With colder weather and shorter days, I find it a little easier to sink back into the couch, a little easier to say no rather than yes, and a little easier to say "it can wait." All the momentum from the summer slows. As much as I love the changing of the leaves and wearing cozy fall clothes, I tend to have this mental shift- almost a resignation that winter is coming and I should hunker down.
But why be so passive, why not seize the day, why not overcome this feeling? Rather than allowing ourselves to fall into bad habits, let's CHOOSE to fall into good ones.
So each week, let's choose to do something small but meaningful. Something to bring a little light into our days as the days get shorter. Something to bring a little warmth to our days as the days get colder. This is not a challenge so much as it is an invitation. Challenging you implies that I do not think you can do it, but an invitation implies that I hope you can. So, each Monday for the next several autumn weeks, I will invite you to integrate a little something into your days for that week. Now if you choose to keep up with these little somethings into the next week, fabulous! If you choose to let that new little thing slip away the next week, that's fine too. It's about moving in a better direction and doing it with intention. Not just because I said to do this, that, or the other, but because you think this new little habit adds value to your life.
Are you with me?
I have some ideas for these good habits, but you can always comment below or email me if you have your own suggestions for little changes we can make to bring some value into our lives.
So without further ado...
Let's Fall into Good Habits #1: Show gratitude to those around you. Send a hand-written letter to someone you do not thank nearly enough. Send an email with the Subject: Thank you to someone you appreciate for just being who they are. Text a friend telling them how awesome they are. Phone a family member or friend just to tell them how much they mean to you. Thank your regular barista, your dry cleaner, your yoga instructor, the guy who always makes your deli sandwiches, or whoever you cross paths with nearly every and tell them just how much you appreciate the work they do.
The notes can be sweet, the conversations can be brief. Just getting the message out is the important part. We rarely take the time to show our appreciation to those who mean the most to us. I remember agonizing over "thank you" notes to graduate program interviewers during the application process. What type of "thank you" note, what color of paper, what tone of note, what color of envelope? How silly it seems in retrospect. I would give anything to take that time back and write my very own grandmother a thank you note for just being an amazingly awesome grandma.
So give this a try, see how it goes. You may feel awkward at first, but just think about how wonderful you will make those other people feel. Think about how you just may put a smile on their faces.
Cheers to fall and to falling into good habits.
