For many years of my life I got up at 4:30 and exercised. I felt great. I looked great. Everything was great.
Then somewhere along the line I started getting up at 4:30 on some days but at 5:30 on most days and then didn't have time to exercise. So I stopped. And I stopped looking great and I stopped feeling great. Everything was not great.
After a while of this not great stuff I decided I had to fit exercise back in my schedule. But when I forced myself to do it in the early morning I was not happy. It felt like a chore. But damn it, EARLY MORNING IS WHEN I EXERCISE! I spent a lot of time trying to force this issue until I realized that I was not exercising enough still AND I was making myself stressed out AND I was unhappy.
I realized that exercising in the early morning was a habit. And since it was making me unhappy, it was a bad habit. One that I needed to break. That habit was a big elephant standing in my doorway to happy!
So I forced myself to try exercising after I took the kids to school. Which meant going to work and hour later. My initial thought was that it was never going to work. And guess what, for the first few days it didn't. It felt all wrong but I stuck to it. And after a couple of weeks it has become my new habit. I am now exercising enough AND I don't feel at all stressed AND I am happy.
And I new realize that at some point in time things will change I and I will have to move on from this habit and create a new one. I hope I have learned enough to do it more gracefully this time!
YOUR TURN
Is there something that is no longer working for you? Even if it is a good thing?
Is it your morning routine of getting the kids out to school? Is it the way you clean your house? Is it what you pack for lunch?
If so, let go of the habit and create a new one!
If you need a little support, I have to highly recommend Zen Habits. It is a really inspirational site about clearing away your crap so you can be happier. And he often deals with habits.
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