Editorial Update: Do You Have 8 Minutes?

When we first started this idea of moving the magazines to the website, we were not at all sure what the feedback would be like. We are so grateful that most of you have come back to us with positive feedback and so many good things to say. It’s been a year hasn’t it? November is six months since we’ve been doing this. Our first issue was released on 12 May 2024. Only six months, but also, oh wow the six months it has been. 

One of the most important takeaways for me this year is having those few people who believe in you, support you in front of you or behind your back and the calmness that the right people can bring into your life with just a few minutes of their time. 

In a world spinning at a thousand miles an hour, where our thumbs scroll endlessly and our minds race to keep pace, it’s easy to forget the quiet signals of someone close to us struggling. A faint tremor in their laughter, a text that doesn’t quite sound like them, or even the silence that stretches just a little too long. Life’s pressures and the constant pull of social media can make us blind to what’s right in front of us: someone we love might need us.

But here’s the beauty of it—helping a friend doesn’t take hours of soul-searching or grand gestures. It takes only 8 minutes. Eight minutes to call, to sit, to simply ask, “Are you okay?” Eight minutes to listen without trying to fix, to hug without letting go too quickly, to remind them they’re not alone.

Kindness has a way of healing when offered freely. It’s powerful when someone reaches out to ask for support, but it’s almost magical when it’s given without the need to be asked. Those 8 minutes, so small in the grand scheme of our busy days, can become a lifeline to someone drowning silently. It’s a reminder that we see them, that they matter, and that their struggles don’t have to be borne alone.

Simon Sinek reminds us of this truth: sometimes, all it takes is a brief moment of compassion to nudge someone back on track. In those eight minutes, we plant seeds of hope and light, showing that even in a fractured world, connection and care endure.

So, pause. Amid your deadlines, notifications, and to-do lists, take 8 minutes. Reach out to the friend who’s been quieter than usual. Send a message. Pick up the phone. Show up. Because 8 minutes is all it takes to remind someone they’re not alone. And sometimes, that’s all they need to find their strength again.

Do you have 8 minutes today?