6 Ways to Change Your Life in Under 10 Minutes

Making positive changes doesn't require us to take huge leaps of faith or invest in some wonder product. In fact, a slew of self-help authors and speakers believe the most successful people are those that don't wait for motivation. Instead, they create their own by taking small actions, therby changing their overall outlook on life and allowing them to advance personal goals in under 10 minutes a day.

Visualize

Begin each morning by visualizing the quintessential day. A mental technique that utilizes our imagination to manifest goals and dreams, many rely on creative visualization to improve their lifestyle and attract them to what they want most. Integrating this practice into our daily habits and visualizing for just 10 minutes a day can provide strength and maintain composure. It might sound a lot like Aladdin rubbing a magic lamp and making a wish, but it's a natural process that helps us be the architect of our lives — write down goals, create a vision board, and focus on the outcome.

Learn New Skills

Whether it's a new language you hope to learn, a dish you want to cook or a style of dance you're inspired to try, find something of genuine interest and devote 10 minutes a day to developing that skill. With the help of apps and social media, it's become easier to challenge ourselves mentally and physically. In addition to combating boredom, learning something new gives us perspective, feeds innovation, helps us adapt to new situations and instills greater confidence in our lives. And when you're always learning new things, you'll be a great conversationalist at parties.

Meditate

Start your day with simple meditation practices to set the tone and stay focused. As a mental transformation responsible for modifying thoughts and beliefs for a better self, meditation helps familiarize us with the present to earn a greater sense of focus, calm and clarity. According to research out of the University of Wisconsin, meditation decreases stress and strengthens mindfulness, which helps fortify our relationships and self-esteem.

Go Outside

Nothing speaks more to the soul than crisp blue skies and fresh air. While heading outside for mental ease is no secret, more of us need to make it a daily habit. Between work and personal responsibilities, stepping outside even for a short while helps us cultivate gratitude. Moreover, outdoorsy-love means a boost of Vitamin D, which increases mood, productivity and creativity. While outside, practice deep and purposeful breathing to produce relaxing effects on the body and mind.

Practice Positive Self-Talk

Sometimes it's hard to siphon through self-doubt, but negativity becomes damaging over time as we play into a continuous narrative. Through devoting 10 minutes of our day to affirmations, we're able to stay focused on goals and influence the subconscious mind. Affirmations, or formal declarations of your honest intentions, help energize, inspire and motivate through mental imagery. Ultimately, we need to give ourselves a break, and the way we "talk" to ourselves greatly influences our ability to do so.

Exercise

Researchers at Boston University discovered 10 minutes of daily exercise is as good as a few hours in the gym. Since short bursts of exercise carry similar health benefits to long workouts, simple activities like cleaning, gardening, yoga, jogging and shoveling can add up to create a positive impact on your health. Not only does a 10 minute workout help boost your mood and manage weight, but it also quells stress while building muscle and flexibility as well as protecting joints.