In a rut…
Have you fallen off track? Have you lost touch with that inspiration that was flowing at the New Year? Did you have grand plans for how this year would be different…better? But now you’re following the same old patterns and stuck in the same ruts as always?
I find that it is about this time of year (March/April) that all of that New Year excitement and enthusiasm is gone. The plans have come off the rails and we find ourselves deflated, uninspired and beating ourselves up for not following through. Am I the only one? Or do you find yourselves there too?
I’m guessing this is something we ALL experience, which is why I decided to to do this series. There inevitably comes a time where we realize that enough is enough and we just need to get our shit together. Right? One of my favorite people, Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) once said,
I’ve never seen any life transformation that didn’t begin with the person in question finally getting sick of their own bullshit.
Individually you have to realize that the way you’ve been doing things isn’t serving you, and then start with small little steps to make your life a better place to be. It’s not too late to have a great year! The year really does still have that new car smell all over it. What we all need is a change in focus and the realization that we are all human and that it is no big deal to have lost our way for a little while.
And what better time to do it than spring?
Every Spring we all want to throw the windows open and air out of the stagnant energy that has been filling our lives. We dust, vacuum, light candles, plant flowers. We want to clean from top to bottom until everything feels re-energized and so fresh and so clean clean. So lets do the same thing with our lives and get back on track.
So, how do we do that? Get back on track. Lets talk about some easy ways to figure this out. Every week this month I will be discussing a different area of our lives to reset: Self and Spirit, Body, Money, and Home. We will do this together!
Where should we start?
First of all, step one is getting in touch with the why of the original resolution. We need to do this so that we can get back in touch with the inspiration that led us to it in the first place . There was a reason that you wanted to do this thing…what was it?
Close your eyes and imagine the outcome that you saw in your mind when you made this resolution. See yourself following through with it and then take a moment to feel what that feels like. Do you feel proud? Accomplished? Strong? What was that feeling? Tap into that!
Now take that feeling and get back on the path. You’ve got this! Carry that feeling with you every day. Tap into it and see yourself following through in your mind, and then do the next right thing to make it happen. You don’t have to look at the whole big picture at one time, but just the next right thing. And then the next thing…then the next thing.
How to purge old habits and create new habits…
Establishing new habits is HARD! I can have the best intentions with something and follow through for a few days or maybe even a week, but eventually it never fails that I simply forget about it. I forget to do the thing. And the next thing you know…the thing is a distant memory. If you’re reading this blog then I’m sure you’ve been there too.
Here are a few things that help me…
- Habit Stacking: This is where you stack a new habit right on top of something you are already in the habit of doing, that way it’s easy to follow through. For example, I’m already in the habit of making coffee every morning. So, if I have something new I want to do in the morning, I will set something related to that right on my Keurig so that I have to move the thing before getting to my coffee. Such as: if I wanted to get in the habit of meditating, I could set my earbuds on the coffee maker, or a bottle of vitamins, etc. If you always forget to take your medications, put them on top of your pillow so that you can’t get into bed without seeing them. See what I mean. This way you can capitalize on the momentum you already have going with the first habit.
- Set appointments in your calendar: I set reminders in my calendar for EVERYTHING! Especially when making a new habit. Take advantage of this technology.
- Use Alexa or Google Home: Same concept at number two.
- Get an accountability buddy: Get a friend that will help remind you about your new resolution and who will hold your feet to the fire if you fall off the path (in a loving, supportive way, of course).
Refresh your spirit and the energy in your life…
Has anyone told you that YOU are the one who creates the look and feel of your life? As simple and “DUH” as that sounds, sometimes we need to hear it out loud for it to sink in. You are the artist of this painting, so get to creating!
Sometimes we just have to CTRL+ALT+DELETE and start from scratch. Here are five things that may help you.
- Take a mental health day from work to help you reset your mind and spirit. Maybe you need to use it for a life admin day (to take care of tasks you’ve been putting off), or maybe you just need to binge Netflix all day. Whatever it is, use it to recharge your batteries.
- Figure out a morning routine that will help set the tone of your day and where you can incorporate some new habits.
- Do a digital purge. Clean out your contacts, your friends lists, and your timeline feeds. Unsubscribe to whatever is not adding value to your life. Unsubscribe from anything that triggers you to misbehave like all of those sale ads from your favorite store that show up in your email.
- Use Unroll Me to clean up your inbox. I’ve been using it and it’s awesome.
- Delete old pics from your phone and computer. You don’t need pics of your ex on there. No you don’t, it’s not good for you.
Grab a pen and a paper and take a few minutes to write some things down.
- What look and feel do you want your life to have?
- What habits would you like to break?
- What habits would you like to start?
Then list a few ideas for each point that will help you accomplish it. Follow the tips above to help incorporate new things into your life. Find ways every day to feed your spirit…meditate, spend time in nature, connect with friends or family. Make little decisions every single day that will lend to the look, feel, and quality that you want for your life. Design your daily life around that goal. Let me know in the comments how it goes for you!
