Meditation has probably changed my life more than anything else I’ve done in the last five years… but wow, was I skeptical at first.

I kept reading study after study that showed how impactful meditation is. (The science is unreal, by the way—it’s among the most well-researched activities on the planet. And that’s a good thing too, because we need it today more than ever. It can relieve stress, jumpstart creativity, improve memory, and boost compassion. It can literally re-wire and re-structure your brain.) So I finally caved. I wanted to try it.

In general, I’m pretty open-minded and up for attempting just about anything, but breathing, being quiet, sitting, and doing nothing? That all sounded boring and, frankly, stupid.

The first time I tried, though, it felt like such a struggle. I thought maybe I was doing it wrong. Maybe this just isn’t for me.

Then someone smart told me meditation is just about being “present” in the sense that you’re actually paying attention to what’s going on in your head, not stopping it or judging it. It may sound intimidating, but it actually isn’t.

So I tried it again and it was better—promising even.

Then I struggled to find the right “trigger” (thanks, BJ Fogg!) that would allow me to stick with it. A friend suggested I find something I do at the same time every day… and the only thing I could come up with was waking up. So that’s what I started to do.

I wake up. I pee. I meditate. (And yes, I’m totally going to get a t-shirt that says that.)

After a few weeks of truly consistent meditation, I was really able to feel the difference between a day I meditated and a day I didn’t. And so could others around me!

A mentor once told me the job of the CEO is to be the calmest person in the room, and I’ve really taken that to heart. I’ve come a long, long way since I started working at that, and it’s almost entirely due to meditation. My team members would never have called me calm in year one or two—now they say it’s one of my major leadership traits.

When I meditate regularly, I more easily find my breath all day, breathing into the good or bad moments.

If I don’t, I find I’m foggier and struggle to keep myself grounded in what’s going on then.

Anyway, it’s made me a better CEO, a better partner, and a better person.

I think of it a little like a superpower that anyone can tap into.

I started by using an app and recommend you do too since they walk you through everything. I recommend Headspace, Calm, and 10% Happier—they’re all awesome.

Today, I don’t use any app and I’ve worked my way up to 10 minutes in the last couple years, but I started at five minutes. That’s it.

You’ve got five minutes! (After all, you’re still reading this.)

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My puppy of the week: