| Some of you have taken on my challenge to do intentional breathing for two minutes/day for the month of August. I’m glad! Research has proven that two (2) minutes of focusing on nothing but the single task of breathing in/out positively affects your brain. Yes, that smidgeon of time breathing with a single focus daily has improved happiness levels, reduced stress, elevated creativity and energy. The responses have been heartwarming. Some of you wrote: –Count me in! –I’m going to try it. –Thanks for this reminder. I actually think I hold my breath while I’m working sometimes. I wonder what that does to a person’s brain!! I’m going to join you in this challenge. One leader finds meditating for 20 minutes when he gets home from work makes a huge difference in his state of mind. (His wife agrees. She works, too.) Others, like me, have a hard time doing the two minutes. A treasured colleague, a VP and mother of 3, wrote this humorous response: Hi! It’s 9:19 PM and I haven’t left the office yet. Tells you how things are going, right? But I read your email, and BECAUSE YOU SUGGESTED, I did it. Here’s how it went… Siri, set a timer for two minutes. Closed my eyes, started focusing on breathing. About breath three… I’m going to send Mary a note to tell her I did her breathing thing only because it was HER… Stop thinking! Breathe… Breathe… why is my stomach touching the desk? I need to eat better. Stop thinking! Breathe… I like Mary’s emails because they’re easy to read… and short. I wish Carol’s emails were shorter. What if the next time Carol sends an email that’s too long, I send it back to her and say, please resend with no more than 5 bullet points. Stop thinking! Breathe… Breathe… James responds to emails fast. I wonder what he does when he gets long emails? I should ask him. Stop thinking! You’re supposed to be breathing! Breathe… I wonder how much more time I have. How am I going to remember all these things to tell Mary if I keep telling myself to stop thinking about them? Stop thinking! You’re doing it wrong. Breathe… Why do I have to always focus on What am I learning about myself? when I do stuff like this? Stop talking to yourself and keep breathing… Beep… time’s up. That’s how it went. I’ll try again. A glass of wine might help. I love her candor, sense of humor, and willingness to persist. I know she’ll work at it because she – and you – know that persistence pays off. “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” I’m sure you have numerous successes you can name because you persisted at something that at first felt uncomfortable. In this case, it’s a two-minute commitment that can enhance your life. You can do it! Click to read BREATHE. |
