I’m talking about the power of ten minutes. That was the one of the recurring themes I picked up on as I was interviewing 12 diverse 
experts for the Mental Toughness Summit last month.

For example: In visiting talent hotbeds around the world from Russia to Brazil, 
Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, noticed that deliberate
 practice happened in 10-minute bursts.

In a pilot study with Marines preparing for a tour of duty in Iraq,
 Dr. Liz Stanley found that 10 minutes of practicing daily mindfulness
– e.g. simple exercises like consciously shifting their attention 
between contact points such as the hum of electricity and the wind – 
significantly enhanced their sleep and working memory, and relieved 
anxiety and stress.

And sports psychologist Jason Selk based his whole book, 10-Minute 
Toughness, on the premise that it’s possible to develop a mental edge
 simply by spending a few minutes everyday on visualization, goal-setting and the 
other steps of his mental training workout.

(Not so coincidentally perhaps, studies show our attention wavers after 10 minutes.)

So as I was sayin’ last week: think big, start small. What could YOU
 do in 10 minutes of uber-focus?