“From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to sleep at night,
your habits largely control the words you say, the things you do and the way you react and respond. “ Brian Tracy
It’s what we do daily that controls our life.
I have worked to make my life full of good habits. I have my morning routine, I make my bed daily, I exercise regularly, I work on self-improvement, I have a house that gives me plenty of projects to complete, and I am part of a great community.
All that said, the year of lockdown has changed my habits.
It is funny how much of an effort it takes me to do something in the evening now.
Last night one of my favorite singer songwriters was live near me. I had planned to go. But I didn’t. At first, I forgot. Then I remembered, put my on my shoes and then I changed my mind again, I couldn’t get the energy to go.
That is not how I would have reacted if this had happened before COVID. I love to see what is happening around town. I am the type to find the music, art happenings and do them.
So, What was up with that?
This past year I have had to give up some of my favorite things. I was very well connected, I made the effort to socialize regularly. With the shutdown that all ended.
In the beginning I didn’t really believe it would be this long before the world would open up again. I had no reference, none of us did. Last March and April I just sucked it up and dealt with it. There was a lot of fear around Covid. This was new to pretty much everyone.
Most things went online.
I made the best of the situation. I met people on Zoom locally and globally. I kept pushing my thoughts to the positive. Thinking maybe this wasn’t that bad. There are lessons in everything. What do I need to learn? How long could this really last?
When June came and the world was still a mess. I realized that this wasn’t going to end quickly. I couldn’t just think about the future. Would the world ever get back to”normal” again?
I needed to start taking care of myself during this wacky time.
I knew the place to start was with my daily habits.
I started to get back to my morning routine.When I dressed for the day I decided to dress professionally during the week. I needed to differentiate the week days from the weekends. It was all blending together. I decided to make sure I knew the day and date. It helped me with managing my time.
I needed to get out of the house and away from my desk, regularly. Exercise.
That is when I started biking regularly. It has been a life saver. Not only has is gotten me out of the house regularly, I am stronger and faster, I feel good doing something for myself and I honor my commitment to myself.
I also think I love it because exercise is something I can control. I think the sense of control is a big factor with the feelings I was having. I no longer had choices that I wanted. No live music, No movies, No socializing, no random conversations with strangers.
I feel safer now that I am vaccinated and the world is starting to open up. The next question is how do I get my life back in order?
I am ready to add the things back into my life.
This will take some effort. My comfort zone over the last year has been my home. I need to think about how I will revive my life.
There will be an adjustment to get out in the world again.
Making changes is hard.
With some effort I will adapt. I remember how much I love live music, movies on the big screen, hugging friends, and having random conversations where ever I go. I do look forward to all of those things and more.
Don’t let the uncomfortable feelings stop you from living again. It takes some work to get out of your comfort zone. But it is well worth it.
I’m here to help. Send me an email at lesleykingempower.com.