Alignment over Effort

You might be thinking, “Wait, what? Building new habits has always felt like a TON of work.” And it absolutely can feel that way, and has been for a great many folks, I’ll give you that. Changing behaviors isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s one of the hardest things we humans aspire to do, from personal habits to big systems change.

Big systems change aside (that’s a topic for another day…), what if shifting those personal habits could be easier?

Think about it this way: You’re trying to lose weight, so you clear the cabinets of all processed foods (whoop!) and stock the fridge with enough broccoli to last a month (happy little trees) and tell yourself you are hitting the gym 5 mornings a week, minimum. (Even though you hate the gym. And aren’t a morning person. At all.)

Two weeks later you’re staring at the now brown and slimy broccoli in the fridge (ah, nuts..sad, squishy trees) while eating a toaster pastry (…those are just so tasty and easy and…) lamenting the money wasted on the gym you’ve only been to once (at night) because getting there in the morning just isn’t working.

Sound familiar to anybody? (*Yep*)

It makes sense that lofty goals don’t always pan out – especially if they don’t align with what makes you tic.

So what if it went more like this: You’re trying to lose weight (still true) so you clear the cabinets of many processed foods, yet build the ones you really truly enjoy (hello, toaster pastries in moderation) into your plan and stock the fridge with just the produce you’ll eat in the next few days (and enough frozen broccoli steamer bags for a month for the days when time of short). As for the gym? Na. You hate the gym. You’re gonna workout at home, either walking outside (since you LOVE being outside) or with an exercise video. Starting with three days a week (totally doable) and building from there.