The problem with being a creature of habit is that it takes SO much effort to change my habits.

Way back in April I made a decision to break my bad habit of distracting myself from my own life by re-reading my favorite books for hours every day.  I had no idea it would be so difficult.

I've changed my habits before.  I went from a processed crap diet to a home-cooked vegan diet a few years ago, completely changing a lifetime's worth of habits relating to how and what I ate over the course of a single month.  Why was that easier to accomplish than breaking my too-much-reading habit?

I'll tell you why.  It's because I find myself making excuses instead of making changes, thinking thoughts like, "I don't have the energy for that right now," or "I feel like crap so I'm just going to read; I'll do what I need to do when I feel better."

The thing is, reading is a relaxing activity.  The longer I read, the more tired I feel and the less inclined I am to get up and do something else.  I've been trapped in an idiotic cycle of, "I'm too tired so I'll do something that keeps me tired for a few hours, then I'll sleep and try again tomorrow."

Wasn't it Einstein who said the mark of insanity is trying to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results?  *facepalm

Obviously, what I'm doing isn't working so I need to do something different.

But what?

What would I do if I had tons of energy and felt great?

Fortunately, I have felt great and had tons of energy in the not too distant past, so I can answer this question from experience.

When I had tons of energy and felt great:

  • I played my dancing games on a daily basis.
  • I taught 1-2 classes per week.
  • I wrote in a blog or worked on my mailing list or my new book every day.  
  • I had an active social life, hanging out with different friends at least twice a week.
  • I made special time with my son every day.  
  • I used my daily planner daily, which helped me stay on top of all my obligations as well as my goals.  
  • I lived my spirituality.  
  • I took myself out on dates to dream and plan my future.  
  • I cooked and ate delicious nutritious vegan food and dreamed about creating a cookbook.  
  • I read a lot, but mostly new books.

Seems to me, if I want to feel great and have tons of energy again, I need to start acting like I already do.  Just thinking about what I used to do makes me feel more energetic and motivated.

I just have to reclaim my ten habits of a happy and healthy Ashley Rae.

According to Shiv Khera, "Research has shown that it takes 31 days of conscious effort to make or break a habit.  That means, if one consistently practices something for 31 days, on the 32nd day it does become a habit.  Information has been internalised into behavioral change, which is called transformation."

So. if I just put in the conscious effort, I can create a new habit for myself by September 1st.  Which habit would make the greatest positive impact?  Which habit would bring up the least resistance?

The answer to the first question is the daily dancing game habit.  The answer to the second is the reading mostly new books.

I'm going to try both.

I'm setting my phone alarm right now with a daily reminder to dance.  I want to start every day dancing, and I'm going to start off with 5 minutes because no matter how tired I am, no matter how crappy I feel, I can convince myself to dance for 5 measly minutes.

I'm also creating a motivational poster for myself illustrating the things I do when I feel good to remind myself what I want my life to be like.  It will join the inspirational collage I created a couple weeks ago for the 10-day Hell Yes course I took.  My Hell Yes was to nurturing my body with nutrition and loving movement, which fits right in with this month's habit-in-the-making.

How about you?  What habit are you having a hard time changing?  What would your life be like if you had tons of energy and felt great?  What habit would make the biggest positive impact on your life in the coming month?