DanaAtkin

It seems too simple doesn’t it? Change the way you walk to work, change-up your morning routine, run on a new path in order to shift the energy in your life.

When we do the same thing, with the same people, at the same time, on the same day, we become secure in the everyday. And then, after some time, it creeps in. The thought of change becomes scary. Eventually even buttering our toast differently feels wrong and throws out our day.

There are benefits of habits. Discipline is great for achieving goals. But even discipline has room for movement, room for improvement. if we don’t change things up, things get stagnant. We feel stuck in a rut. We hit a plateau with our weight loss, with our training, with our career, sometimes even with life in general.

Now, I’m not talking about radically changing your life or routine. All it takes is small, subtle shifts in everyday things to change your energy and open it up to new opportunities for growth and expansion.

I am the first to admit that I am a creature of habit. I often have to remind myself to walk a different way to work, or change my nutrition (it’s easy to have the same thing for breakfast day in, day out) and sometimes, it takes someone else to say to me “hey, why don’t try that other park for your training run today?” to get me to shift out of my comfort zone. That change in running location meant that I was less focussed on the tired legs and puffing lungs and more into the experience of new surroundings. It was me out of my comfort zone in a whole other way to my fitness comfort zone. It was a beautiful and as a result, I ran faster and further than my previous attempt.

This weekend, I was teaching and normally I would jump in the car and drive across. Because my beloved had the car over the weekend, I needed to catch public transport to the college. It felt like a chore initially but I realised that it gave me some nice “relax time” in the morning, without having to concentrate on anything in particular. I even did a meditation on the train! I arrived at the college relaxed and ready to get into the day ahead. And while I was exhausted at the end of the day, I was still alert when normally I’d feel quite “peopled out” and be ready for some quiet me time.

What’s one small shift you can make today to change the energy of your day?

Here are some simple ideas to get you started:

• Stir your tea or coffee in the opposite direction
• Eat your toast from the bottom of the slice up instead of top down
• Have a shower before breakfast instead of after (or vice versa)
• Instead of getting a coffee on your way into the office, wait and go grab your coffee at 10am instead.
• Instead of eating your lunch in the tea room at work, go for a walk and sit in a park.

Write out your routine and choose one thing you can alter to give you a subtle shift in energy.

Then when you’re feeling more brave;

• Get a bold new hair cut
• Buy a shirt, scarf or skirt in a colour or style you would not normally buy
• Wear a different shade of lipstick you wouldn’t normally wear
• Buy a new cushion for the couch at home (buy one you’d normally not buy, something different to your normal, safe, comfort zone style).

Some of these may seem very simple, yes. But remember that the smallest changes can get you out of your comfort zone little by little and then when opportunities arise where you’d normally turn them down, you’ll already have exercised your “new experiences” muscle and it will feel less scary to accept the invitation.

Lather, rinse, repeat: I choose new experiences.

As always, download and save this Monday Mantra Image to your desktop or phone or print it and pin it somewhere you’ll see it. When you see it, say it. And if you know someone who would also benefit from this mantra, please share it.