3 Favs
Favorite Pet Picture: On #NationalChiliDogDay, allow me to introduce you to a dog named Chili! This big guy is still just a puppy who loves everything! He loves being inside and outside. He loves running, playing, and sleeping. He’s also a quick student who would benefit from some obedience training and consistency. While he loves people, he’d be best in a home without little kids. Chili is currently being cared for by Pet Central Helps. If you know his fur-ever family, pass this along and introduce them!
Favorite Book Quote: Invisible Acts of Power: Personal Choices That Create Miracles by Caroline Myss
Years ago I had a conversation with a man who told me that the most important truth he had learned was to be kind. He learned this, he recounted, during a cab ride in New York City. As he was paying the driver, he said, 'Thank you, sir.' At this, the driver leaped, ran around the back of the cab, and opened the door for his passenger. Startled, the man got out and said to the cab driver, 'You didn't have to do that,' to which the driver responded, 'I wanted to. You are the first person in this country to honor me by calling me sir, and I thank you for that respect.' The man had never before considered the power inherent in a respectful gesture, but from them on, kindness became the pillar on which he built his life and the legacy he hoped to pass on to his children. The exchange, he said, changed his life.
Random Favorite: A place for everything and everything in it’s place.
Ok…so this rarely happens at my home. But when it does - it’s magic!
What were some of your favorite things this week?
& a Q
Question: Why is it so easy to fall into bad habits and so hard to get out of them?
It happens to all of us…We’re living our lives and doing well. Then we make a bad choice. Then we keep making the same bad choice over and over without knowing how to get back to the way we were before. Maybe you never used to have coffee and now you go down to the Starbucks on the bottom floor of your office building every day and get that sweetened drink. (Yes, please - add whipped cream!) Or, maybe you’d been eating healthfully but now it seems like every time you get into the car you’re stopping at a drive-thru. Or maybe you used to be a good parent and now your communication style has shifted into yelling (all the time).
The answer to why it’s so easy to fall into bad habits is easy! We need to look at why we got off-track in the first place. I can’t tell you why you get off-track. But for me, it’s usually that I’m tired, stressed, and strapped for time. I’m overwhelmed.
So, how does one overcome the overwhelm and get back on-track with living a life that feels good and that they can feel good about? That’s a bit more complicated!
One thing I want you to know is that trying to be more disciplined WILL NOT WORK. In fact, the more you try to engage self-discipline, (I’m not going to get that coffee today!) the more you get stressed and the easier it is to self-medicate with the coffee.
What needs to happen is to understand the reason you’re choosing the bad habit in the first place. But addressing the habit usually requires a shift.
Addressing overwhelm, in particular, is tricky. I could tell you that you should do all the stuff I talk about in the newsletter every day. You could meditate and get enough sleep and exercise and breathe and…
But, that’s just going to make you more overwhelmed.
So…a shift needs to happen. If the coffee is your thing. Look at why you’re drinking the coffee and why you think that getting the coffee is a bad habit. Is it the money, the sugar, the caffeine? Could something else fulfill the need while giving you freedom from the habit? If it’s the money, maybe you just choose to drink the coffee with the cream and sugar that’s provided by your office. If it’s the sugar, maybe you try bringing green tea to work. If it’s the caffeine (do this one carefully and slowly so you don’t make yourself sick) but maybe you replace the coffee with barley tea.
What about the fast food? How do you get back to eating healthfully when you’re too overwhelmed to meal plan, shop, or prepare food? Maybe you just start by stashing some healthy snacks and drinks in your car. Then, you’re not depriving yourself of the food you’ve come to crave when you get in your car and having something on hand allows you to make better choices. Then, maybe, things won’t seem so overwhelming.
And parenting…You used to be so creative and patient and now everything triggers you and you yell? I hear you. The best way to keep from yelling at little kids is supposedly to use humor. But, when I’m mad, the last thing I want to do is be funny or play a game (even though I know my little one responds so well to those sorts of things). So, I sing. Rather than yelling a command, I sing a little song about what I want to happen. That keeps me from exploding and my family responds so much better.
Best wishes a you shift out of your “bad habits”!
How do you overcome bad habits?
Be a part of it all!
Did you know the Typically Invisible Newsletter offers daily energy updates? Here’s how it works:
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Follow me on Twitter @KarenEstepa3 for tweets that keep you connected with the energy of the day. You can now also find me on Pinterest! Note: I’m taking a little break from posting on social media for a bit, but we’ll meet here in the meantime!
Month in Review
Just in case you missed them, here are the weekly emails from the last month:
Question: How do I take better care of myself when life is crazy?
Question: How do I stay true to myself?
Question: How do I get heard without yelling?
Question: Do I need to be all “love and light” all the time?
Question: How do I “raise my awareness” as many “spiritual gurus” suggest?
Week in Review
Here is the subscriber-only content you may have missed this last week. Remember, the daily energy updates are relevant for the day, but the exercises can be done at any time!
Friday: Finish It
Saturday: Do it in a New Way
Sunday: Speak in their Language
Monday: Show Yourself Gratitude
Tuesday: Ask Your Older Self
Wednesday: Get Grounded in your Goals
Today: List Your Blessings
Share the Connection
Did you like what you read today or do you just want to make sure people get to see Chili’s sweet face?
Do you know someone who would benefit from going with the flow rather than fighting the current?
Sharing, liking, and commenting help me a lot. If you really liked what you read, you thought of something to say, or you know someone who would really benefit from these words, please take a moment to act on what came to you. Thank you so much!