Experience The Times of Your Life

The other day I was watching a Ted Talk on Netflix. Andy Puddicombe’s, “All It Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes” speech was short, only 9 minutes in length, but highly effective. What Andy was saying is something we all know deep down we should be doing, but never seem to find the time to do it. Anyone can be mindful. You don’t have to shave your head, wear a robe, sit crossed-legged, and chant alone in an empty secluded room to be present. You can be yourself at anytime during the day and practice simple moments of mindfulness anywhere. Most of us have experienced some mindful moments every week, but not for 10 consecutive minutes.

What would happen if we did this everyday for 10 minutes?

Our minds would get a mini break from worry, stress, and stressing about worry. As a result, the mind would become clearer, allowing it to function at a high level more often. If this is the solution, sign me up. Being present and seeing your thoughts without judgment is how you practice mindfulness. I’ll give you an example in the paragraph below.

Let’s use eating as an example. This is something we all do on a daily basis. When eating your food, do so without watching TV, having a conversation on your smart phone, texting, reading an email, surfing the Internet, walking around your house, or reading a book. When you begin to eat your food without indulging in other activities that distract the moment, you’ll experience your five senses, all while eating your food.


Start by looking at the colors, texture and size of what you’ll be eating. Then watch your fork, as it penetrates the food. Now take in the smells to awaken your senses, as the food is about to enter your mouth. Be aware of your fork as the food touches your mouth. As you do this, you’ll begin to experience the ingredient explosion of taste alive in your mouth. Take it all in. Don’t think about that project that is due tomorrow, or the grocery shopping you’ll be doing after work. Just be present in this moment and witness all the wonderful sensations that are happening just by eating a bite of food. Do this for 10 minutes and your mindfulness exercise is done for the day.

Coming off the heels of the “Mad Men” series finale this past Sunday on AMC, the main character, Don Draper, figures out life's little secret through meditation. For much of the series, Don stumbles through the last two decades, living a life of addiction, stress and worry. Don eventually figures it all out in a moment of blissful awareness. Through meditation, he finds beauty and everything “clicks” in the final moments of this last episode. Don’s mind becomes expansive through a simple mindful act of meditation. It is filled with clarity, as he realizes what needs to happen next.

Take 10 minutes today and experience the times of your life.

As a Professional Organizer, Speaker, Author, TV Personality, and Podcast Producer & Host, Rick Woods helps residents and businesses make room for clarity, by getting rid of the clutter that gets in their way.


Rick’s newly released book “Make Room for Clarity” is a step by step guide to getting rid of the clutter that gets in your way. Available on Amazon. Listen to Rick's free iTunes podcast "Make Room For Clarity", which focuses on interviewing business & health experts by visiting www.makeroomforclarity.com.


Inquire about Rick's professional organizing business, "The Functional Organizer, LLC.", which focuses on decluttering, organizing, paper filing and time management by visiting www.tforganizer.com.