Photo Credit: Greg Wake
In my last post, I shared my recent discovery of an area of life that, as a result of past painful experiences, I’d braced against and walled out. I decided to tear that wall down.
Initially, it was easy. Riding high on the exhilaration of exciting change, I allowed myself to embrace the good parts I’d been missing. When a sense of fear or foreboding reared, I immediately noticed and recommitted to my decision. It was quite effective.
As days passed, and the novelty wore off, I repeatedly caught myself reverting back to walled-in status. I had nothing new to protect against and I wasn’t waffling in my decision to tear the walls down.
I kept falling back to that walled-in place because I’d practiced it for so long that it had become a habit. The good news is that habits work both ways.
I’m building new habits now. When I wake up, I remind myself of my decision, why I made it and how it benefits me and others. Throughout the day, I revisit and reinforce my decision. I pay attention to what my mind is doing. Instead of allowing it to traverse the map of wayward thought and emotion, I task it on thoughts and things that serve me. It works (it has always worked). The frequency of my old habitual thoughts have diminished and new, empowering, vibrant thoughts are taking over.
Walls and habits aren’t built overnight.
Real change demands a decision followed by consistent action.
What one new habit would materially improve your life?
Let’s make it happen.
~ Cynthia
Just been reading Marianne's book, and the two of you are definitely on the same page. I have a little more resistance to tear down, but I'll get there when I am suppose to. xo
Dear Cynthia,
I applaud your courage at not only committing to making a change but staying focused. I know from my own experience (and those shared by people in my workshops) that it is so hard to stay on track–especially when, as you pointed out, the novelty wears off.
It is scary to go to a new place or embrace a new way of looking at life. It is hard to get off the merry-go-round of negative thoughts. It doesn't happen over night–but you are proof that it can happen!
Wow ! Have been thinking on these lines too……….. 🙂 Thanks for the superb post Cynthia ! 🙂
Nabanita – I know you’re up to great change!
Well done…standing ovation here. Tis not an easy task to change a habit it takes patience and perserverance to succeed. I once did a study on patterning of change and habit reform and this is what I found out. The sceenario was simple to change the way clothes were pegged on the line. It was exciting to change the way they were pegged the first week. It took determination to continue the same way the second week. The third week I had to focus to continue. The fourth week the teeth were gritted as the task was done. It takes 30 days to change a habit was the hypothesis I was testing. I had completed the allocated days and succeeded but and here is the finale kicker…if you were not thinking aobut what you were doing and were in a hurry…you automatically pegged the original way. So I proved to myself that you still have to focus on what you are doing as it was so easy to let emotions get in the way of patterning. SO AGAIN I SAY YOU ARE TO BE COMMENDED: AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK YOU HAVE STARTED….
Time to rebuild
I’ve kept them down ever since I wrote this post.