Are You Making The Biggest Mistake That Means Most People Never Turn Their Dreams Into Reality? (Hint: Nearly Everybody Makes This) DTDB012

Podcasts

I’m curious: are you making the biggest mistake that means your dreams will stay as must that – nice ideas, but never get grounded in reality? My 14 years as a mentor to passionate world-changers has shown me how scarily common this is. And most of us have probably used this excuse in the past week.

Want to find out if you’re making it? Why it’s a problem, and what you could be doing about it (the answer’s easier than you might think!)? Watch on:

So has this resonated for you today?

Were you making this mistake?
What effect has it been having on your life – and your business?
How might you turn things around, next time you fall into this trap?

I’d love to hear from you via the comments!

And here’s a quick round-up of what’s on this week:

Masterclass: How To Magically Make More Time
Write Your Book – Masterclass: 10 Ways Your Book Could Grow Your Business
Last chance for early bird for the Author Intensive – save up to £500 by booking your place now

With love, Namaste,

P.S. If you’d love a quick reminder in your inbox to let you know when the next edition of 5Minute.Biz is out, make sure you register here – and you’ll get member-only bonuses and invitation-only membership of our private Facebook group, too.

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How On Earth Can You Stop People From Stealing Your Meditation Time?

How To Change Your Life

How to stop others from stealing your meditation time…

… And it’s easier than you might think…

It can be a real challenge for many of us, when starting a meditation journey. I’m sure that some of you have experienced this already, because you are trying to fit your new habit in as something extra, in a day that already feels pretty full.

We start the day with the best of intentions, but suddenly it’s bedtime and we’re feeling too tired…

What steals our meditation time?

Well, we all have our own personal favourites.

If, for example, we have children or other people sharing our home, it can be something unexpected that needs doing. Or it might be a phone call that overruns; it might be dealing with our messages; it might be something that comes up at work – the list is as endless as our imagination will allow.

What to do if it happens regularly

If you notice that things are regularly interrupting your meditation space, then it really is time to take a look at your level of commitment to meditating… At risk of being shouted at, it is only 10 minutes a day you are asking yourself for.

Is it really so difficult to find 10 minutes for ourselves?

Yes? Then perhaps you’re running a bigger issue, which would benefit from being dealt with?

Are you still waiting to be convinced of the benefits of meditation?
Perhaps you need to change habits about how you say yes to things?
Perhaps it’s something about not feeling that you deserve time for the things you want to do?
Would you benefit from help from a wise friend on how you manage interruptions?
It could be worth looking at what you’re using the distractions to avoid?
Are your meditation excuses still getting in the way?

I’m curious: what are your top time wasters? I’d love to hear from you – via the comments.

Of course it is important to be flexible. But just imagine how much easier it would be to fit your meditation in, if you treated it like an appointment – not negotiable.

For example you wouldn’t cancel an optician’s appointment, unless you really had to, would you?

So how about treating your meditation time the same way?

When you have that mind-set towards your meditating time, it’s amazing how easy it is to brush away the interruptions that would otherwise have stopped you from you taking your 10 minutes.

Taking your meditation time seriously is the key to finding the time to do it.

Prioritising it over other things is essential, or you’ll find yourself regularly missing it and not benefiting from it. While you list it as an ‘optional’ part of your day or a ‘nice to have’ activity, it is destined to fall off the bottom of your ‘to do’ list. It is better to meditate for a shorter time, every day, than for a long time once in a blue moon.

Remember: when you are feeling calm and focused, when you have clarity and a smile on your face, the thing that was going to interrupt your meditation will be much easier to handle.

And many of the people who have completed my “How To Meditate” online programme have found that they enjoy their meditation space so much – and it helps them so much – that sometimes they even do it twice a day! There’s no pressure for this, but if you can find the time, the benefits are amazing.

Is it about needing to say “No”?

Maybe you could look at how you feel about saying no to people
Or perhaps you could have a new phrase: “Yes, when I have had my 10 minutes to meditate”?

Most things will all wait for 10 minutes if we’re really honest.

What’s the best time of day to meditate?

The key to success is to fit your meditation in at a time that works for you.

Traditionally, so we’re told, we should meditate around 4am – not a chance for most of us! The next ‘best’ time is shortly after waking up. But that’s all very well if you live in an ashram – not so practical if you have a busy morning schedule when getting up earlier wouldn’t work.

Personally, the only space I get is in the evening, just after the children have fallen asleep – or incredibly early in the morning, before the rest of the family wakes up. And I’ve arranged things to work around that, because I know how different my day feels if I don’t take that time to meditate.

So what can you do?

Forget what people tell you about what time you should meditate! The best time for you to meditate is the time that works for you and for your day.

It might help you to set yourself a reminder. Resources like the Fungie bell or your computer’s alarm / phone alarm can help remind you when your meditation time has arrived. Or you could use the reminder to practise five deep breaths, allowing your attention to rest on your breathing for a few moments.

Choosing a similar time each day, whenever that is, helps you to get into the routine.

Choosing the same place each day can help you get into the routine, too. Your mind and body quickly become anchored into the physical preparation for meditating, in a particular place, and this makes it easier to relax and feel calmer. It makes meditating easier and more effective.

