I have a bad habit of inconsistency. I start projects or goals with so much gusto, so much energy but usually, I fall off in a matter of weeks. I’m very consistent in my inconsistency too as I’ve had this bad habit for years (decades really). Here are a few examples: I started meditating daily a few months ago. I was doing great, hitting streaks in my meditation app and feeling calm, centered, and positive. Then something happened (who knows what it was – but I was probably sick or missed a night) and bam, the streak was broken and I was out of sync. Now, a normal person would probably just start back, but this is a hard concept for me to grasp so instead I just quit meditating altogether. I haven’t even opened that app since.
Exercise is another one that I do this with ALL THE TIME. I will start with a routine or a plan, and I’ll get – maybe 3-4 weeks and then something will happen and I’ll miss a day, or I’ll get sick, or go on vacation or…you get the idea…and I’m off track and out of sync and I just can NOT get back into it. I have a mental block that keeps me from just jumping back in without panic, without overly worrying, without breaking down. It’s annoying and I’ve realized it needs to stop.
Problem Meet Solution
Okay…so I’ve admitted my problem, that’s the first step, right? Next comes the plan – it’s called the Respawn. Yes, that’s based on video games where when your character dies you can come back to life at a checkpoint, the last place you finished or leveled up. I got this idea from Nerd Fitness, the group I’m a part of online for Health and Wellness and all things Geeky, but I never really took the idea to heart or thought much about it…because at the time I heard about it I was IN IT, I was on track and things were going GREAT! Now they are not.
So, I’m going back to when things were ON for various things I want to get back to including exercise, meditation, some self-care stuff I let slide, and nutrition (eating my veggies mostly). I’m looking at where I was and what was working. Using the meditation app and a timer, for instance. Or using my 8 Minutes in the Morning book (which has a plan for exercise with moves and a journal). Or using my cuticle balm and hand cream while watching Jessica Jones before bed. Or cutting up veggies and keeping them in a baggie or Tupperware in the fridge so they’re ready for a quick grab and go lunch or snack.
Solution = Plan
Next…actually plan these things back into my week slowly. Pick one I want to add back in, add it to my online To-Do app or write it in my daily planner and just start. Then pick another one and do the same thing. But here’s where it gets tricky, for me, I get worried because I fall off so many times – I was serious when I said the only thing I’m consistent with is my inconsistency – it’s true, I fall off and I stay off. That’s why I’m implementing a Respawn policy: It’s okay to fall off as long as you come back, always and as many times as you need to, just remember to keep track of where you level up or hit a checkpoint so you don’t start over at Level 1.
Here’s the truth – you never truly have to start all the way over from Square One – because you know things now, you have the experience (even if it was only 1-2 weeks or heck, even a few days you know things now – maybe you know what didn’t work and that’s good information too!). If I can remember that and keep that in mind when I start then I don’t overwhelm myself because I will fall off, it’s just in my nature – I get derailed over little things and instead of fighting that, I will try to work with it.
How About You?
Do you need to Respawn with anything? Do you need to start over with a goal or habit that you dropped off or out of? Let me know in the comments and we can help each other, I could even help you brainstorm some ways to get back on track – or tell me where you Leveled Up or what “checkpoint” you’ve already hit and let’s see what we can do to get things back in the groove!
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