When the new year is on the horizon suddenly thoughts come into mind about how this year can be different. Only months later do we find ourselves back into the same routines. Maybe there is a reason we always revert back to these patterns, and they are called habits. One of the ways to alter your life is to simply change it up. Start with small changes and over time you may see big differences. So often we spend time thinking about what we want to let go of. What about what we want to cling to. What we enjoy in our lives and want more of. What makes us truly happy and want to spend more time doing.
Exercise:
Write down 3 things you want to change or focus on.
What are 3 things you want to cling to in 2022?
Now ask yourself how can I take this goal/focus/desire/intention/resolution (you name it) and break it up into tiny, tiny, little chunks?
How can I make a very small change NOW?
What would that change be?
Take for example the intention of wanting to write a book. It may seem like a daunting task if you don’t know where to start, but if you focused on that intention every single day for 365 days, even if only for 5-10 minutes per day, you might be able to write a draft of a book.
Maybe you want to learn to paint but feel you never have the time. What if you carved out a tiny fragment of your day and spent time either learning or practicing? I bet if you did it every day you could create something beautiful.
What if you wanted to exercise more? Take a short walk for 10 minutes first thing in the morning. Go around your block, find a small loop, whatever it is just get moving. Those 10 minutes will add up over time.
Meditation is another great example. Set a timer and find time in your day to meditate for 5 minutes. See how you feel and do it again the next day, and the day after, every day. Commit to yourself.
It’s the small changes that we make that can engrave lifelong habits. You just need to start somewhere. You need to fit it in whether you think you have time or not. Make time. Find 5 small minutes a day.
When we begin to add things into our day, commit to these small changes, we can build on from there. You might resist it at first, but first, get yourself going. Over time – approximately 6 weeks you will start to build a habit. That’s how long experts say it takes for your brain to create a habit.
Pick something you know you either love, brings you joy, or is good for you. The reason behind your intention will propel you to make the necessary steps to accomplish each tiny task, every single day.
You may even find after the 6-week period that you are becoming more relaxed in that habit, you want to do more, you find your flow. Let that become natural. When we take the force out of our intentions and let them flow we may find ourselves putting in way more time than we thought we could or would.
So ask yourself – what do I really want to accomplish in 2022? Is it more time for rest, time with family, eating healthier foods, or perhaps, listening to more music? Ask yourself and you shall find the answer. Take 5 small minutes out of your day and do it each day after that. Eventually, your intentions will lead you to a state of flow.