Staring at a wall changed my life
“Do you have a wall to stare at?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
This conversation snippet took place after I had just met a teacher who was giving a lecture on life, purpose, and all that good stuff.
I had asked if he had any tips on dealing with anxiety and stress.
He mentioned meditation, but I wasn’t sure about that. Y’know, with my wandering, untamed mind always jumping around.
He made a simple suggestion – sit and stare at a wall each day, and breathe. If my mind wandered away from this task, I was to simply bring my attention back to the wall.
He suggested I start small – two-ish minutes a day.
That two-minute practice has now been with me for decades in various forms. It turned into a habit of meditation that can now stretch from minutes to…well…however long! (You can find a version of it here.)
It even helped inspire my novel, An Audible Silence.
All from one little micro habit…practicing something for a short bit time, time after time.
It changed my life.
Think big, but start small
We want big change. We want to make it all happen. We want to fix our lives and the world!
But remember: If we start with too much momentum, we may burn out quickly. Go too big, and you may just give up before change can happen.
That’s where micro habits can help.
A micro habit is a tiny little change that’s easy to fit into your day. Micro habits help you change slowly and incorporate new habits over time. For example, staring at a wall for a minute or two instead of heading to a cave to meditate for 23.5 hours per day.
Micro habits have some great benefits over giant steps. They:
- Are easy to begin and maintain
- Don’t take up a lot of time in your busy day
- Help build discipline and willpower slowly
- Give you a boost of confidence and sense of accomplishment
- Encourage you to build, grow, and discover in other areas of your life
Micro habit ideas to try
If starting small to make big changes sounds good, here are some micro habits to try right now:
- Take a deep breath – just one: This can open the floodgates to a bigger mindfulness or meditation practice (begin here)
- Turn off your phone and sit quietly for one minute: This is a small step to help you get a little more unplugged
- Drink a glass of water when you wake up: This can boost hydration levels and kickstart your day naturally
- Walk the block one time: This could easily lead to a regular fitness routine
- Donate a shirt: It’s a good deed, yes, but it may also help you move on to the rest of your closet clutter
- Replace a negative thought with a positive one: The rush of this may just hook you, and you’ll want to do it again
- Read a few pages: If you have a book or some blogs you’ve been neglecting, read the first few lines or pages; you may just get sucked in and want to dive in deeper
- Be nice to someone: Positively connect with one person today – from the barista to a bestie; ride that wave of kindness to the shore
Do one small thing to change your life – and celebrate the win each time. Before you know it, you’ll have a high-impact habit on repeat.
Small change can add up quickly
Here’s the MtE tip: Make a micro habit part of your day
If you pick up enough change from the ground on your daily walk, you’ll get a dollar. Life change is no different.
See, micro habits have almost no barrier to entry. You can even make them part of stuff you already do! Pick something you want to try and:
- Start really small – so small that it almost seems silly NOT to do it
- Make it part of your day in progress – for example, when you pull into a parking lot, park far from the entrance to get some more steps in
- Keep a journal of your progress so you can revisit it
- Celebrate small wins
- Grow over time (twice around the block, an extra two minutes of meditation, etc.)
If decades of a meditation habit can start by staring at a blank wall for two minutes, then what else could we do?
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To dive deeper into small things that can lead to big benefits (many of which you’re already doing!), check out my book, The Nobody Bible; or schedule a free 15-minute call to see if coaching might be right for you. For even more, follow me on Instagram or TikTok.
(NOTE: This post is not medical or mental health advice or diagnosis, and is solely for informational/entertainment purposes. If you need physical or psychiatric care, please reach out to a trained and licensed medical professional.)