The Trust Your Gut challenge starts week 2 today, and I’ve had some interesting results and a few tips.

One great thing I noticed? The morning meditation routine only takes TWO MINUTES. Two! I knew that if I expected myself to commit to a long meditation, I’d never do it. But anyone can do two minutes.

If you’re struggling to stay on the morning-meditation wagon, I created a free meditation for the 9-breath exercise. You can access it below. Just follow along and you’re done.

It’s normal to want to drop off or give up after a week, but I’m telling you, the intuitive sensitivity improves over time, and it’s just gaining momentum.

Here are a few tips that might help you stay on track.

Acknowledge your progress.
Even if you only lasted one day, so what? That’s one more day than you would have meditated otherwise, right? Give yourself credit, recommit, and hop back on the wagon.
Work with distractions.
If you have children I don’t even need to tell you how commonly interruptions happen. We’d like to get our candle lit, our yoga-music going, arrange our crystals or whatever but listen: You don’t need any of that. I once gave a reading to someone in the side office of a CrossFit gym with Metallica blaring in the background. If I can do that, you can take 2 minutes to breathe with a lawnmower blaring out the window.
Take the nap.
Guess what. If you fall asleep every time you meditate, that’s a sign your body needs sleep. Take the nap.
Accept frustration.
If you try to focus on your breath, then your mind races with thoughts. You aren’t doing it wrong. Instead of thinking of meditation as mastering the art of silencing your thoughts, think of it as the art of setting aside your thoughts over and over and over again.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed that every day I do these exercises, the louder and clearer my intuition gets. One day, for example, I was feeling like I’ve been mired in my own daily dramas. I was watching too much TV, not getting out into the world enough. So in my morning meditation, I asked for guidance on what I can do to get out of this rut. That afternoon, my husband told me about an organization that needs volunteers to help with a new refugee population in our city, a population near and dear to my heart. Right away, my gut responded with the feeling that volunteering for them is my answer.

I want to mention that sometimes the answer isn’t super clear, and sometimes the answer sounds more like “You really don’t need to take action on that right now. Let it go.” Those answers count too.

Staying aware and observing during the day is crucial to seeing these answers as guidance. You’re being given the help you ask for. If you don’t have that ah-ha moment during the day, the evening or weekly reflection should help you see the answer you’re looking for.

How’s it going for you?