#30 - This time is The right time: 6 reasons why

Fresh starts are like magic.
Tabula rasa. A clean sweep.
Those times when we believe in possibilities that we used to scoff at, deny or doubt entirely.

I recently wanted so badly to implement a daily athletic routine. This desire for hygiène du sport was nothing new, and yet, I’ve never managed to implement it and to commit to it in the long term. Since my last unsuccessful attempt I have been thinking (no, dreaming) of starting again.

The fresh start happened four days ago. And for the last four days, I’ve showed up to practice. Yay me!
But the real satisfaction lies in my knowing that this time is the time, the perfect shot. How can I be so sure? 

Here are the 6 reasons why this time I will sustain this momentum in the long run.

1. I told a good friend that I would start my routine the following Monday. This friend, who takes me for my word, quickly replied: “Wow… I admire your decisiveness. I wish I could be like this.”
   Oops. Now I really don’t want to disappoint myself by disappointing him.
   Sharing your commitment with somebody who looks at you with a sparkle in their eyes is reinforcing your own engagement.
   Power of accountability.
   Who are YOU accountable to?
   
2. The fruit was ripe… no credits for this. Don’t worry if you are desperately waiting for that momentum, nature teaches us that no fruit has ever not fallen down—all fruit must ripen and fall from its tree.
   Being prepared for that moment is your job.
   If you aren’t, you risk missing the call and ending up rotten in the grass… longing for the next season.
   Power of season.
   When is YOUR season?
   
   
3. One secret ingredient that no doubt contributed to this process of ripening was that I’d visualized myself exercising for some days, during my meditation, before eventually taking action in real life.
   Power of visualization.
   What are YOU visualizing?
   
   
4. The first days were decisive. Four days in a row was really nothing, an almost laughable landmark. And yet I found so much pride in that achievement, it empowered me to keep going. Allow yourself to feel proud of all progress, even the most miniscule milestones, and draw energy from them to keep moving forward.
   Power of traction.
   How do you handle YOUR traction? 
   
   
5. Because I so desired to become an unstoppable practitioner, I was susceptible to looking too far ahead… like, a full year ahead. Here I managed myself by setting a shorter deadline. Instead of committing to the full year (which was what I truly aspired to), I said to myself I will practice every day for a cycle of thirty days. Thirty felt like a challenge, but was still divisible by smaller, more manageable cycles of five, seven, ten days. I assumed that after these first thirty days it would be far less difficult to continue my pursuit, because thirty days renewed twelve times looks far less daunting than 365 days.
   Power of reachability.
   How do you manage YOUR goal’s reachability?
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6. In the end, the ingredient which caused the most significant shift, for me, was overcoming complexity. After many attempts at taming and shaping this task, I finally found my no-brainer element.
   Complexity is the enemy of Action. So I searched for one—and only one—yoga routine video (simplicity again; I chose Yoga as its practice requires no specific equipment, and can be done wherever I am waking-up in the morning). I needed the perfect melange of duration, soundtrack, tempo, voice, and the teacher’s personality. Finding my match, this video was the best partner to sustain my will.
   Power of no-brainer.
   How can you foster YOUR routine to make it a no-brainer?
   

Now. What is the next habit you feel the urge to unfold? 

Revisit it, and implement it using these 6 powers.
You might get there faster than you imagined.
Customize your own powers, match them even more closely to your personal needs.

Now, you see, discipline is a non-issue.
Don’t use it as an excuse to resign to your inability to create the helpful, uplifting conditions that will push you toward your goal.

Start, again.
Fresh starts are magic.

P.S. I wrote this post on September 1st, 2021. If you do the math, it’s been 169 days of consecutive practice, without exception.
Power of proof.