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When people think about changing their lives, they imagine making bold and drastic moves. They want to develop the discipline and endurance to run marathons. People want to "put themselves out there" to enjoy new and exciting romantic relationships. They want to leave their comfort zones and move to a new country. While all these examples would certainly be life changing, big changes like these are difficult to implement.

But what if you could change your life by making a tiny change? In just 10 minutes per day, I believe you can transform your experience of the world. This small habit could have a massive impact on your life. What is this life changing practice?

Meditation

By meditating for 10 minutes a day, you begin to change your mind. If you stick with it, meditation will change how you see the world.

I meditate everyday as part of my morning routine. Ever since I began meditating, I've seen an amazing improvement in my mood and my ability to be kind to others.

But don't take my word for it, check out this video by ASAP Science. It's only 3 minutes long, and they cover most of the scientific findings on meditation. Also, these guys went to the same university as me (Go Guelph!), so they must be smart!

Clearly, practicing meditation can lead to life changing benefits. Increased immune function, greater empathy, reduced stress and anxiety... it's pretty powerful stuff! And you don't have to meditate for hours on end. Just 10 minutes of meditation a day is enough to glean some of its potent benefits.

Great! How Do I Start Meditating?

Most people start meditating through a guided meditation. In guided meditation, an instructor walks you through a meditation practice. This helps you to avoid distractions when you're just starting out. And thanks to the internet, there are hundreds of thousands of guided meditations available to you for free. Here is one of my favourites. In this video, Sam Harris teaches vipassana meditation (or "mindfulness meditation") and it only takes eight minutes to complete.

If you want to find more guided meditations, I'd recommend using an app called Insight Timer. It's a entirely free app as of the publishing of this article, and I do not benefit from you using it. Insight Timer has a lot of cool features that allow you to make friends, track your progress, and discover new meditation teachers.

Your Mission, If You Choose To Accept It...

I challenge my fellow Steemians to try meditating for 10 minutes a day. Make a commitment to yourself to try it for one week, or better yet a month, and see how it affects your mood and your perception of the world.

Make the time to change your life for the better. It only takes ten minutes per day.

Thanks for reading!