~This week’s Petites Pensées Lundi is a bit less petite, but none the less, an idea that has been bouncing around in my mind, and I wanted to share to provide encouragement if you too are seeking inspiration to make a positive change in your life.

“Greatness, in the last analysis, is largely bravery – courage in escaping from old ideas and old standards.” —James Harvey Robinson, historian

The Setting:

• Lieu: A trail winding through towering Ponderosa Pine trees and Western Larches, the latter’s needles having turned brilliant gold and putting on their annual beauty show
• Thé/drink: hot lemon water
• Des Sons: (the idea) The splattering of a downpour of rain that joined us as we ran and walked, our constant companion. Nelle’s tiny paws melodically slapping the paved trail next to me.

If you’ve ever taken a walk in the snow, staying on the well-worn path provides ease and swift forward movement. However, when you see that the path is heading away from your desired destination – away from the ability to see the gorgeous view of the skyline or back safely to your vehicle to return you home -necessitating a change is a must.

Taking the first step onto a new trail happens quickly and easily, but then you sink down into the unbothered snow. Each forward progress requires great effort and focus so that you don’t fall over or become stuck. And if the snow is deep enough, snow might tumble down inside your boots if the laces or buckles aren’t snug.

All of this is to say, starting a new path takes intention, effort and time. Yes, the worn snow path will lead you swiftly somewhere, but likely you already know exactly where that will be and you will also likely pass fellow walkers who similarly want the same ease of exploration. But is that somewhere where you want to end up?

When you know that the current path it isn’t working for you or won’t lead you where you know you want to eventually arrive, making a change of course is required for a change in the outcome.

As soon as we embark on taking establishing a new way of living (big or small or anything in between) that we hope will become a habit to support the life we want to live, that initial hope spurs the adrenaline in our first efforts. But then, the adrenaline wanes (which is healthy as constant adrenaline would cause damage to our physical well-being) and we have to find motivation to continue. I would like to share with you five ingredients that will help to maintain the motivation needed to acquire the new habit you seek.

I recently began changing up my fitness routine to include one day each week when I would run at least two miles of a three or four mile outdoor running trail (with Nelle as my companion) instead of solely walking which I have done for decades every single day. The first run was excruciating – my lungs burned and after the run my achilles tendons ached. But . . . I knew what I was doing was a good thing. Two and a half months later we’re still running once a week, and I am now able to run more than two miles each time. AND! I am beginning to look forward to running because it is becoming easier as I am noticing slight improved physical abilities. Beyond the physical benefits, mentally, it is therapeutic, and that, at the end of my week provides a wonderful opportunity to decompress, be fully present and challenge my body in a constructive way. So, how have I been able to stick to this even though I am not necessarily someone who enjoys running? Let’s take a look at the five ingredients that have helped me change the mental script I had about my ability to run regularly, even though I knew it would be a beneficial change.

How to make new defaults involves a handful of factors for success:

1. Clarity about WHY you want to make the change. It must be intrinsically for you to live an improved way of life, not for external approval.
2. Ensure some aspect is enjoyable (for me it was running outdoors on beautiful trails alongside Nelle who is happy as a clam to run and explore off leash)
3. Be patient and consistent. Don’t do too much and exhaust yourself so that you don’t continue. The change you seek will take time to arrive if it is going to remain as a part of your life’s habits and be something you eventually look forward to doing. (In my case, I attempted to run twice a week for the first couple of weeks, but that was too much. Once for a significant distance works perfectly.)
   
   • Patience: The beautifully frustrating part about patience is that nothing will change for some time, until all of a sudden the change seems to happen in a blink of an eye. In fact, initially because you don’t notice the incremental changes you are making, you will question why you are doing what you are doing. But remember that we have become an immediacy seeking culture and expect things to arrive as soon as we conceive of the idea. A plane takes off in order to arrive at its destination thousands of miles away. While en route, the landscape below may be all clouds or ocean for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not making progress. Keep taking each step, repeat, repeat, repeat and all of a sudden, you will do something you’ve been doing for ages and notice that the change has happened – you will be able to hold that yoga pose with ease, button your jeans without a struggle, your thoughts become liberated from judgment or negativity, or you wake-up with a clear mind and clear skin every morning eager to begin the day.
     
   • Consistency: Choose a time to embrace this new habit that has significance and finds you with energy reserved to do it and not tag-out due to exhaustion or lack of enjoyment. In my case, I initially chose Sunday morning for my weekly run, but realized I missed my Sunday long walks with the pups as that is a treasured ritual. On top of that, since I run only with Nelle (we walk with Norman for our cool down loop), I just didn’t feel great about letting go of a long established Sunday ritual with both of them. So I moved my run to Friday mornings, the end of my work week, as a way to punctuate that when the run is complete, the work week is complete! And that gives me added inspiration to go into the weekend with a feeling of accomplishment not only for my work production but health as well.
     
4. Give yourself a reward after the first month of sticking to your new habit. A reward that supports your new habit. I purchased a new pair of running leggings.
5. When you eventually do witness changes whether in your ability to do the new habit physically or your mental shift in enjoying it a bit more, or seeing the outcomes emerge that you had hoped would, celebrate verbally to yourself. Congratulate yourself and for a moment, reflect on where you began. By taking time to acknowledge your growth, you are strengthening your self-confidence and reminding yourself that you can do things that initially appear difficult. This will positively influence your entire life.

Whatever new default you would like to create, just know that it is possible, and including the above five ingredients will certainly help to prove your efforts to be fruitful. The change won’t happen immediately, and that is actually a good thing, but your approach for making the change need not be excruciatingly painful or unenjoyable. Being thoughtful and applying your self-knowledge regarding what will be motivating and appealing to maintain encouragement to keep at it for you alone will determine not only whether you acquire the new habit, but your ability to maintain it for years to come. You’ve got this. 😌

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