Try these 4 simple shifts in your morning or evening routines to make more of your regular days great ones. No, of course it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but you might say "Damn, I'm good!" more often.
1. Make a decision. Stop making the assumption that your day will end with some feeling of disappointment or frustration. This becomes a subconscious habit over time. While you do not have control over all aspects of your day, you DO have control over your responses. This includes your emotions and how you perceive yourself at the close of each day. Ahem! Quit beating yourself up for not being perfect all day.
*Make a positive declaration about something you could look forward to each day (perhaps while getting dressed).
2. Support your decision with good habits. Consider that things you do regularly may be derailing your ability to make good days. Identify when/where in your days you experience any habitual bad feelings.
Then create one good habit at a time. You may decide not to replace a "bad" habit but instead to add in something new. Pick ONE habit for the next month and strive for improvement in your action and mood. This shouldn't be hard, since you've likely been thinking about these for years... Maybe it's reading 5 min of something positive, regular exercise or breakfast, not listening to bitchy radio in the car, or something else. Get creative, get it scheduled (if needed), and get it done.
*Don't let your Inner Perfectionist Demon pipe up here, just pick something easy you can shift that will help your days flow better, or you to feel better. Shifting the balance one notch at a time works better for most than abrupt change, but do what work best for you. Just like compounding pennies, BABY STEPS COUNT!
*If you really can't pick one thing, get a friend, accountability partner or coach to help you see your options and assumptions.
3. Be nice to yourself. Remember how "Rome wasn't built in a day"? Neither was a fabulous morning or evening routine. Start appreciating the many good things about yourself more often. Fortunately, the more you make these simple shifts, the better you will feel. Eventually momentum will help you, but in the beginning it will probably be hard to be consistent. We all know that stumbling with a new habit is normal, so remind yourself of this as often as it takes.
*Identify one thing at the end of each day that you are happy about, grateful for, or proud of. Once that is easy, work up to noting 3 or 5 every night (mentally, verbally, or in a journal if you like).
When you take control of your morning and evening routines, even if the middle is one crazy disaster after another, you already determined the mood for the start and finish. This means never having to suffer another "bad" day!
4. Keep going. Good habits flow into good routines. Good routines set the structure for great days. Keep things as simple and consistent as you can realistically do, and over time you'll realize how these shifts have added up to a better quality of life. Be proud of yourself!
As a simple example, I drink a liter of water every morning before I eat or drink anything else. It took me about 2 years of half-ass tracking, then real commitment to make it a daily habit. Now it is just part of my normal morning, like brushing my teeth. I've added a handful of these small gems into my days. They started as items on my "When Things Work List" which includes existing and intended habits. I am proud of myself for sticking with this process and reaping the many benefits of intentional daily habits. (Next up for me is meditation. It's been awhile with this one too, but I'm still working on it!)
To your continued success,
Heather A Legge
Executive Moxie Coach
www.EnvisionSuccessInc.com