“First we make our habits, then our habits make us” – unknown
BirdsEyeView Photography
If you’ve ever tried to create a new habit and failed, this is for you.
For years my habits worked against me, holding me back from becoming the person I wanted to be. My mind was filled with stories that all started the same; “I’m not the type of person that [insert unattainable habit here]”.
For example, for most of my life I was a snoozer. I used to set my alarm an hour early so I could hit snooze 5-6 times before I had to get out of bed. If this is you, I FEEL YOUR PAIN - the wound is still healing.
However, about five years ago I tried something - I committed to wake up early (4:30am) a couple days a week to do something I was motivated to do. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was a life changing commitment.
As I struggled every day to get up, I kept hearing the same story - “I’m not a morning person, this isn’t going to work”. And it didn’t for quite a while. I had periods of success followed by periods of “the usual”.
But eventually, the story I was telling myself started to change. The more often I’d string together a few days in a row, the more I started to realize that waking up early is just a habit. It requires commitment and willpower, but with a little planning and strategy, is completely attainable.
Now, I wake up most days at 5am (sometimes Johnny has his own agenda for my wake-up time). When I sleep in it’s because I’ve chosen to, not because I’m “not a morning person”.
The story I told myself for most of my life was just that, a story. It’s no truer than believing that now I AM a morning person. The reality is, I’m just a person that has committed to waking up early because I like the way I feel when I do.
It’s not who I am, it’s what I’ve become as a result of the change in my behavior.
This breakthrough opened my eyes to the possibility and power of developing habits to change behavior. Since then, I’ve developed several habits that 5 years ago I wouldn’t have thought possible.
The stories we tell ourselves have a HUGE impact on the way we live our lives, and changing the narrative can allow for incredible changes to our behavior.
What stories are you telling yourself that might be holding you back from living your best life?
“I’m not the type of person that can balance work and family life”
“I’m a spender, not a saver”
"I'm too busy to [insert that thing you should be doing to take care of yourself here]"
“I’m not the type of person that exercises regularly”
“I’m not a morning person”
I believe you aren’t a person that is limited by your own stories. I believe you can change the narrative, whatever it may be. Give yourself a chance, and if you need some help exploring this idea, let me know. I’m here for it.
If you found these thoughts to be interesting, helpful or entertaining, please feel free to share with a friend.
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