Also, preparing in the same way sets off our unconscious mind’s auto-pilot response, taking us back to a resourceful state of mind, to make meditating easier. You can prepare yourself by, for example, remembering to close the door, lighting a candle, sitting down or putting a blanket around your shoulders. This type of physical preparation will trigger unconscious memories and automatically help you to relax, feel more calm and feel ready to meditate.

Tell those that might need you during your meditation time that you are not around; you are not available, but you will be back soon! Take the phone off the hook; don’t look at the messages just before you meditate, or they’ll be preying on your mind. This is your time and, believe me, those around you will eventually be grateful, because it will make a huge difference for you – and one day they will notice that difference.

I’m curious: what (or who!) typically steals your meditation time? And how do you handle it?

That’s enough for now I hope you enjoy your meditation today!

Affirmation

My happiness is worth ten minutes a day of my time.

Namaste,

Clare

P.S. Enjoyed this? It’s a bonus article from my online course: “The 28 Day Meditation Challenge” ~ Discover how 10 minutes a day could change your life.

Dealing With The #1 Life-Change Excuse, Once And For All?

How To Change Your Life

Is It Time To Deal With The #1 Life-Change Excuse, Once And For All?

Over the past decade of helping people to change their lives, there is one excuse that comes up over and over again – and I know I have used it often enough myself.

It’s the one reason that sneaks in and silently sabotages even the most well-intentioned New Year Resolutions and life-change commitments.

And, in truth, it’s the easiest objection to deal with – once you know how to spot it, tie it down and tell it where to go!

So what is the #1 life-change excuse?

“But I don’t have enough time!”

When you’re stuck in the middle of ‘doing’ your old thoughts, feelings and habits, it can feel difficult to take the time out to stand back and become aware of which bits you want to change. Yet that time will repay you, every single day, for the rest of your life.

We become so convinced by our ‘lack of time’ excuses, that there’s no room left for us to change.

Would we rather spend the next fifty years going through the pain and hurt and everything else we currently feel – and all the ‘dis-ease’ it brings with it – than dedicate a few minutes a day to making the shifts we secretly dream of?

Is it really true that our lives are too full, to find the time?

Surely much of our time is taken up by the very patterns we want to shift?

Here’s a solution:

How To Magically Create The Time To Change Your Life

It’s true that we often believe we don’t have enough time. But there’s a difference between truth and belief.

We believe our stories and excuses, because – at some unconscious level – they protect us from having to do the scary thing and actually make those changes. We tell them to ourselves so often that they become a pseudo-truth that we no longer question – like ‘received wisdom’. And because our friends and family tell themselves (and us) the same story, we even start to believe in other people’s excuses!

But is it really true?

It’s funny how, for example, if someone falls in love, they suddenly find plenty of free evenings and weekends to spend with that wonderful new person. They watch less TV; they read fewer magazines; they spend less time on the internet; they spend less time on chores – often working more efficiently; they waste less time on distractions; they use their time more intentionally; they drop anything that’s not essential.

If you can do all of that to find time for someone else, is it really so hard to find 5-10 minutes a day for yourself? To do something that could improve your life, each and every day, for the rest of your life?

There are many ‘important’ jobs and distractions during a day that steal our time; things that crop up unexpectedly, to which we give our immediate attention. Everything else falls off the table, including the time we had set aside for working on ‘ourselves’. Yet if we were to tell those distractions, “I’ll come back to you later,” it’s amazing how often they either go away or take less time.

The classic example is a phone call. You’re in the middle of something important, but you answer the phone anyway. The conversation takes ten minutes, then you go back to what you were doing. But you found the ten minutes for the interruption.

So why do we tell ourselves that it’s so hard to schedule in ten minutes to change our lives?

What would happen if you simply put the time in your diary?

How much easier would it feel to make that commitment to yourself, if you actually schedule it?

And it’s worth looking at the ‘real’ reasons behind the ‘time excuse’.

What are you worried will happen, if you do make that change?
What are you worried won’t happen any more?

If we’re really honest, if we’re still using the ‘not enough time’ excuse, then perhaps we haven’t really committed to making that change, yet?

My Top Tips For Finding More Time

Set a time for your change practice each day – and stick to it. Treat it like an appointment.
Be realistic. By all means set yourself a challenging goal, but break it down into achievable chunks, to fit alongside your other commitments.
If something needs to drop off the table, to create the time you need, take action to make that happen.
If you need moral support, ask for it! Your family, friends and colleagues might surprise you with their desire to help and support you in making those changes.
Figure out WHY you want to make that change. Then each distraction can get weighed against the ‘big why’. It makes prioritising so much easier!

I’m curious: have you been using time as an excuse?
Is it time to stop that?
Which change could you commit to find time for – today? Please let me know, via the comments!

This is a bonus article from A Year Full Of Gratitude – join us today and discover for yourself what the excitement is about !

Soul-Sized Wednesdays ~ How To Magically Create More Time – In Under A Minute

Videos

Welcome to this week’s Soul-Sized Wednesday video. This week I’m covering a topic that’s hot for so many of us at the moment:

How on earth do we find more time for the things we want to do?

I’m sharing with you the – perhaps ultimate – antidote for feeling like you don’t have enough time:

“How To Magically Make More Time – In Under A Minute”

As usual, it’s a practical technique that you can go and use, right away. And remember to answer the questions at the end, via the comments box! [Read more…] about Soul-Sized Wednesdays ~ How To Magically Create More Time – In Under A Minute