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Lately I’ve been considering how to do more of the things
that seem important to me during the course of a day. It seems to come down to establishing
habits. And we’ve all heard that it
takes 28 days to make a habit. So I am
beginning with a month timeframe, more or less, and seeing if I can set good
habits into play.
Habits in and of themselves are not very exciting material. I’ve started flossing daily, for example. Why should you care or read further, I hear you asking. Her blog has degenerated into flossing, for goodness sake! But bear with me. I read that flossing was the best single thing you can do to improve your health. So what the heck. It’s relatively easy and something I could commit to doing daily. I’m creating an intentionally healthy life.
I’m also beginning to meditate again. I’m creating an intentionally spiritual and
calmer life. And since I feel like I haven’t done a good job at staying
in touch with friends, I’ve committed to contact at least one friend everyday. I’m creating a more socially connected life.
I’m reading before going to bed, which also gets me into bed
earlier since I love to read. I’m
creating a fuller and richer life by exploring new topics, and getting more rest at the same time.
Habits are not as intimidating as major goal setting. After
all, it’s just a daily habit. Cultivating
more friends seems overwhelming as a goal, but contacting one friend a day is
very doable. Break big goals down into smaller chunks: Learning to play guitar is a goal fraught
with peril, but practicing for ten minutes a day is something to look forward
to.
Once established, a habit comes naturally. It is just a part of your daily or weekly
routine.
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Habits are commitments you make with yourself. They help you achieve the type of life you
are seeking.
What is important enough to do everyday? You are creating an intentional life. As your good habits increase, there may be
less time for your bad ones. At least,
that’s what I’m finding.
And you may miss a habit appointment here or there when life
gets complicated. But that’s ok. More
often than not still counts when you are creating an intentional life.
What habits are you
thinking about cultivating? If you’d like
to share, I’d love to hear from you.
Feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment.
Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
Great ideas!!! i think i need to work on similar things, certainly flossing is a grate start!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim! Baby steps seem to work best for me! So far, so good. Hoping I can stay with it, as I can immediately see a difference in how I feel about the course of each day.
DeleteCoincidentally,I had a conversation with my daughter yesterday mentioning how I need to start some new "habits." Thanks for voicing a reasonable way to develop a more meaningful intentional life.
ReplyDeleteAh, MPK, but there are no coincidences! :) At least that's what I keep repeating to myself...
DeleteI like that habits are easy and "reasonable ways" to develop more meaning. For me, it puts all that overwhelm stuff at bay.
What great post, Marianne! Habits ARE less intimidating than goals. I like the thought of an intentional life. Have been working on the healthy parts with exercise and diet. Now I need to start flossing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Melissa! Thanks also for the retweet :) Exercise and diet seem to be bears for most of us! You're quite brave to begin with those! But I guess with baby steps you can tackle anything. I really like that concept!
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