A 10 Minute Exercise that Will Change Your Day

What I hit upon was a combination of techniques from various coaches and personal development masters.

So, here's another question: If you could guarantee that you approached every day with a sense of passion, purpose, and drive, would that be worth 10 minutes of your morning?

It's basically a briefing for your day that focuses on instilling empowering mindsets, rather than encouraging disempowering ones.

I've woken up many, many times in a down mood--thinking about all that I had to get done, how tired I was, and how I was sick of the day-in-day-out repetition of my week--which is a great way to have an insignificant day, but no matter what, after doing this exercise, I am excited to get out in the world and make a difference.

1. You start by taking five deep breaths and forcefully exhaling them (don't hyperventilate).
2. Ask yourself, "What am I grateful for?" Answer the question for a few minutes or until you run out of ideas.
3. Ask yourself, "What am I celebrating?" Answer that question.
4. Next, "What am I committed to (doing) today?" Sometimes, I answer this one with a list of important activities that I want to make sure get done, and sometimes, I choose certain ways of being I'm committing to (like speaking up when I have ideas).
5. Last question: "What can I let go of?" This is sort of a last resort to make sure you're not holding on to any laziness or using your morning grogginess as an excuse to have a bad day. For me, the answer to this question is almost always, "I'm letting go of the idea that, just because I'm tired, I have to be in a bad mood."
6. The final part of the exercise is my favorite, and in my opinion, the most powerful. You imagine all the people who are connected to you, one by one. As you visualize each person, place them in an expanding circle around you. I switch up the crowd each morning, depending on who I want to focus on, but my family is in there every day.
7. Imagine them sending support to you. I hold an image of golden threads that run from each person underneath my seat, holding me up.
8. Then, with every inhalation, imagine you drawing that energy into you, and with every exhalation, imagine yourself growing brighter and that light illuminating more people. The idea is that you are concentrating all the support from all the individuals in your life and sending it back out to bring light to everyone.

That's it. Make sure you actually answer the questions. You aren't allowed to just say, "I have nothing to be grateful for." You must come up with at least 3 answers to each question. They can be small (I'm grateful for the beautiful weather), but you need an answer.

Sounds a bit new-agey, and I guess it kind of is. But the results are real, and that's all that matters.

The effect is very subtle, but done consistently, it can have compounding effects on your days and your life. When you're in a particular mindset, it can be difficult to notice, but try it out and see if your energy, drive, and connectedness is improved.

Let me know your experiences in the comments.

KC***