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“I believe in doable and done over perfect and procrastinated.”
– Mia
At the end of every episode, I share 3 doable changes. Why? Doable changes are the key to all the big changes we want in our lives. And no matter how busy you are, doable changes work.
Often when we decide we want a change, we try to take on all the parts at once or try to take a giant leap from where we are that is too hard or unsustainable.
Then with a list in hand, of unchecked items, because we just made it 5 minutes ago, we start to feel overwhelmed or behind. That feeling does not help us take action.
For years, I craved change. I was constantly starting a million things, doing them half assed until I could no longer bear it, then hiding, then repeating. I felt like I was part of the movie Groundhog Day!
The problem was I’d try to change everything all at once, from what I ate to how I worked to my exercise routine — oh, and I would start at 5:45 am with meditation. Honestly, meditation was on my calendar for years! It tortured me, until I actually made it “doable.”
Now, instead of “trying” to make a million changes at once, each week there is one thing that I actually work on. By focusing on something each week, I have found that at the end of the year, I have a beautiful set of practices or habits that are genuinely mine.
You can develop new habits or practices too. Getting into FLOW doesn’t have to be daunting. You can make meaningful change in your life by choosing doable changes and committing to them.
We are going to focus on food and wellness this month. I thought I would share a few tangible examples of how some of these have played out in the food and wellness area.
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14 years ago, I needed a doable change to get healthy. I had gotten some advice to go raw vegan and basically detox. I really wanted to follow through but that really did not feel at all doable to a non-cook with 3 kids under 5. To make it doable, I ate basically the same things everyday for 3 months. That got me the food change I was looking for. Once I was eating a new way and had some health and energy changes, I was able to add in more variety, but I need to make it as simple as possible to make the change doable.
3 years ago, giving up alcohol was a doable change one week. I decided to not drink in any circumstance for one week. Of course that week there were a few tempting scenarios — a work party at my spouse’s work where I felt awkward, a very long day that I traditionally would have ended with a glass of wine, and a relaxed Sunday where my husband cracked open a cider. The “change” was really about riding the wave of discomfort when temptation arose. The second week, I chose a doable change for work while staying focused on alcohol. I had not made a choice not to drink ever, but I wanted to see what I could do with the discomfort. Sometimes a smaller window makes a change feel possible, and you can choose it again and again. Three years later, I am still alcohol free.
114 days ago, I made a commitment to do Qigong every day. I made it a doable change and it became effortless. It felt so great on my body and soul. I have done it almost daily since. A few weeks ago, I went on a family vacation and could not find the space to do it. The truth is, I could not find a quiet space inside with Internet connection. So this week, my doable change is to practice outside without a computer some days, so I have that as a tool too. I felt different on vacation. Everything feels better with my daily Qigong practice. I’m committed to it, now my practice needs to get looser and flexible.
Sometimes a doable change is finite. When we had Jadah Sellner on the show, one of the doable changes we shared really resonated with me. It was to make a self care menu. It was a small step I could take towards aligned self care in my current season. This was a step that was doable in a full week—and then it was done. A similar doable change was Jill Avey’s suggestion ot make a don’t list, while ending some things on the list took time, making the list could happen in one week. Other finite doable changes are get out in nature during the week, make a stress list, have a moon ceremony, get better roasting pans. These have all been doable changes that I made happen by defining in an easily actionable way and fitting them into my plan for the week.
There are also doable changes that I always come back to. Hydration, meditation, regular social media posting and exercise are examples of these. I feel like I encounter obstacles or a season changes or I change, and I need to figure out how to make that thing doable again, even if it felt like a pretty settled habit. My brain tries to tell me that I should not need to focus on this thing again, but when I take the time to make it doable in my current season, the change feels like way less effort. I actually just got a glass half gallon container that has made tracking water so easy in this season where I can’t seem to remember what I did an hour ago!
The great thing about doable changes is they work for whatever kind of change you want. Not sure where to start or what to do? Start with how you want to feel and what would help you feel that next week.
We have a huge collection of doable changes in our collection. You can listen to just about any episode of the podcast and find three options of simple steps you can take to help you make change in your health and wellness, food, work, or other parts of your life.
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