My view from my walk on Kiawah Island this past weekend
At the start of the past few years, I have set out to do something every day for 30 days. This isn’t to accomplish some goal like master a new craft or lose 10 lbs or anything significant. The practice of repetition is simple: to start a new habit.
This year I chose to move my body for 30 minutes a day. Start a routine. The beginning was easy. I knew I had a simple goal. But as I settled in, I realized how overwhelming it felt. Like a task. Surely this feeling would pass. My legs wouldn’t feel like bricks when I moved. My motivation would endure. And that pesky plantar fasciitis would wane…
Nope. None of that happened.
But I did it anyhow. Every day? Well, if I am being honest…no. That didn’t happen. Life gets in the way some days. And January can be tough on my mental health if I am being 100% truthful.
So for 28/30 days, I accomplished this task or new habit. I walked, did yoga, or otherwise moved my body.
And yet, I want to beat myself up for those 2 days I didn’t make it out there. I feel as though I failed.
WHAT?
If anyone else came to me with these statistics (which nets out at about a 93% if my math is right) I’d be singing their praises. Why is it that I want to focus on the small failures rather than the massive success here. I walked in the rain. I walked through pain. I walked when my anxiety had a choke hold on me and when I was too busy. I accomplished setting out a new habit and even got in the practice of finding last year’s challenge (to create a piece of art every day). I walked my neighborhood, the beach, and even some rolling hills in the mountains. I even got a few people to do this with me…I’d call that a success.
So today as I reflect on my new routine, I am going to simply celebrate myself. Will it last? I hope so. Does it matter? Not really. What matters is I showed up for me as I needed. Not as anyone expected of me. I am still letting go of notions of who I am supposed to be. A long, lovely tango with stories that I have outgrown that seem to chase after me like long evening shadows.
Today, celebrate you. Celebrate walking to the mailbox if that’s hard for you. Or making a lovely meal for yourself. Or changing a lightbulb. Or installing those new kitchen cabinets yourself. Celebrate anything that makes you feel like you can say - wow…look at me! I did that thing!
Because that’s the key to unlocking every.single.thing you can accomplish. A celebration of you!