The Mindful Minute

Welcome back to our mental strength training series. So far, we've learned that performing mental pushups trains our minds by increasing our self-awareness. That includes awareness of our thoughts, awareness of our emotions, awareness of our body sensations, and awareness of the environment around us. When we increase our overall awareness, it means when life gets stressful or overwhelming, we've built up the psychological flexibility to adjust. We can choose better thoughts, regulate our emotions, so we can make rational decisions in high pressure situations, and even learn to relax in our most intense moments. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but I assure you it's possible. In order for this concept to work, we have to practice every day, which is where the mindful minute comes into play. It's a great way to kickstart your practice and build up the stamina to stick to it. You'll be amazed at how much clarity, focus, and calm we can gain even in the space of a minute. Do a mindful minute in the morning to start your day. Do a mindful minute before you get out of your car and into your workspace. Do a mindful minute before you walk back into the house at the end of the day. Heck, do one while you're brushing your teeth or even as you settle into bed each night. As a leader, you could even try to start your daily meetings with a mindful minute to improve overall clarity and shorten meeting times. I mean, who wouldn't want that? Research tells us we should aim for about 10 minutes of mental pushups each day. Maybe you have time to exercise your mind all in one sitting, or maybe it's more realistic to do 10 mindful minutes interspersed throughout your day. All that matters is that you find what works for you and you stick with it. As you continue to practice this technique, you'll be better equipped to breathe and lead through life's challenges. Let's try out a few different ways to use the mindful minute in the accompanying audio exercise. Lead on....