How 60 seconds a day changed my life

Nobody has time to spare. Nobody.

I remember feeling that way just a few years ago. It was early 2015 and I'd hit rock bottom with my confidence, my self belief and my energy. I had no idea how to turn it around, but I knew I had to. Everywhere I looked there were people being 'busy', its become an acceptable part of every day conversation... "Hey! How are you?" "OMG I'm so busy, I can barely even think!"

Sound familiar? I was sick of hearing myself say it, I was sick of hearing everyone say it!

I knew the theories behind being happy - that its an inside job and all that jazz - but couldn't seem to create that for myself with any lasting effects. I would make a plan to try something new, like 30 minutes of meditation, or reading at least 10 pages of a personal development book every day. I'd stick with it for a few days at most, then I was right back where I started.

Then one day it clicked for me - instead of being 'busy' and filling my mind and my days with DOING, what I actually needed was to PAUSE.

I didn't have an hour to spare where I could stop and do something just for me - I was working full time, I was a wife, a mother of two busy teenage boys, and learning my way through a fledgling side business.

But I did have a MOMENT. "What if I start with one minute a day?"

When I woke up in the morning and switched off my alarm, instead of getting straight out of bed and starting the day, I lay there for a minute and came up with 3 things I was grateful for. Some days it was the simple stuff - I had a roof over my head, our coffee machine makes delicious cappuccinos, and that the sun was shining. I felt grateful for the money I earned from my job that pays the bills. I felt grateful that my kids remind me to use my imagination and be more like a kid every day.

Those moments were easy. I enjoyed it, I looked forward to it each night before I went to sleep. And over the course of a week or so, I noticed my energy shift. I was getting out of bed feeling good about the day ahead, and that energy had a flow on effect to my husband, my kids, my co-workers, my clients.

Everything changed with those 60 seconds.

Then I committed to taking a few extra minutes each morning to write down what I felt grateful for. I started making time for meditation, just a few minutes at first and then longer as I felt more of the benefits of it. Before I knew it I was excited to get out of bed an hour earlier than anyone else because I loved the quiet and stillness.

I was happier, learning more and I had shifted my energy to focus on the possibilities around me rather than dwelling on the realities. I've continued to make gratitude, meditation and 'me time' part of my life in the years since.

And it all started with just ONE MINUTE.

Its highly unlikely anyone will do a life changing thing like meditating for 20-30 minutes, reading a book that grows your mind, or pretty much anything that takes you up to an hour a day, and even less likely that they'll stick with it long enough to make it a new habit. It doesn't matter how beneficial it is or what your life could look like in 12 months time if you do it (although 100% worth the effort and commitment!) For most people its too much change for their subconscious mind to adapt to, we’re more about instant gratification and results NOW, and less about the exponential gains of the long game.

Start with one minute a day, a moment. Just START. And then keep doing it.

Do that every day for a week and see how you feel. Keep doing it every single day for a YEAR and you’ll look back on all the amazing things you’ve experienced along the way, the changes you've made in your life, and how vastly different you feel on a daily basis.

What are you grateful for right now?

#energy #grateful #gratitude #happiness