How to Gain a New Habit

I am going to share with you how to gain a new habit into your life in four simple steps. (Notice how I said simple, NOT easy) because for some of us, life is hard.

Let's get into it. First off I made a video on this topic so if you're not into reading, check it out here!

Okay for the readers:

Step one: What is the new habit that you want to gain?

This is a big one because sometimes we pick things that we think we should do or think others want us to do and really that is just setting us up for failure. So start by choosing something you actually want to do! For me, I recently started to pick a time to relax everyday! (crazy I know. That is for a whole different blog!)

I have been really feeling burnt out and now getting to spend any time just snuggling up in the living room that I clean everyday yet I never get to be the one to enjoy it!

so I decided that everynight by 9pm, I will be in that living room watching tv, snuggling my pets and enjoying the nothingness that I crave!

The next step is asking yourself WHY. Why do you want this new habit? I just explained my reason why but that reason was so strong for me that I have been sticking to it and the reward of being able to do this has been so reinforced that it isnt taking much effort for me to answer that 9pm alarm to go relax!

Your why is SUPER important. If you don't know why you are doing something, it likely won't last long.

Step three, pair this new habit with an existing habit. This will help keep you accountable. A timer can be a great way to remind you to do the thing you desire. Make sure you are picking a time that is doable and not during carpool to pick up your kids! For me, I make sure my kids are in bed, chores are done and my day is complete by 9pm every night. I use to take this time to do more work but now I relax and it is glorious!

The final step,

HABIT TRACKING! This is the accountability part. Seeing a visual of the progress you are making can be a great rewarding way for you to recognize the change in your life! This is a proud moment! (and if you miss a day...who cares? you are human!) It can also help to get an accountability partner! I am also including a free printable tracker here (well a couple, plus a cleaning chart! haha) just print it out and get going!

Also, please join our personal growth group for extra support and accountability! We would love to see you there!

Finding "ME" Time

Who would have thought that finding time in the day just to do the things I want to do, would be one of the hardest things for me to accomplish?

I have three children, a dog, a cat, laundry, dishes and pretty much a ton of responsibilities just like many of you. However, one of the hard parts for me is that every evening, It is like I am a single mom. My husband works night. Therefore there is no, wait until dad comes home and he can help. From 3pm-11pm it is me and chaos. So yeah, finding time for myself to "just relax" is a little tricky as you can imagine. But I find my ways!

After school is a great opportunity for everyone to have a snack, settle in and then go outside to play. This gives me an opportunity to film or write while they are exerting any extra energy not burned at school. Then I add filming in little tid bits along the day. This is actually super helpful because it can make my videos more interesting to watch. I have plans for more videos like this so stay tuned!

I think the most important thing we can do, no matter what is going on in our lives, is making sure to find some time throughout the day to do the things we find fun and relaxing. My dog probably benefits the most because everytime I just need a minute before my head explodes, I will announce "I need to take Trinity out, be right back!" and I can usually sneak five minutes of silence to screw off on my phone and play "Woody Puzzle" (I'm obsessed!)

When my kids go to their rooms for bed, notice how I didn't say sleep, thats a joke!, this is usually when I try to snag some tv time while I fold laundry. Although, I am working on just sitting and watching instead of multi-tasking (thank you Gina!) I need to learn that while multi-tasking can be great, sometimes you just need to veg out! Or as the younger generation is calling it "Cough rot" ...Is that right?

Who is worth changing for and who is worth keeping around?

When people defy your trust, it takes something out of you. It is almost like a physical feeling of loss. Trusting someone to do something they said they were going to do and then finding out they don’t, feels like the ultimate betrayal.

It hurts down to your very core.

 It makes a mark on your heart that will never quite go away. It changes your perspective of how humans operate and how what is important to that particular human that you gave that trust to. Trust is so important to us because it shows us who really cares about us and who doesn’t.

There are moments when everyone is untrustworthy or untruthful. It all depends on the situation and the people involved. Trust is so important because it gives us the answer of who we should invest in and who we shouldn’t. This isn’t to say that you should cancel this person or shut them out of your life completely, but what it does is build a boundary. It solidifies how much time and energy you will spend moving forward. It gives us insight to how this person thinks and makes decisions. People may mean well, but actions are the ultimate tell of how someone feels.

Learning to move forward regardless of being let down, is the ultimate mission of moving on and living happily. It’s simple, but not easy. Only you can decide how valuable people are in your life.