to go on, how much money you want to make, or the type of person you want to be. Visualize having all of it. 
6. Then ask yourself "what can I do right now to push myself closer to those desires."

Then, all you have to do is go out and be a force of awesomeness! =)

Motiv8ers, I hope this post has helped you, and if you have any questions, post below!

Also post below if you are taking on the challenge with me! =)

If you are looking for more information on this topic check out the book below!

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book

Crew Stay EPIC and Don't Forget to Be AWESOME!

Coach Ty Out!