The power of habit and routine should be utilised whenever possible. When we start on our journey towards healing and wellness we have to make a commitment to the journey, the effort it will take and the ups and downs that will inevitably be a part of it. Often when committing to a new routine it is appealing to create a multi faceted plan of action with several different goals in mind. However making things too ambitious from the get go can mean a higher chance of those goals not being realised. Take new years resolutions for instance; people are quick to make ambitious new years resolutions, but quickly lose the ability to follow through with them. Sometimes it is more worthwhile to start with a smaller manageable change which will mean a greater likelihood of sticking to the task at hand. The idea of making small changes as opposed to big ones is of course is nothing new, though it is always worth repeating.
Making a small commitment to this commitment can also be beneficial too - almost like a marker each day that indicates to yourself that you are still on this journey and are prepared to make a daily sacrifice to achieve your goals. This can be anything and you can get quite creative with it, but it is useful to do it immediately when you get up in the morning. Perhaps it could be looking in the mirror whilst saying affirmations out loud, it could be prayer, it could be writing something down or crossing the previous day off your calendar; it could be sitting in the garden for a few minutes and just breathing before you start your day, it could be looking at a photograph of a loved one. For me, I wanted to harness the power of imagery, which I think is a powerful tool for gaining perspective and motivation. I like the image of a kneeling medieval knight as it implies steadfast loyalty and gives a sense of gravitas. So as soon as I get out of bed in the morning I go down on one knee and recite the words 'rise and rise again until lambs become lions' which is a quote from the Ridley Scott film adaptation of Robin Hood (which itself is actually an adaptation of a poem by a guy called Maitreya the friend of all souls, who founded his own religion and was by all accounts a bit odd...good poem though). It might sound a bit geeky, but it's something that just reminds me everyday of where I've come from, how far I've come and also where I'm going.
Think of something yourself that will get you in a similar mindset. Make it something that has meaning to you. Try it today and see how it makes you feel.
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