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Are your habits / routines working?

Taking a look at what is serving you now....

What’s happening? I am over here trying to solve all of life’s mysteries… Today I wanted to talk to you about habits & routines - you know those things we do on “auto-pilot”. For example, one habit I have is I always wash my hands when I come home from the grocery store (and I did that WAAAY before there was a pandemic!). That’s a good habit.

String a number of good habits together and you end up with a great routine!

Now as a Feel Good Junkie, I’m all about creating and maintaining habits that make me feel good. Like my morning routine is a number of habits that I have developed over the years. They are all things that I enjoy doing, that take care of and nourish my body and my mind and they set me up for a great day. I consciously created those habits over the years so now, I don’t need to think about doing them - they are just part of the autopilot that runs Julie. :)

Even though I have a great life, I’m always looking for ways that I can make it even better. I am always curious about what makes me tick. I want to continue to grow, change and evolve into Julie 2.0, Julie 3.0, Julie 4.0 and beyond. There’s always more to learn, more to become aware of, and more that I can become as a result - which to me is pretty awesome!

For example, just recently I have been noticing how my weekends have NOT been in alignment with my goal of FEELING GOOD. You see, not too long ago I worked a regular 9-5 job, 40 hours a week (doing my coaching business on the side) and I would long for the weekends. Friday would come around and I would indulge in several glasses of wine - Hey! I deserved it! - then I would toss and turn all night and wake up with a splitting headache and an upset stomach. I would spend most of my precious Saturday recovering on the couch, only to do the same thing again on Saturday night! Of course, I had plenty of friends joining in on the debauchery… all of us “blowing off steam” from the week.

But things have changed. I have changed. Now - I work for me. I do the work that I love. I have a loving supportive partner, friends and family around me. I am financially stable. I feel good about myself. I feel absolutely amazing Monday - Friday like never before in my life. So why am I still doing the same things most weekends?

I realized that I’m literally being WEAKENED by my WEEKENDS!!! And it’s all because the weekend partying has been my habit, my routine for years.

When this first hit me I thought, “But wait, what will I do for fun? What will I do to relax? How will I ‘reward’ myself for the week?” I sat myself down and pulled out my trusty journal and began answering those questions. I found that by being SUPER honest with myself the things that were fun, that helped me relax and felt like a reward had NOTHING to do with partying. They were once again, the things that make me feel good. Here’s a few things I wrote down:

  • Watching a funny movie and laughing until I cry

  • Sharing a fabulous nutritious meal with family & friends

  • Playing dice games, board games, etc.

  • Completing projects around the house

  • Repotting plants in the garden

  • Going for a long hike up in the mountains

  • Going for a bike ride and looking at homes

  • Having a proper make-out session with my partner ;)

I also realized that I am blocking even more goodness that can come into my life by sticking with this old routine. My weekends can be whatever I CHOOSE - not what the old me used to do. Now, I’m not condemning anyone that loves to party on the weekends - you do you. I’m just saying that I have some new found awareness around what is and isn’t working for ME because again my goal is, I want to feel good. It’s not to say I’ll never have a party weekend again - but next time I will consciously choose it and the consequences that follow.

Now, what habits and routines do you do on autopilot that don’t make you feel good? Those things you’ve done for years that maybe don’t match up with the “new” you now or the new you you’d like to become? Think about it, get some awareness around when you’re feeling good and when you’re not and you’ll likely find a habit or a routine that could use a facelift - or the “heave ho” so you can replace it with something else… Something better, something healthier, something that serves you rather than drains you.