Notes-vember Day 4

Hey Sweeties,

Today is Day 4 of Notes-vember! I hope everyone’s day started on a positive note and hope the day continues with positivity. How has your daily routine been going since starting Notes-vember? Does it make your day better? Does it feel you added something extra to your day that you don’t want to do? Or are you still having difficulty picking up the habit?

Habits

There are so many things said about habits out there that we don’t know what to believe. For example, I read that it takes 21 days to form a habit. At the same time, somewhere else says that it can take 18 to 254 days to develop a routine and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. There is also a 21/90 rule, where it’s said to take 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to make a permanent lifestyle change.

Whatever the case is or however long it takes to form a habit, build a routine, or make a permanent lifestyle change, you can do it. We’re all different, and we all have a different lifestyle than someone in our family, friends, or colleagues.

How I feel about habits and routines, I live a hectic life. Even though I no longer work a 9 to 5, I still have a husband, five children, and a dog. I run a business, and I’m a YouTube content creator. There was one point in my life where I worked two jobs, ran my business, created content for YouTube, and still handled my business as a Mother and a Wife. I said that to say this–habits and routines came to me naturally, so did change. Very few things stayed precisely the same while I had all that going on, but I always left room for things to change and error. Not that I planned for the worst, but I made myself available to act immediately. Where I could drop what I was doing to move as I had to, I’m not saying change and building a routine is easy. What I’m saying is, YOU CAN DO IT.

Obstacles

We all have obstacles in life. There are those “when it rains, it pours” times, but you have to push through that. Those obstacles are just speed bumps. Speed bumps are there to slow you down because you need to slow down. If you don’t slow down, you may miss or forget something. So take that time to slow down and put your entire focus on how to make it work rather than getting upset and giving up.

Motivation

The most important thing has been to take a step back and define what time well spent actually means for me–and not because I’m comparing myself to others.

Anne-Laure Le Cunef

• We always need to step back, no matter how many times in a day, week, or month. Stepping back to see what you have going on and reminding yourself of what you want to have going on will keep you on your path. It will make choosing at the fork in the road less stressful. Stepping back means to sit, take a deep breath, and think about your current situation.
• Instead of comparing yourself or situation to someone else’s, analyze it. As long as you’re doing it as a way to prepare. Leave all the whys and hows of someone else’s result out because yours is going to be different. Your decisions are going to be different and your moves are going to be different. Remind yourself that your situation is different no matter how similar it may seem to the situation you’re analyzing. What you can learn from someone else’s experience is what not to do. Then again, how will you learn. Mistakes are one way we learn. Don’t let analyzing run the show. There is also a such thing as over analyzing. This can create more fear and distress.

Reflection

• Think about how you use your time throughout the day. Think about how much time you take for yourself, for your family. How do you feel your time was spent?
• If you have this habit, think about how much you sit and compare yourself to someone else or your situation to someone else’s situation.
• Are you prepared to make mistakes? Did analyzing the situation make you a little less fearful in making that move?

When you sit down to relax and reflect on your day, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that habits and routines take time; it’s not an overnight event. You aren’t any less of a good, productive, or positive person just because it takes a little longer to get into the rhythm of things.

Remember to analyze, not compare yourself or your situation to others. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Both yours and the “greener” lawn need to be maintained. It’s about what it takes to maintain that lawn. If you feel their lawn is beautiful, think about what they had to do or go through to get there. It takes work and focus. That all starts with YOU. What they do to maintain their lawn may not be what your lawn needs.

You have to be ready to make mistakes. We’re all human, and we all make mistakes. We make them, and we learn from them. They guide us and help us show those we’re are raising and teaching. So even as you teach, teach that not all things will go as planned. That even with preparation, mistakes are still made, and lessons are here for learning.