5 Minutes

I am sure you are very curious what I mean with the title "5 Minutes". There is not a day that goes by when that I don't try and educate someone on the 5 minute rule or at least partake in the 5 minute rule myself. I will get to my definitions of the 5 minute rule and its implications on your life in a minute.

I was listening to an interview recently and the speaker was talking about how often he hears someone say they are SO busy in life. Or typical response to that is either that's a good thing or its better than the opposite. I however would like to challenge those people to sit back for at least 5 minutes and really evaluate how busy or necessary their busy schedule is and is it productive. My sense of busy is like a friend of mine who is a cardiothoracic surgeon who just this week had a 15 hour surgery...now that is busy!!! Although back to our friends that are SO busy what I notice is that they typically don't have structure to their time, don't evaluate what's important to them and get caught up in trying to please everyone which limits their time taking care of themselves.

People always ask me how I fit everything in as they see my life as being extremely busy but I typically tell them its all about what is important to you. When things are important and you give it value then you will divide the appropriate energy needed to succeed. I and my family also have ways which we attack each day and end each day which helps us evaluate whats important, what is a must in our life and what we can do to be 1 percent better the next day.

The "5 Minute Rule" or the three ways we use just 5 minutes each day to try and improve ourselves, our family and those around us.

1. The 5 Minute Journal - First of all let me say that I didn't come up with this concept but this concept is one of the easiest, least time consuming, efficient ways to improve you confidence, planning and accountability. When you wake each morning (for those that wake up late, rush out the door, miss breakfast, get stuck in traffic and start your day stressed...I suggest waking a little earlier as this technique may change your life) take 3-5 minutes to write down:
                   
                        * The top three things you are grateful for
                        * The top three things that would make the day grate
                        * One daily affirmation

Then in the evening when your winding down take another 3-5 minutes to write down:

                         * Three things that made the day great
                         * Three things that you could have done better
                         * I usually then take a minute or two and just write whatever comes to mind

The goal of this daily procedure is to always put your mindset into a state of positive, creative, high functioning success. When we can reflect daily on are we on the right course then your daily actions will be supported with a positive thought provoking change in mental state. You will notice that you are able to have a clear head and choose tasks that are important to you and give those tasks more energy instead of just going through the motions.

2. 5 Minute Appetizer - Once again I can't take credit for this one as this one was developed and created directly from my wife. I will admit there was a time that when she asked this I would get irritated as I just wanted to eat after a long days work. So what is the 5 minute appetizer? Its taking 5 minutes before dinner when the whole family is hopefully seated together and go around the take in which time each person has to say what 3 great things happened to them that day. What I have grown to love about the 5 minute appetizer is the impact it has on showing you that in the darkest, most stressed days that you can always pull out something positive. There have been days when I sat down to dinner over-analyzing all the negative in my life and after this simple 5 minute exercise I am not only smiling but excited for times ahead and how strong my family is.

3. 5 Minute Kindness - This last one is something that I have been focusing on a little more this year as I think its a game changer for not only our inner personal development but also has a huge impact on someone's life outside of ours. Sometimes we get so busy that we don't take the time to engage with others outside of our family or workplace. While this technique can be used 100 percent with family and co-workers I find it works even better with neighbors, teachers, grocery store clerks, etc. For example the other day I had to pick up diapers (not for me) and the lines were long at the store. As I got closer to checking out the person in front of me was in an awful mood and was not particularly nice to the check out person. When it was my turn I could tell the check out person was about the explode so I knew it was my turn to help put her in a better place. With a sincere tone of voice and an approach that showed I truly cared I said "Hello Mary how is your day going?" (tip for everyone out there....people absolutely love being addressed by their name...it shows a simple form of caring that most people neglect). Well that one question was about all I had to say cause for the next 60 seconds Mary with ease told me how she has been having a rough day not only cause they were busy but cause her mother was not feeling well. I of course added a few words of advice but the key was I didn't have to say much as one simple question helped her deal with whats going on in her life and by the time I left she was smiling and wished I had a great day.

As always these are just tips of what has worked in my life. I challenge you to find what works in yours. If these tips can be implemented with success then please take them and go for it.

Make It Count!!!!

Perceived Limitations

“The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible.”
— Arthur C. Clarke

Have you ever sat down and thought to yourself what is the difference in our makeup which allows one person to have a no limitations mentality vs. your neighbor who has an excuse or belief that they can't accomplish anything? What sets us apart from believing we can do anything we put our minds to vs. a fear of failure that stops us in our tracks thus limiting your chances for personal success in life.

I am not sure I really know the answer to this one but the way I approach almost every challenge that comes into my life is to use the approach of just START. Yes that's right my simple approach to not limiting myself is to just START towards the goal, event, obstacle, race or whatever is in my path. The one reason most people never reach their true potential and I am a believer that all of us have an amazing ability to reach for the stars is that they never START.

Human emotions and actions usually present in a way of thinking only about the acts of failure, misfortune, what others will think or how hard/painful the process will be. Well I am here to say that yes you will probably fail a time or two and there will be experiences of deep pain but what I can also tell you is these are short term sacrifices to make in order to reach a high level of success.

I recently have been thinking about a couple long term goals for myself and my initial emotional response was a deep pit in my stomach. This is a normal typical human emotion that is completely normal and what should happen. Without some emotion involved in a journey the journey would be left dark and empty. What is important next is to analyze that pit in the stomach and evaluate why it is there. Almost 100% of the time the emotion comes from a level of self limitation or disbelief in yourself. This is the moment when confidence in your skills and an open acceptance that you will learn a lot about yourself during your journey comes into play.

At the end of the day the main reason why you are not the success you dreamed of at one point in your life is because you put a limit on yourself. Somehow, someday you thought to yourself you didn't have what it took to ask for that promotion, start training for that triathlon, a belief that you didn't have the creativity to write a book or basically the courage to become a great public speaker. The good news is that almost all limits are made to be broken or constantly pushed to a new level. Self exploration takes time and effort and along the path to success you will constantly set new limits and push the envelope that at one time you thought was impossible. Fear will be present along the path but I typically use fear as my friend knowing that fear and pain are temporary but the success of growing will be with me for a lifetime.

The picture above is my little one pushing the limits of her life. The great thing about a 2 year old that constantly hangs out with kids 5 plus years her age is that she has no personal limits. She believes that anything her 9 year old sister does that you better believe she will accomplish the same thing. Her oldest sister was jumping on the box so this little one decided she would do whatever it took to get on top of the box (wish I could tell you she jumped) and look what happened. Next time your out with your kids. nieces or nephews at a playground/park watch how kids dream and play with no limitation in their life. I understand that as adults we have bills, jobs and other obligations but this doesn't mean that you can't dream also.

Make It Count!!!