"I'll Start Tomorrow."
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"I'll start tomorrow."
It's easy to put things off. To wait. To prioritize the non-essentials, instead of making time for self care.
We live in a hectic world... most of us, by choice ;) So here we are, in our hectic lives, wanting a make a change. How do we do that? Where do we start? What's the way around the excuses our brain tells us?
"I'm too tired."
"This is too hard."
"I'd rather not."
"(XYZ) is more important." (my kids, my family, my job, my finances)
"I failed already, so why bother trying again?"
3 Ways to Push Through:
Acknowledge that your brain is trying to make an excuse.
Dedicate your practice to someone else.
Make a change that's so incredibly simple, you know you'll stick with it. Start at the beginning.
Here's an example:
I want to eat a healthier diet. I wake up some days feeling like crap and know it's because I've been eating too much junk food.
I acknowledge that I haven't been taking good care of myself. I notice that in my body I feel this in my belly (where there is pain and tension) and in the palms of my hands and my jaw (where I feel clenched and stuck). I take a deep breath into these areas of my physical body, asking for them to release.
On my yoga mat today, I give my practice away to everyone struggling from an eating disorder, and those who deal with chronic illness and must eat a restrictive diet. In each pose, I ask that the work I do would be to their benefit.
I make a commitment not to buy ice cream when I'm at the grocery store. If I don't buy it, it's not in my freezer.
I believe that when we incorporate these three components, we have the power to make a change.
Presence: acknowledging where you are, being honest and real with yourself.
Compassion: for yourself and others.
Humility: willingness to start at the beginning, to start over.
Starting small is what leads to sustainable change, the kind of habits that you'll actually keep for weeks and months and years. When you are willing to check your pride and start at the beginning, you gain the power to change your life in a big way.
What do you think? Want to try it?
Photos by Jeremy Baker.
