#MakeItHappenMonday: Transforming “I Wish” into “I Will”

I am so excited to share something with you today.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve partnered with Motrin on their latest #MakeItHappenMonday Campaign. It is our mission to transform every woman’s “I wish” into “I will.”

Challenges have the power to lead to new growth that we never expected. I am on a mission to inspire women to step outside of their comfort zones and try something new– and I believe Monday is the perfect day to do just that.

This is where you declare to yourself and the world, how YOU are going to make it happen for yourself. To declare intent and set the tone for the rest of the week. To lean into any challenge and Make it Happen Monday.

Will you learn a new language? Will you start painting? Will you quit smoking? Will you start cooking more healthily at home? Will you start meditating? Will you start reading more instead of watching TV?

How will YOU make your Monday happen?

Many of you have read about my journey into meditation a few year ago, and as a reminder, I’d like to give you the physiological benefits of meditation.

“Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex – brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wisconsin. The subjects were split randomly into two groups, 25 people were asked to learn meditation over eight weeks, and the remaining 16 were left alone as a control group.

The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.” (Psychology Today)

So I ask you. When you think about meditation, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Bogus? Boring? Ineffective? I’d never do it?

Well, let me ask you another few questions: Are you overwhelmed? Are you stressed? Are you short-tempered? Has the joy been sucked out of your life? Does life seem a lot like groundhog day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should meditate. Yup, you should.

So I have decided that my pledge for my #MakeItHappenMonday is to finally up my meditation game.

It all started a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon this video with Jerry Seinfeld. Please watch it.

I was all… WHAT IS TM MEDITATION? But as I dove deeper into transcendental meditation, I told myself that I must try. Honestly, Jerry inspired me into all of this.

So, starting today, I will dive feet first into transcendental meditation. I’m gonna make it happen. And I will keep you posted along the way. 

Don’t believe me? Watch this. 😉

And if YOUR Make It Happen Monday is to try meditating for more calm in your life, here’s what you need to know about meditation– there is no single way to do it, no right or wrong way to do it. Click here where I give you the 411 and the 101 of meditating for you to try. The tips are a combination of mine, and experts’, so please try what feels right for you.

And one more thing… When you first start meditating, IT WILL FEEL WEIRD. Yes. Your mind will tell you it’s a waste of time. Why sit there and think about nothing? You will twitch and you will itch (gee, that sounds very Dr. Seuss). You will get annoyed. May I say, stick with it anyhow. It gets better.

The difference over time, is remarkable. You will begin to feel peaceful, calm and happy. It will feel frustrating at first, and that’s okay. As a multi-tasking, busy career woman and mom, it has made all the difference for me. All the difference in the world.

I would love to keep the conversation going with YOU! How will YOU #MakeItHappenMonday? Share with me on Twitter at @EricaDiamond and below.

And get this: For every tweet you share with the hashtag #MakeItHappenMonday, Motrin will donate $1 to Dress for Success!!! Happy Make It Happen Monday and Happy Tweeting!!

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Motrin works fast to stop pain where it starts, so that you can keep being the unstoppable woman that you are. Follow them on Twitter @MotrinCA for help and motivation through the aches and pains of improvement, or pass it on with hashtag #MakeitHappenMonday.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Motrin via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of McNeil Consumer Healthcare or its parent company Johnson & Johnson Inc.