Go round and round, round and round… but sometimes they just come flying off sending the bus in who knows what direction. Ok, that is not how the playful child’s song that I sing to my daughter goes, but it is what I am thinking sometimes. How do we keep this bus movin’ on track and in the right direction? Habits.
I used to think “Habits” was a dirty word. I thought “Screw Habits! I don’t want to be held down and required to do stuff I don’t want to do. I am a free bird who just does what she wants when she wants.” What I didn’t realize is that yes, I do what I want when I want HABITUALLY. Creating habits that are not really that good for me or productive. Then we had Ava and I quickly realized that if I don’t nail down a time and place for the things that are important, I won’t get them at all. Like reading, drinking coffee (arguably not good for you, but I’m keeping it!), journaling, exercise, meditating, business building. I’m still working on the healthy eating… man that one is tough!
Fine tuning our lives to ensure we live the best versions of ourselves takes real, honest effort. We have to be extremely intentional about what we what and want we are willing to do to get it. Example: I function much better when I get some alone time. Every day is nice, but every week is a must. So, I can wake up 30 mins to an hour before Ava to do yoga, read, meditate and have my coffee alone. It is pure bliss. Then I am ready to take on my day with her or at work with an honest smile and patience for whatever the day has. Not to mention that I just got to read and meditate = bettering my mind and spirit. Yay Mornings!
And in the event that I don’t get the morning because something goes awry, I have a built-in back up habit. Every Monday Night is all mine to do whatever I choose. Tim and I arranged this to help keep the sanity around here. Don’t worry, he gets Tuesdays off. So I carefully plan my sacred Monday evenings… journaling all night, reading and having wine, getting my haircut, whatever it is I think will help me relax and tune back in to my higher self. My calm and ready-for-the-next-day version of me because somebody has to keep these wheels on the bus and going round and round.
Create habits that support your best you:
Find space in your day. Are you watching TV every night or hitting the snooze every morning? There is some valuable space in those areas where you can squeeze in 20 min workout or a 30 min reading session. Make room for the good stuff.
Replace the bad with good. The best way to develop a good habit is to actually replace an already existing one. According to “The Power of Habit” you have mental cues that signal you should <insert habit here>. It is much easier to recognize a cue for a habit you already have and modify it to improve yourself incrementally.
Work backwards. What is something you would like to accomplish by the end of this year? In the next 5 years? Ok, now if you back into those things by installing habits of success now, you are much more likely to get there. Example: I want to have my real estate license by the end of the year = build in 1 hour of reading and lesson taking every day habitually to reach your goal. Then once you have your license, keep that habit and read something else.
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