This week’s interview featured Melissa Marks: Chief Mindfulness Officer at Your Mindful Edge, licensed counselor, art therapist, and yoga teacher! Melissa helps people to leverage their hearts and minds through meditation and mindfulness in order to achieve their goals.  Follow her on Instagram @your_mindful_edge, and check out her website! http://www.yourmindfuledge.com/

Here is a recap of the 10 insights she shared:

1. Set an intention before doing anything important! It can be for your day, for a meeting, or for an interaction with a client.

2. Start meditating. Meditation comes with so many health and brain benefits. If you want help with this, try an app like Headspace or Insight Timer.

3. Write down your goals and read them to yourself daily. Feel that you have already achieved them as you are reading them.

4. Melissa constantly works to trust the process and let go. She has found that sometimes even when she does everything in her power to make something happen, there are still outside factors that may not allow what she has worked for to happen.  Releasing the false grip of control is a lifelong journey!

5. When things are outside of your control, remember that everything is happening in its own divine right and order!

6. Myth: “I can’t meditate because I can’t stop my thoughts”. Meditation is not about stopping your thoughts, it’s about watching them.

7. If you only have one minute for your health, connect to your breath and be in the present moment.

8. Melissa has been enjoying Vipassana meditation. This means noticing when her thoughts are either craving or aversion, and finding a balance between these thoughts.

9. Melissa’s favorite quote: “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to have a good attitude while waiting” -Joyce Meyer.

10. Final value bomb: If you think you don’t have time to practice mindfulness, try habit bundling. Pick something that you do everyday, like brushing your teeth. Every time you brush your teeth, commit to connecting to your breathe and being present. That can be your mindfulness practice!

Now it’s your turn…What was your favorite takeaway from this interview?  Who would you like to see as a future guest on Lyons’ Share 10/10?