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“The Seven Minute Difference”

“I believe that making even small changes in your actions and behavior can result in monumental differences in your life,” according to Allyson Lewis, author of The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes.

This book was written to assist people from all backgrounds – businesspeople, corporate executives, leaders, financial advisors, attorneys, doctors, and yes, even you! If you truly wish to make a meaningful change in your professional and/or personal life, you need to undertake a self-examination and small actions are necessary to bring about the lasting change that you desire.

Engaging in small activities and tiny choices every day can achieve the difference between mediocrity and excellence. These small actions are called “micro-actions,” and they can occur in a number of ways:

• Outlining a daily plan of action;
• Taking time to thank a colleague for a job well done;
• Being on time or early for every meeting;
• Reading ten pages of a book every day;
• Getting up 15 minutes earlier each day;
• Eating more fruits and drinking more water.

Incorporating these micro-actions into your daily routine can result in greater levels of productivity in your professional and personal life. These small activities don’t require a lot of time – perhaps 5-minutes, 7-minutes, 15-minutes or even more. However, the research shows that the average executive’s attention span is seven minutes. “Further, according to Harvard psychologist George Miller, the brain is limited to remembering only seven pieces of information at a time.” Below are examples of what can be done in about seven minutes:

• Outline and prioritize your top personal goals;
• Write a letter to someone;
• Call your spouse, parents or children;
• Take time to relax and reflect.

To facilitate change, this book contains several underlying truths such as: change begins to happen the moment you decide to do so; you must want and expect to change; and you should employ the process of change.

In the coming weeks, we will do a deeper dive into this book and take you through the “process of change.” We hope this week’s introduction is a sufficient teaser to pique your interest in what comes next.

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Source: The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes, by Allyson Lewis, Kaplan Publishing.

Posted on Permanent link for Mentoring Mondays - November 8, 2021 on November 8, 2021.