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Mindful in 5 Episode 122. First Do This
0:00 Hello and welcome to Mindful in 5, helping you discover your peaceful path. I'm your host Spiwe Jefferson, author of the Mindful in 5 book series.
0:14 Today, we dive into the power of starting your day with intention and calm. The title of our episode is first do this in just five minutes a day, you can transform not just your mornings, but your entire day and by extension your life. Our episode today focuses on the scientific benefits of dedicating the first moments of your day to centering and grounding yourself before jumping into the whirlwind of work and home responsibilities. To illustrate I'm going to read you - I'm looking for it as I as I say it, I'm going to read you a short passage from the first Mindful in 5 book titled Mindful in 5 - Meditations for People With NoTiime available on Amazon and your book retailers and also at SpiweJefferson.com.
1:21 This is Chapter One of the Dawn season and is titled Don't panic. Sangeeta Patel is late. She is watching her sister's three kids for the week while Selma and her husband are on vacation. She leaps from the bed and flies around the house like a rogue basketball player with spiked platform stilts, and a frenetic ponytail. She rounds up the kids backpacks and lunchboxes. No bread means she can't make sandwiches. The kids have only one gear tortoise, so they Lolly GAC. I need $20 For today's field trip chirps her nephew as she screeches into the school parking lot. She has no cash and her day is just beginning.
2:18 Across town, Barry Miles is also running late. He come Lee trims his red buzz cut. Then he takes five minutes to sit down in his meditation chair and calm him self. He accepts he is running late and country claim that time. During his five minutes he mentally maps out what he needs to do to adjust. The last time he didn't take time for himself. He passed out on a plane and almost lost his five year old son lavash, who was rescued by another passenger. The flight landed safely but it was a frightening wake up call. Now, in his five minutes of reflection, very even considers what to say to his tortoises, Naveen and innovate, to motivate them to crawl faster. Once on the road, he silently curses the traffic jam, so his chirpy sounds don't hear. Even then, he mentally reroutes his day to accommodate the additional delay.
3:24 So let's start with understanding why these five minutes are so crucial. research in the field of cognitive neuroscience shows that practicing mindfulness meditation, even for short periods, can significantly impact our brains structure and function. It enhances the density of gray matter in areas associated with attention, emotional regulation, and mental flexibility. This means by starting your day, centered, you are essentially wiring your brain to handle stress better, stay focused and approach challenges with a clearer, more creative mind. Imagine starting your day, not with a rush to check emails or scramble to get ready. But with a serene moment of connection to yourself. These moments set a tone of calm and clarity, carrying into your interactions at work and at home. You become more resilient in the face of challenges, approaching tasks with a joyful supported mindset. This isn't just beneficial for you, it radiates out affecting those around you creating a more peaceful cooperative environment wherever you are.
4:49 I recently moved into a new role and I spent actually quite a lot of time thinking about what I wanted on the walls in my house. First, and I was talking to a colleague who walked in after, you know, all my stuff was out, I had this beautiful mindful piece of kinetic art that you can turn and it sort of mesmerizes you as it turns, I had a beautiful piece of African art that meant a lot to me. And he walks in, he sits down, and he's commenting on how nice the stuff is. And I said, Yes, yes. What I wanted is I wanted to, I wanted to create an environment that causes and allows people to feel calm when they walk into my office, because as the General Counsel, sometimes, there are stressful things that happened that caused people to come into my office, I wanted it to be a sanctuary, a place where people could feel safe. And my colleague, his name is Mike actually surprised me with what he said. He said, Well, you know, I always feel calm when I walk into your office, but it's not because of what's on your wall is because of you. And so this is what I mean, when I say that when you start your day, with purpose and intention and calm, it can it leaks, it leaks out of you, and other people can feel it, too. So, in today's fast paced world, finding time for the mindfulness moment, can be a challenge, I get it. And that is why the FEETS technique highlighted in one of the episodes that I will include in the notes for this podcast that was a previous episode we recorded is such a simple yet powerful way to incorporate centering into your busy schedule in just five minutes. So very briefly, FEETS stands for you know, the F stands for find, choose a consistent quiet place for meditation, like a cozy corner or a spot in your garden or in your house. You can even just sit X sit in a spot in your office if you are, you know, in the office.
7;20 The E stands for Ergonomic. Sit in an ergonomically correct position. The next E stands for Eyes, close them, especially if you're new at this. There is such a thing as open eye meditation. In fact, I think Gwyneth Paltrow recently in her podcast called Goop had an episode where she talked about open eye meditation, which I'm told can be incredibly effective. I haven't really tried it in any real way because I'm easily distracted. So I tend to prefer to close my eyes rather. So my suggestion is, especially if you're starting out, close your eyes so that you don't get distracted.
7:59 The T is for topic, select a theme or idea that you can reflect upon such as gratitude or peace. The idea behind the Mindful in 5 books, the meditations for people with no time is to give you five day five minute meditation topics that you can use and you can even choose your own adventure based on whether you are in your Dawn, Dark or Day season and whatever you need. In that moment, you can just pick a chapter and use that for your topic and it will give you prompts to think about that will help you by incorporating the simple practice into your morning routine. You're not just starting your day on the right foot, but you are stepping into a world of potential with clearer, more joyful and resilient mindset. Studies have shown that such practices can lead to decreased stress levels, improved relationships, and increased productivity and creativity.
8:29 So first, do this before diving into emails, text messages, etc. Before the rush of the daily tasks. Take five minutes for yourself to center yourself. If you can give your employer 8,10, 12 sometimes, heaven forbid, 16 hours a day, the least you can do is take the first five minutes for yourself. It's a small investment with profound returns. And as you get better at it you will find that you can sit for longer and longer periods, enhancing your well being and effectiveness in every area of your life. It will pay dividends if you are consistent and you stick to it. Embrace this practice and watch as your days transform into a more peaceful fulfilling journey. Thank you for joining us on Mindful in 5. Remember, peace and mindfulness are within your reach starting with just five minutes Each morning, here's to a centered joyful day ahead. Until next week, this is Spiwe saying be mindful, and be well.
James@DiscovertheVoice
9:07 Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend. Follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book in journal from SpiweJefferson.com or unsigned copies from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or wherever you get your books. Visit SpiweJefferson.com to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.