It is 2022 and in reading this now, you have traveled far and wide in this past year. You have counted losses and gains in more ways than you can even articulate. May this be a reminder of how resilient, brave, and strong you are in this continued place of the unknown.
Who you are in this exact moment has been labored from many layers of process.
You are learning how the hard does not define you, and yet, the fact that sorrow and joy are intertwined within your daily steps is ever-present of heart. I know that this past year has been full of its circling thoughts and shifted places as days felt like they have been years and a sense of normalcy is rising up to define itself once again.
People are setting goals again. Loved ones are beginning to gather in larger numbers and travel is opening up to wider spaces. Although we are not on the other side of this season, we are making strides toward a different way.
In this time of changing habits, I know that trying to set healthier habits of home life, health, exercise, family life all at once can feel daunting and maybe even paralyzing in which goals to set first.
My husband and I were discussing negative habits we had developed during the pandemic and ones that we felt were not helping other areas of our season now. One of them was staying up way too late and struggling to wake up rested in the morning. This affects a plethora of areas for me and I know that my mind and body function more effectively when I am in bed at a certain time of night.
Instead of setting goals for home, health, exercise, and family life all at once, I started with ONE thing first:
Sunday through Thursday night, I will be asleep by 10 p.m.
It felt freeing to see ONE thing written down and I felt empowered to focus on a singular area for myself instead of trying to shift all of the other habits I developed during the pandemic at the same time.
One night became three and then I found myself two weeks in staying committed to this one thing, and now I am sitting at six months and it has been a game-changer.
What I realized in the process was instead of only ONE thing changing by going to bed early, it impacted several areas of my life:
- I woke up earlier in the morning and rested.
- I started journaling and reading in the early mornings before my kids got up.
- I invested in healthier food options during the day because I was not tired or craving sweets.
- I chose book reading at night instead of phone presence (this impacted many things).
- My attitude shifted because I was RESTED and not irritable.
- My creativity increased in business investment.
- I had more energy for exercise.
Change is not always loud; sometimes it is quiet whispers of daily steps where you realize you have been climbing your mountain all along and you are now standing on the mountaintop. Discover where your ONE thing is that you can say yes to in this season and just go with it. It may seem like a small yes in the moment, but it leads to more fulfillments for yourself that will draw out your authentic and healthiest self.
