It’s been six-ish weeks since I promised myself I’d do tadasana every day for a year. I was sporadic about it during December. I count that as a win because of the holidays. It’s difficult enough to keep up with regular habits during those times.
Starting a new habit is generally not the thing to do when you’re in the midst of not-the-usual stressors. Then again, I tell my clients “there’s never a good time.” I’m not a fan of resolutions and waiting for some special moment to make a change.
Change is there for you any day and life is short. If you can practice even when it’s difficult, you’ve got it made. The trick is finding the balance between every-day difficulties and more difficult difficulties. You’ll pick the right time to start when you’re in what experts call the “pre-contemplation” stage of habit change.
I did 22/31 days of January. Seventy percent. Hmm. Not bad. My longest stretch was 14 days during the last half of the month. It was three days on, a day or so off, then four days off, then a few days off. This is completely normal.
Sometimes one can beat one-selves up for not being perfectly consistent every day. That’s all-or-nothing thinking which is a slippery slope to quitting from discouragement. The perfect becomes the enemy of the good.
One needs to give credit to one’s self whenever credit is due. Thoughts become feelings so good thoughts are needed. Especially, when it’s true that you picked yourself up and kept going. Quitting is the 100% way to not making change. Carrying on with carrying on is victory! You’re tenacious. You’re doing it. Doesn’t matter how long you took a break. Here you are! Feel good about yourself for it.
I always say consistency is better than volume when it comes to habits – that’s why they’re called habits 🙂 . The 80/20 principle applies. If you can do something 80% of the time one will be successful in sticking with it. February is shorter, so I have less days to get my 80%. Lucky it’s a leap year? I haven’t been the best at tweeting about details every day. Daily updating isn’t the point though. Accountability is key. I can do better this month. Onward!