Mindfulness has been a powerful tool in my personal journey of self-discovery and inner peace. It started with just 5 minutes of meditation each day, but over time, I've learned to incorporate breathwork and longer meditation sessions of up to 20 minutes to deepen my practice.

Recently, I discovered a simple but powerful mindfulness exercise called "Take 5" by author and speaker, Cory Muscara. It only takes 20 seconds, but the benefits are profound.

1. Take out your left hand and hold it front of you like a pizza pie.
2. Then take your right pointer finger, and place it in the palm of your hand right around your wrist.
3. We're going to slide the pointer finger up the thumb. As we do, take an inhale through the nose, and slide it back down, exhaling through the mouth.
4. Sliding up, breathing in.
5. Back down, exhale.
6. Sliding up the pointer finger.
7. Back down, exhale.
8. Sliding up the middle finger
9. Back down, exhale.
10. Sliding up the ring finger.
11. Back down, exhale.
12. Sliding up the pinky finger
13. Back down, exhale.

At first, it may seem easy, but like any new skill, it takes practice to truly feel the benefits. The key is to remain present and aware, allowing yourself to fully immerse in the moment.

By regularly practicing mindfulness exercises like "Take 5," you can cultivate greater awareness, calm, and well-being in your life. I invite you to give it a try and share your experiences in the comments below…and feel free to share any other mindfulness practices that have worked for you.

Every Tuesday morning at 10 AM EST I will post a powerful prompt and follow it wherever it leads. The aim is to resource all "three brains" — head 🧠, heart 💓, and gut 🤰 — in hopes of connecting the dots to those sticky parts in our nature that fmatter so we can live our best life.

As a syndicated columnist for Authority Magazine and Thrive Global, I have interviewed nearly 175 cancer survivors from all walks of life. In my #1 best-selling book, I Survived Cancer and Here Is How I Did It, I share the true stories of 35 of those survivors and what they learned physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from this very difficult experience which has forever shaped their worldview. The intention is to tell a survivor story — that cancer is not an ultimate death sentence. Help support this movement by purchasing and sharing this Book, eBook, or Audiobook.

The Human Resolve®

20 Seconds to Greater Awareness