Did you know your future lies in the patterns of your daily habits? Everything you do today dictates how your life will turn out. Are you setting yourself up to live the life you were made to? This daily habit changed my life and it can change yours too.
Thoughts
Did you know we have over 6,000 thoughts per day? Do you feel like you have that many? My mind has countless thoughts floating around at any moment. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up!
It’s no secret we have so many thoughts floating around. In times like we’re having in 2020 it’s more important than ever to know how to manage them.
Stress management is often a hot topic. There are countless resources to manage it but we create our own stress. How do we do this? It starts with our thoughts. If you can change your thoughts, you can change your life.
Our thought patterns cause us to either be proactive or reactive. It gets dangerous when we react on emotion in the heat of the moment.
Let me get scientific for a moment. When a thought occurs our neurons release chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals provoke signals to your other neurons and BAM! Thoughts are generated.
The more often we do this, it creates a connection to our thoughts. This causes the same thought patterns to occur over and over without realizing it.
Why does this matter? Knowledge is power and understanding how your brain works is the key to changing your life.
Are your thoughts working for you or against you?
Think about the last time you asked why something was happening to you. I’m sure you thought “why me?” This will send you down a rabbit hole real quick.
Have you programmed your mind to believe life is happening to you instead of for you?
It’s easy to get caught up in the mess of trying to figure out what life is really about. What we were made to do. Who we were made to be become. We seek out answers in every corner we look.
We turn to the internet, social media, our friends, our family, the list goes on. But the truth is, we have the answers inside us. We always have.
It took me a years to figure this out. I’m going to share the daily habit that changed my life and gave me all the answers.
I was caught in a cycle of being stuck
It’s important to me to share this with you because I don’t want you to feel stuck. There’s nothing worse than trying to make sense of something and not being able to.
For years, I searched high and low for my passion and purpose in life. I held jobs I couldn’t stand just to pay the bills. I felt desperate for answers. I turned outward and relied on others for the answers.
I talked to so many people with varied backgrounds. I got caught in the endless research trap with books, podcasts and the internet. I wasted thousands of dollars on broken promises.
I felt hopeless.
Then, I decided to take action. I was so frustrated with being stuck I couldn’t take another day of research.
I started to devour self help content, whether this was through books or podcasts. This led me to investing in some coaching and the game changed.
The daily habit that changed my life
Coaching is such a powerful tool when you’re ready for it. Through coaching, I learned so much about myself and how I was managing life around me.
I had no idea I was creating so much confusion for myself, let alone chaos in certain areas of my life.
One of the best gifts I received out of coaching was the suggestion of sitting still with my thoughts.
For someone like me, who all signs point to having ADHD, this suggestion is laughable. I don’t like quiet and having to sit still is near impossible. But I committed to giving it a try.
My coach suggested sitting alone for 21 minutes of my thoughts each day.
Here’s how it worked:
- Ensure you haven’t eaten anything for at least three hours before the 21 minutes
- Find a quiet space with no interruptions around
- Sit in a position where your head is not resting on anything
- Close your eyes and let your thoughts begin
I’ll admit, this was hard at first. I found my mind going crazy. It was suggested not to set an alarm but I did. I didn’t want to feel the need to disrupt this time by checking my phone to see how much time had passed. I also wanted to be able to commit to the 21 minutes.
At first I felt the need to try and control every thought during this meditative state. I practiced breathing exercises to calm my mind but I also let my thoughts come in and pass. I just let myself be present for those moments. Experiencing and fully feeling all my senses.
What happened next
Over about a week I had incredible results. I had breakthroughs I was looking for for years. I had clarity I never imagined possible. I felt like a new person…in as little as one week!
This daily habit changed my life so much I found myself wanting more than 21 minutes a day. The time was so precious and my best personal growth came out of it.
I started to incorporate regular check-in’s throughout the day. I did this to be present with my senses. At any moment of transition, I practiced breathing exercises while being mindful.
Wherever and whenever I’m at during these check-in’s I’ll ask myself how I feel. I do this all the way down to my posture and where I’m sitting or standing.
Bringing ourselves into the present moment by using our senses is powerful.
Through this daily habit I’ve been able to gain clarity on so much about myself, my life and my business. Not only that but I also feel a whole new level of peace and confidence I never felt before.
I find myself choosing kindness more often. I also respect and appreciate more and am intentional throughout my day.
Summary – the daily habit that changed my life
If you can devote 21 minutes of your day to this habit, you will see your life change around you. It’s ok to not understand it or feel frustrated at first. Stick with it, only good will come.
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