So proud of my daughter Leah. She just released her music video RIDE THE BUTTERFLY (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO). Check it out and pass it on.

I am more than halfway into my March 31 in 31 Meditation Challenge.

I'm hoping this month will set the foundation for a mediation habit.  I have had an on and off love affair with meditation since my dad passed away in 1995. Meditation was  a comfort to me during that difficult time.

Some months I will be doing a challenge just for the sake of doing a challenge, not necessarily to create a new habit. But with the meditation challenge, I am hoping to use it as a kickstart to create a habit.

The best way to form a habit is to start small. For the first week and a half or so I was mediating 2-4 minutes a day. Two minutes is enough to create a shift, it really is. But more importantly, it is enough to keep me in the habit groove. Repetition, no matter how large or small, is what it takes. It's that "just show up" thing again.

Another good way to create a habit is to decide on a trigger. For instance, brushing my teeth in the morning could be a trigger to get my buns over to the meditation cushion. This would help me remember to show up and by linking a second habit to a first, I have a better chance at habit creation success. The layered habit approach.

In an ideal world this would be an awesome thing for me to do. I prefer to meditate in the morning. It makes me calmer and more patient with Kyle from the get go. I really do feel a difference in myself though it's hard to say exactly what it is. More like a feeling, an attitude. No doubt, meditation starts my day off in a solid, positive way.

HOWEVER, I don't live in an ideal world. Often, Kyle needs me right away in the morning. Sometimes even before I brush my teeth.. no kidding! Perhaps some of you parents can relate.

In my real world, it often happens  that I am not able to meditate first thing in the morning.  Therefore, I have not been able to use the trigger approach to forming this habit. However, my intention has been powerful enough so that I search for opportunities later in the day. It has been random but I've found that has added to the challenge of it, and to the fun. One of my favorite spots has been on the mountaintop behind my house. Exercise and meditation, spiritual vitamins that make my soul happy. When administered together, they are a recipe for a really great endorphin boost.

I've heard from readers doing their own challenges. Month 3 and life has thrown a bunch of curveballs to one of my friends. She has gotten way off track losing focus with her challenge. It would be easy to give up entirely. Her solution has been to start fresh in April. Regroup and start over. I think that's an ideal approach to have.

This is life. We start things with gusto, maybe even with a high level of commitment. Life steps in for a little intervention, some altered plans. We falter... how could we not? The key is to keep redirecting ourselves to the path, whatever we have decided that is. To get back on track as soon as possible and begin moving forward.

There is no ideal world. Today I get to "just sit". Not sure exactly when, but sometime today, in MY real world, I'm going to make it happen.

PS

Recently, I wrote an article called Thinking Inside the Box for the new Autism OZ digital magazine. It's about Kyle's volunteer work making toiletry shoeboxes for the homeless. I have written about this project in previous blogs. We are always in need of donations :-)

In case you haven't caught it, here's the video that accompanied the article:

http://youtu.be/vIXKw-NsFZk

Autism Oz iMagazine is a digital magazine designed to inform, inspire, support and entertain all those across the world touched by autism. It is a fantastic magazine with an international flare.

Subscription is available on either a magazine by magazine basis for $5.49 OR 12 month/12 issues for $43.99 which comes out to just over $3.60 an issue. PDF versions are available if you don't have an IPad.

It is March 4 already. Yikes! February flew by. March is a longer month. More days to complete a challenge. I am still on a monthly challenge mission. 28 days of acts of giving/kindness was awesome last month. I learned a lot about what happens when you set an intention. Creativity coupled with heightened awareness kicked in to help me fulfill my challenge in February. What a great feeling!

In fact so far I am really loving the challenges in a "how in the world am I going to do this every day this month" kind of way. Trying not to take myself too seriously and have fun with the process. Kinda like life.

I  find it is hard to stop the momentum of a challenge at the end of the month when moving on to a new one. That's because one month is long enough to form a habit. Of course, there is nothing that says I have to stop completely and I hope to enjoy the perks of some newly formed habits.  Today when I let a woman go ahead of me in the grocery line she provided way too much information about her husband's illness at home and how she had to hurry back with the particular items she was purchasing. An act of kindness run amok.

I have been away for the first 3 days of March but started my challenge nevertheless which is....

31 days of MEDITATION in 31 days of March. "Just Sit" is how I like to think of it (named by my friend Sandi). For how long? Doesn't really matter but at least 2 minutes. And yes, 2 minutes counts.

Where? Again doesn't matter. I had to get creative while in Austin visiting my daughter Leah. This means I discovered that yes, you can meditate on an airplane. No one has to know that you are not actually sleeping. :-).

When? Preferably in the morning. Get er done is a good attitude to have when doing these challenges but it can be any time that works.

Some might think meditation is a bit whoo whoo, out there, new agey, weird, or mysterious. Personally, I have had an on again, off again relationship with it since 1995 when I was dealing with the death of my father. When I first started, my husband used to come home from work and say he could tell by my face that I had mediated that morning. He also seemed to know when I didn't. Hmmm, perhaps that's enough said.

So what is it? Basically meditation is about practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness seems to be the opposite of where we spend much of our mental attention. It is a great antidote for our life of multitasking and constant busy-ness.

Leo Babuata of Zen Habits shares some simple information about meditation:

Why practice mindfulness through meditation? Actually, there are lots of great reasons. Here are a few:

• It relieves stress and helps you to relax.

• When you practice mindfulness, you can carry it out to everyday life.

• Mindfulness helps you to savor life, change habits, live simply and slowly, be present in everything you do.

• Meditation has been shown to have mental benefits, such as improved focus, happiness, memory, self-control, academic performance and more.

• Some research on meditation has indicated that it may have other health benefits, including improved metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and more.

Those are just the highlights. Actually, some of the best benefits of meditation are hard to define — you begin to understand yourself better, for example, and form a self-awareness level you've never had before.

Most simply, sitting for just a few minutes of meditation is an oasis of calm and relaxation that we rarely find in our lives these days. And that, in itself, is enough.

This pretty much says it all. March challenge:  31 in 31.... "Just Sit".

Join me. Anyone?