three steps to maintain your routine
right now, more than ever perhaps, routines are important. they give us structure in a world where it feels like the scaffolding is falling, consistency at a time when each morning we wake up to whiplash, predictability when each day brings a new, and sometimes scary, surprise. but how is it possible to maintain a routine when the next day feels so uncertain? when you have to shift and pivot and alter and accommodate? the answer may be more simple than you may think. simple, however, doesn’t mean easy, especially when honesty, commitment, and determination are the glue for holding your routine together.
step 1. honesty | are you in alignment with your values?
this is the first step for a reason. ff the routine you are searching for is a routine you do not believe in or care about then it will be difficult to maintain. create a routine that aligns with your deepest, most sacred values. do you want to read more because the people you follow on social media always post pictures of what they’re reading? or are you driven to read because you want to deepen your experience of taking a new point of view? do you want to exercise every day because your circle is saying that you now have the time or is it because you want to be able to play ball with your kids and not feel winded afterwards? finding a routine that works means that you first align the action with the value. you bring honesty to the forefront and really ask yourself, Is this what matters to me? this will bring you one step closer to the consistency you are searching for.
step 2. commitment | have you written it down?
after you take time to evaluate whether or not the steps in your routine are in alignment with your values, now what? simple...write your newly discovered and intentional routine(s) down. this step makes it real. It concretizes what is swirling around in your head. writing your routine down is like a permission slip for commitment. now listen, even though this is a simple step, it often gets missed. why? because we want to avoid failure so we opt out of this commitment by leaving it optional. if it’s in our head, it’s optional. write it down, not as much. what truly makes it real is seeing it on paper. seeing it in the morning when we wake up, in the afternoon as we move through our day, and at night right before we float away into dreamland. opt in to commitment, write down your routine, and keep it somewhere you can see it.
step 3. determination | do you have an accountability partner?
this step is where your determination shines through. it’s where you get to share your commitment with someone you love, someone you trust, and someone you know who will hold your feet to the fire. choose an accountability partner. someone who will show understanding and compassion when you share that you missed the mark but they will also challenge you and call you UP to be your best self. humanity has achieved its greatest accomplishments through accountability. by turning to each other and asking for help we increase our chances of success. make sure you think long and hard about who this person will be because i promise you finding the right partner is just as important as the routine.
these steps are the map but it’s your honesty, commitment, and determination are the foundation. be honest with yourself each day, observing your successes and acknowledging your shortcomings. be committed to the journey. Understand that the process to establishing consistency may be long but the small changes you see in yourself and your choices is nectar that will constantly feed you. be determined because you deserve the structure and security that you wish for. you’ve got this!
want to watch dr. l explain directly. click here.
