In this post we’ll chat thru…

① A new way to consider HABITS
② Why you “SUCK” at making HABITS STICK.
③ 3 TIPS to help you make HABITS stick

LET’S DIVE IN. 🖤

Welcome back friends! As I’m typing this out in real time our house is pretty much all packed up and we’ve got about 7 more sleeps until we get in the car and head to Florida for our next adventure. By the time ya’ll are listening we will BE in Florida and I’m just REALLY excited for this next season.

Real talk though…

Life has been a little CRAZY lately.

Between packing this home…getting it on the market…selling it…and just all the things in the middle…I’m sure you can imagine how “life” can sometimes get in the way of your best intentions.

I talked about that the other week when I shared how to do a MID YEAR CHECK IN. This idea that sometimes what gets our ATTENTION isn’t really our INTENTIONS. So one thing that helps me stay GROUNDED with my FOCUS + INTENTIONS even in crazy seasons are my HABITS + ROUTINES. And it’s what I want to dive into with ya’ll today.

Have you ever heard the phrase “show me your HABITS…and I’ll show you your life.” It’s one of those lines that sticks with me bc I truly believe that WE BECOME OUR HABITS. Our CHOICES dictate our DIRECTION. When I was a teacher I would put marbles IN a jar for my students when they were making choices that helped foster a healthy classroom environment and learning process. And I’d take marbles OUT of the jar when the choices weren’t moving us in that direction. I like to think of our habits like this, too. Habits that serve our best self…marble in. Habits not serving us…marble out.

At the time, as a teacher, I would call their choices “good behavior” and “bad behavior” but over the last few years I started to have this visceral reaction when I called things “good” and “bad.” I’ve spoken about this with regards to FOOD CHOICES before but today I wanna offer a fresh perspective when it comes to habits.

What if we STOPPED calling HABITS “good” or “bad” and simply observed whether their REPEATED OUTCOME would lead us closer to our goals or not?

I personally think that when we called something “good” or “bad” it begins to make us believe WE are GOOD or WE are BAD. And that’s just not true. You aren’t GOOD because you worked out and you aren’t BAD because you hit snooze. It’s simply a CHOICE that when REPEATED (aka a habit, right?!) either SERVES your best self or it doesn’t.

Rather than categorize what is “good” or “bad” simply ask:

“IS THIS CHOICE SERVING MY BEST SELF?” IS IT MOVING ME CLOSER TO MY GOALS? OR IS IT MOVING ME FARTHER AWAY?

And then pick accordingly. The more often you can do this…the more your CHOICES will become HABITUAL.

WHY YOU “SUCK” AT MAKING HABITS STICK…

I get it…habit formation can be tricky and more often than not we start to think we just can’t stick to habits. Why is this?

Well. For one…we have lizard brains ya’ll. No really. The “lizard brain” refers to the most primitive part of our brain. It’s the fight or flight reaction that has kept humans safe. Seth Godin talks about this in his book “Linchpin: Are you Indispensable” and says, “the lizard brain is the reason you're afraid, the reason you don't do all the art you can, the reason you don't ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance.”

To put it simply…your lizard brain is merely concerned with survival and that’s why you suck at making habits stick.

Habit change means you are DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT and your brain is wired for SAFETY + COMFORT…not change. So it’s not all your fault that you suck at forming new habits that serve your best self, but there ARE things you can do about it.

THREE WAYS TO MAKE HABITS STICK…

MAKE A SWAP.
Instead of simply REMOVING a current habit consider SWAPPING IT. Habit swapping works by identifying the habit that you want to change and picking a new habit to replace it with.
Current habit ➡ New habit
Waking up + grabbing your phone ➡ Wake up and read a book
Binge watching Netflix ➡ Workout for 30 minutes
Skipping meals ➡ Plan + prep meals
Scrolling social media ➡ Listen to a podcast or read a book
Procrastinating ➡ Plan + schedule your time
Rushed mornings ➡ Wake up earlier + follow a morning routine
Poor sleep ➡ Start a night routine
Snacking from boredom ➡ Go for a walk or meditate
STACK IT ONTO SOMETHING YOU ALREADY DO
Habit stacking is an AMAZING way to streamline a new habit because you’re adding it ONTO something you already do. Habit stacking takes your existing habits and sandwiches new ones between them. It helps you rewire your brain’s autopilot mode.
Here is how it works:
Say you want to start consistently working out. One of the ways I did this when I was first forming the habit was noticing where in my schedule I had EXISTING HABITS and where I could SQUEEZE it in. I already had a routine of dismissing my students from school and I also had a routine in place after school of heading to rehearsals with the colorguard team I was coaching. I stacked working out IN BETWEEN those two existing habits.
NEVER MISS TWICE
This one is my personal fave. We think when we SKIP ONCE that we’re a failure…it’s not for us…and we should just throw in the towel. But think about it. Simply DOING a workout once doesn’t make it a habit. Neither does not having a cigarette one time make you a non-smoker. The POWER comes in REPETITION. So don’t miss twice.

Life happens. We might miss a day or fall off track. There’s GRACE for that, friends. But it’s not when we miss the first time that it becomes a thing…it’s when we REPEAT THAT. One day turns into two turns into three. So seriously. Don’t miss twice.

The reality is…habits are simply your CHOICES. And if we can narrow our focus and think LESS about the daunting habit change you’re trying to make and instead consider your DAILY CHOICES…going back to the question I gave you at the top of today’s chat…

“IS THIS CHOICE SERVING MY BEST SELF?” IS IT MOVING ME CLOSER TO MY GOALS? OR IS IT MOVING ME FARTHER AWAY?

And then pick accordingly. The more often you can pause and ask these types of questions…the more your CHOICES will become HABITUAL…leading you closer and closer to the life you deeply crave to create. I know YOU are better for everyone around you when you FIRST SHOW UP and make choices that serve your best self. So get out there and do the dang thing. You’re so worth it.

OH! AND ONE LAST THING…

Can you believe we’re over HALFWAY THRU the year?! Time if FLYING, so what better time than NOW to get FOCUSED + INTENTIONAL on what matters most?! I created a free printable with journal prompts to help you reflect + prep for the second half of the year….bc you + your goals matter. Enter your name and email below and I’d be SO HAPPY to send them your way, sis! 🖤

let's do a mid year check in

With half of the year gone, I love to sit down and take inventory of where I’m at and where I’d like to move in the next 6 months.
It’s a moment to slow down and intentionally look at what’s working and what’s not. Assessing whether your goals + actions are in alignment with your overall vision and to tweak any methods / actions / behaviors that aren’t leading you closer to where you desire to move.
So let’s dive in! 🖤🤟🏼

SNAG YOUR MID YEAR CHECK IN WORKBOOK

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