This week you finally did it. You brought the gym bag out of storage and joined a spinning class. Or, you finally decided to quit smoking. Or, you bought that juicer and have vowed to start eating healthy. Whatever the goal is, you finally have what it takes – motivation.

And so you plunge ahead. Until…

Until that point in time when the big motivation train starts losing its steam. When you’re just too tired to go to the gym after work. When you decide “just one” cigarette wouldn’t hurt. When you look at that juicer and that mound of carrots and kale and decide it’s easier just to have a glass of milk

If only you had it like the good old days. You remember the good old days, don’t you? The days good old Mom used to nag you to do your homework, nag you to write your term paper, nag you to go to soccer practice, nag you to stop biting your nails. Ah, Mom, the original Life Coach.

You now find yourself faced with two options – give up like you’ve done so many times in the past, or give your motivation a kick in the butt with the “Magic 30 Minutes.”

Don’t let the name fool you. The “Magic 30 Minutes” doesn’t require you to purchase either a rabbit or a hat. Although it’s so simple you’ll feel like you’ve pulled a rabbit out of a hat. The “Magic 30 Minutes” is that 30-minute period between waking and falling asleep, where your mind begins to shift from a waking state, through a light trance state, to a sleeping state. That’s right; you actually go into a light state of hypnosis before going to sleep.

Used effectively, such as reading a pleasant story to children before they sleep, the mind is filled with positive images, which helps promote positive thinking. And, since you’re already in a light state of hypnosis, your subconscious is most suggestible to positive and negative suggestions. Unfortunately, most people use the “Magic 30 Minutes” ineffectively, watching the news before retiring, thus filling their minds with crime, tragedy and fear - very negative suggestions indeed.

So, how can the “Magic 30 Minutes” help motivate your motivation? Simple. Thirty minutes before falling asleep write out positive affirmations to yourself about whatever goal you’d like to achieve, such as “I love my body and will treat it well, like going to the gym or drinking a glass of fresh vegetable juice.” Repeating one’s positive affirmations are good, but since the act of writing involves using many different senses – touch, sight, thought – writing out your affirmations sends an even stronger message to the subconscious, resulting in quicker positive changes.

Utilizing the “Magic 30 Minutes” can work with motivation for any goal, can boost confidence and self-esteem (“every day in every way my confidence grows”), and can even be used to attract prosperity to one’s life (“I am open and receptive to a more prosperous life”). You have no more excuses. Just five minutes of writing affirmations before going to bed can change your life.

Of course, if you’d prefer to move back in with Mom… I didn’t think so.