Imagine being happy all the time. Sound too good to be true? It’s not. I developed a 1-minute mental exercise that makes me happier everyday, and it will help you too.
The MAV Secret
I call this mental technique MAV. MAV stands for Meditation, Appreciation, Visualization. If you do each one for 20 seconds, then you can tangibly increase your happiness at any moment of the day in just 60 seconds.
Meditation
The first step of MAV is Meditation. One key to happiness is to enjoy the present moment. The best way to do this is through meditation. However, meditation does not require you to sit in a yoga pose for an hour. You can practice mindful meditation for just a few seconds anytime, anywhere. Mindful meditation just means that you focus on the present moment.
Our minds rarely live in the present. Instead, we are usually thinking about the future or the past. Try to take 20 seconds out of your day to fully experience what is happening right now.
Pay attention to what you feel, hear, see, smell, taste, etc. at the current moment. One of the best ways to enjoy the present moment is to pay attention to each breath you take. Pay attention to how the air comes into your lungs and out of your lungs. Being mindful of every moment is a form of meditation.
It is difficult to fully experience the present moment because your mind runs all over the place. Your mind likes to live in the future (which creates worry) or in the past (which creates anxiety), but rarely likes to live in the present (which creates happiness). So you have to make an active effort to reel your mind back from the future or past, and into the present.
Mindful meditation for just 20 seconds is one of the most practical techniques you can use on a daily basis to enjoy the present moment. Let’s take something as simple as taking a shower. The next time you take a shower, try to fully be present for 20 seconds rather than letting your mind wander off. Focus on how the hot water feels hitting your body, the sound of the shower, the smell of the soap, etc. Chances are, you will feel like it is one of the best showers you have ever taken when you mindfully meditate on the current experience.
Appreciation
The second step of MAV is Appreciation. It is no secret that practicing gratitude is a key to happiness. But how often do we actually do this in our daily lives? MAV makes it easy for you to remember to appreciate the small things. Take 20 seconds after you have meditated on the present moment to appreciate what is in front of you.
Our minds tend to focus on what we don’t have rather than on what we do have. So it is difficult to remember to appreciate the simple blessings that we do have such as food, shelter, clean water, etc. We simply don’t appreciate the things that become routine. So you have to make an active effort everyday to appreciate what you do have no matter how simple or luxurious. Whether you are appreciating a warm meal or a fancy car, gratitude is essential to your daily happiness.
MAV increases the power of gratitude by placing appreciation directly after meditation. If you focus on the present moment, you are already beginning to appreciate the smallest instances in life that often go unnoticed. By then actively practicing gratitude for something that is normally mundane, your appreciation for it increases tenfold.
Let’s imagine eating a pizza. First, you should focus on how the hot pizza tastes for 20 seconds and try to be fully present to your eating experience. Next, you could be thankful for 20 seconds that you have any food to eat at all. By combining meditation and appreciation, even something as ordinary as eating pizza can seem like a very special moment in the day, rather than a throwaway moment that most of us take for granted.
Visualization
The final step of MAV is Visualization. Visualize how your life will be even better in the future. Visualizing for just 20 seconds a day will give you a sense of excitement of an even better life that is yet to come.
Visualizing is important because what you think your life will be like in the future will often end up being what your life is actually like in the future. How could the current moment be even better in the future? Visualize how it would not only look in the future, but also how it would feel.
It is not enough to visualize with just a mental picture. You need to visualize with an emotional feeling. How would you feel if you took that vacation you have always wanted to go on? Imagine that future feeling of happiness in the current moment.
Let’s practice how to use MAV on a simple activity that we all do at night: lay in bed. First, spend 20 seconds meditating on how comfortable the bed is. Then spend 20 seconds appreciating that you have a bed to sleep on at all. Finally, spend 20 seconds visualizing how it would feel to sleep on an even more comfortable bed in your dream house. This is how you use the MAV technique from start to finish, even during the most ordinary moments of the day like laying in bed.
You now know how to be happier in just 1-minute anytime, anywhere using MAV. Meditate on the present moment for 20 seconds. Appreciate the small things about that moment for 20 seconds. Visualize how you would feel in the future having even better experiences.
For more techniques like MAV, check out my book: Self-Made Success - Ivy League Shark Tank Entrepreneur Reveals 48 Secret Strategies To Live Happier, Healthier, and Wealthier