Is it still January? Oye! Taking on change can take a lot of energy.
How is 2013 going? Are you doing more than you did in December?
That’s really what I’m after. More. Better. Different than what I was doing before.
I listened to a Michael Hyatt podcast that really helped me in my daily rock changing this week. It was called, "Change Your Story, Change Your Life" and talked about the stories we tell ourselves in our heads.
Be happy you’re not in my head..... I’ll spare you all of the craziness.
One thing I’ve been very open about is my lack of domestic engineering skills. I’m a horrible housewife. I've learned that I’m not lazy, I can work like heck on things I enjoy or get something out of, but I HATE cleaning my house. I could give tons of reasons and blame everyone and my mother, but I won’t. It doesn’t help get the house clean to blame others.
So, changing the story in my head about taking care of my house is proving to help me make little changes each day.
Here’s the old story in my head, "I’m a horrible housewife. I hate cleaning. When I do clean, little tornadoes (read: children and husband) come behind me and undo everything."
Here’s what I’ve been saying instead, “I may not enjoy keeping house, but I do enjoy having an orderly home.”
I guess it gives me the “why” that I need to be motivated. I’ve been doing a little each day to work on cleaning. I guess without even realizing it, I’ve added another rock to my daily juggling. (Bible reading, writing two days a week, getting rid of health-zapping foods, and now cleaning the house) And it feels natural!
How we talk to ourselves really does make a difference in our actions.
Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action; reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character reap a destiny
When I was in high school, I started doing musicals. I had never had dance lessons but we had a choreographer who made us say over and over, “I am a dancer and I love my body.” Telling myself I WAS a dancer while learning the choreography helped me to FEEL like a dancer. I honestly starting taking myself more seriously and taking care of myself better.
When I was training for my first marathon, I had to change my story from, “I'd only run if someone was chasing me with a knife” to “I AM a runner.” It helped me move from doing my first 5K in March to completing 26.2 miles in December.
What have you been telling yourself? What stories do you need to change? Share in the comments below and encourage others to share as well.
If you’d like to listen to the podcast and get more tips about changing your story, you can find it here:
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Luna
I've had to let go of how I really want things. After my 3rd child was done, it was either that, or drive everyone crazy (sadly, I chose the latter for a while). After #4 - forget about it. I've had to repeat Flylady's mantra, "housework done imperfectly still blesses your family"
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