Tools For Success: Hour of Power

Tools For Success: Hour of Power

You’ve probably heard me use the term, “Hour of Power,” recently on my monthly Ask Jack calls or in my Success Strategies newsletter.  The Hour of Power is a highly effective tool I use daily, and it’s something I strongly urge you to do too!

So what is this Hour of Power exactly?  It’s a full hour that is broken up into three 20-minute sessions:

• 20 minutes of exercise
• 20 minutes of meditation
• 20 minutes of reading (positive, uplifting material)

You can switch the order of the 3 activities and you can also choose what hour of the day you’d like to reserve for your personal Hour of Power.  I usually schedule my Hour of Power for the first hour I’m awake in the morning.  This really jumpstarts my day, and allows me to feel energized, focused, and engaged.

And each day, I change my routine a tiny bit….so one day I might exercise by taking a 20-minute walk around my neighborhood.  The next day I might jog on the treadmill.  I’m also incorporating working on one of my new exercise goals -100 push-ups at once – into my exercise portion of Hour of Power.  Whatever type of exercise you choose to do is fine; what’s most important is that you commit to doing it!

The same goes for the meditation portion of the hour.  There are so many amazing meditation resources out there for everyone.  Find one that you feel connected to, and spend 20 minutes really grounding yourself.  There are so many different types of meditations CD and mp3s available, including FREE meditation downloads at iTunes.

And remember, you don’t need to be in a remote cave in India to meditate (although that would be pretty cool!).  You can meditate almost anywhere….in your home, at a park, at the beach or a lake.  Again, go with your internal guidance and find a place that you feel calm and present in, and use those 20 minutes to feed your mind, body, and soul.

And last but not least, the third portion of your Hour of Power is 20 minutes of reading.  Get your hands on positive, uplifting material – it could be from an online magazine, a book, journals or articles.  But again, find something that excites you and that you’ll look forward to reading.  By reading positive material, your subconscious will be emerged in the affirmative, which helps you to remain in that positive state throughout the day. 

I’d suggest test-driving the Hour of Power for 30 days.  After 30 days, see what worked well and what didn’t.  Try moving your hour to different times of the day.  Did having your Hour of Power in the morning work better for you than having it at night?  Or vice versa?

Remember, you can always change the terms of your hour…it is YOUR Hour of Power.  But have fun with it.  And know that it’s extremely effective in centering you, uplifting you, and helping you create a powerful, positive day.

 Jack Canfield...