What To Do When You Fall Off the Intention Wagon
Being intentional is awesome. Fun. Exciting. Adventurous. And makes you want to continue being more and more intentional every day.
Until you fall off the wagon.
You go on vacation.
Or get sick.
A holiday comes up that's whole purpose seems to be eating Cadbury eggs and pancakes and all things you have "given up".
You are faced with something that looks "more exciting" than the thing you are being intentional about.
We've all been there.
You run outside for 5 straight days and then it rains or snows and your "I'll run again when it isn't muddy" ends up lasting 3 weeks, then 3 months, and you wonder where the time has gone.
You decide to start eating healthy and you do well for 2 days then suddenly you are all out of willpower. And after that pizza and ice cream binge you tell yourself it's all over. I will never be a healthy eater. Ever. I might as well just eat whatever I want.
Or you say you'll clean house after you get over your colds and flu. But man that stuff lingers. And before long you are kicking dust bunnies out of the way just to get to the couch.
"They" say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but it seems like it only takes an instant to break those good patterns you've established for yourself.
Why is it so hard to get back on the intentional wagon after just one meal, just one cold, just one rainy week? Why is it that we throw in the towel so quickly and easily? How do we cut ourselves some slack when we fall short, yet motivate ourselves to do the things we know we should do (and things we really want to do yet don't have the motivation for!)?
These are the things I've been mulling around since Rand and I came home from Mexico, two and a half weeks ago.
We had done so well to hike a new trail every week of the calendar year. In Mexico we even made a point to walk the beach every day. And in San Diego we took a long walk along the harbor.
But when we came home with colds and the flu, we hung up our hiking boots and didn't look at them again. Week 1 it was easily justifiable not to go for a hike. But by week 2 the cold sweats and body aches were gone. Yet "being sick" was still our excuse not to hit the trails. Our energy was low. But was it getting any better laying on the couch?
Finally this week I decided that the only way to get back on the wagon of weekly hikes was to simply make the decision and do it. To not ask myself how I was feeling or if I wanted to go. To not ask about the weather report or look at our busy schedule. But to be intentional about doing the thing I want to do.
And so that's what we did!
Were we tired? Yes! Did we come home infested with ticks? Yes! But were we glad we went? Absolutely!
The thing about being intentional is that it is something you have to choose each and every day. Sometimes each and every hour. It doesn't matter if you've been doing something for 21 days or 21 years, you still get to choose what you do, how you spend your time, the life you want to live, each and every day. And I, for one, want to choose well.
Until you fall off the wagon.
You go on vacation.
Or get sick.
A holiday comes up that's whole purpose seems to be eating Cadbury eggs and pancakes and all things you have "given up".
You are faced with something that looks "more exciting" than the thing you are being intentional about.
We've all been there.
You run outside for 5 straight days and then it rains or snows and your "I'll run again when it isn't muddy" ends up lasting 3 weeks, then 3 months, and you wonder where the time has gone.
You decide to start eating healthy and you do well for 2 days then suddenly you are all out of willpower. And after that pizza and ice cream binge you tell yourself it's all over. I will never be a healthy eater. Ever. I might as well just eat whatever I want.
Or you say you'll clean house after you get over your colds and flu. But man that stuff lingers. And before long you are kicking dust bunnies out of the way just to get to the couch.
"They" say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but it seems like it only takes an instant to break those good patterns you've established for yourself.
Why is it so hard to get back on the intentional wagon after just one meal, just one cold, just one rainy week? Why is it that we throw in the towel so quickly and easily? How do we cut ourselves some slack when we fall short, yet motivate ourselves to do the things we know we should do (and things we really want to do yet don't have the motivation for!)?
These are the things I've been mulling around since Rand and I came home from Mexico, two and a half weeks ago.
We had done so well to hike a new trail every week of the calendar year. In Mexico we even made a point to walk the beach every day. And in San Diego we took a long walk along the harbor.
But when we came home with colds and the flu, we hung up our hiking boots and didn't look at them again. Week 1 it was easily justifiable not to go for a hike. But by week 2 the cold sweats and body aches were gone. Yet "being sick" was still our excuse not to hit the trails. Our energy was low. But was it getting any better laying on the couch?
Finally this week I decided that the only way to get back on the wagon of weekly hikes was to simply make the decision and do it. To not ask myself how I was feeling or if I wanted to go. To not ask about the weather report or look at our busy schedule. But to be intentional about doing the thing I want to do.
And so that's what we did!
Were we tired? Yes! Did we come home infested with ticks? Yes! But were we glad we went? Absolutely!
The thing about being intentional is that it is something you have to choose each and every day. Sometimes each and every hour. It doesn't matter if you've been doing something for 21 days or 21 years, you still get to choose what you do, how you spend your time, the life you want to live, each and every day. And I, for one, want to choose well.
Comments
Post a Comment