Treelife Coaching

discipline ain't easy

Falling off the wagon…back on the wagon — I often get confused with this expression that I most often hear used in conjunction with the consumption of alcohol.  When I hear “wagon” I always picture taking a hayride.  I know, I know — the ones who have fallen off the wagon are the ones who are derailed from their discipline, whatever it is.  But, aren’t the ones on the wagon the friends in flannel shirts snuggled up on haystacks sipping something spiked?  Being on the wagon sounds like so much more fun.

Speaking of wagon, how is your 30-day challenge going?  The grapevine tells me the gyms are packed.  The bank seemed busy today — no doubt folks are dutifully opening savings accounts and getting their finances in order as they promised on Jan. 1.  And, I can imagine The Container Store has a run on… just about everything.  Has your chosen 30-day action started to feel like a habit yet?

I do a 30-day challenge often, and I use it in two ways.  The first way is getting back on the wagon with something that used to be a habit.  It’s helped me kick-start good general upkeep kinds of tasks — like making my bed in the morning or drinking enough water — that have fallen out of my daily life for one reason or another.  The 30-day rule plays a welcomed trick on my brain because I’m not telling myself, “I’ll do this forever.”  I’m just saying, “I’ll do it for 30 days.  Then I can quit if I want to.” In the meantime, my action is slowly becoming habitual, and continuing after 30 days is much, much easier than starting on day 1.  Which is to say, if you started a 30-day challenge on January 1st, you’ve already done the hard part.

I also think it’s fun to use the 30-day challenge for something I want to try on for awhile, but not necessarily adopt.  When used that way, I get a real taste of something to see if it’s right for my life before I make a longer commitment.  For example, maybe I want to try being a vegetarian or getting up an hour earlier in the morning or keeping a journal.  30 days in a row allows me to truly test whatever it is, and notice the impact it has on my life, judgment-free. There’s no voice that says, “you should be a vegetarian.”  Rather, it feels more like a game — and it raises my awareness around what’s best for me.  What am I noticing?  Do I like this?  How is it affecting me and my life?

As much as I wholeheartedly believe in the power of setting intentions, I don’t want to make empty promises.  With many things, there is a fine  line.  Sometimes a bit of simple structure like making a check-mark in my dayplanner for 30 days to track a newly-forming habit helps me make my intentions real versus them being just a nice idea.  Tracking success — even with the smallest of tasks — is a great motivator.

For those of you who are 14 days in, congratulations!  I’m reminded of a favorite quote from one of my clients who, when asked how she was progressing on a difficult goal, said,  “I’m almost at the 50-yard-line…but I’m not tired.” Discipline is a tricky thing…and can be so rewarding. For those of you who missed January 1st or have fallen off the wagon — I challenge you to start a new 30-day habit tomorrow.  After all, every day is the 1st day of the rest of our lives.