Day 21 - The Journey Continues

Last month, I set myself a challenge to establish a new habit of writing. Every day for the last 21 weekdays, I have gotten myself out of bed at least an hour early to sit with my notebook, a cup of coffee, and the sounds of the birds waking up to write a daily blog post on the power of habit. The writing has been challenging and fun. The getting out of bed has been a different kind of challenge. In the beginning, getting up this early was darn near impossible and I slept through my alarm more than once. If you know me, you know that I’m an “I don’t do anything before 10:00 am person.” (I normally wake up around 8:30 am. I’m also up past midnight, given my own diurnal rhythms.) I was, however, an elementary teacher who had to be alert and in a classroom at 8:00 am for 25 years, so I know I can do it. I still have to do it for three weeks every summer teaching Kodály at George Mason University. It’s just not my body’s preferred routine, and since I’ve stopped teaching full time, getting up at the crack of dawn has been a habit I have very consciously and joyfully let go.
 
Imagine my surprise this morning, then, when I woke up at 6:49 am ready to write. My first thought was, “I did it! I have a new habit!” My second thought was “It’s the last day, I don’t have to do this anymore!” Truth be told, I’ve enjoyed observing the quiet of a sleeping household, watching the sun rise, and putting my thoughts on paper – something I’ve not been disciplined enough to do for a long time. When I’m not rushing off to work first thing in the morning, the changing light through the trees is something truly beautiful to be able to simply sit and observe. Falling in love with early morning has been a pleasure I never expected to experience. Without a change in my morning habits in order to try something new, it never would have happened.

Here is a video I shot from my deck the other morning in the incredible mist and fog.

I hope that I have challenged you to do more exploration around the power of habit in your own lives. We looked at examples from my life about such diverse subjects as practice habits for musicians, habits of protecting ourselves from injury, how habit allows us to “multitask”, and challenged habits around cultural biases. We’ve realized that not all habits are “bad.” We’ve used the principles of Alexander Technique to help us explore the difference between reaction and response. Hopefully I’ve got you pondering that in every situation, we always have a choice in how we choose to respond. If there is anything I have learned this past month, it’s that habit is truly everywhere (for better or for worse) in all aspects of my life. This challenge has led me down some personal pathways I never expected to explore, particularly in a public forum. I’m so glad you came with me.
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​Many of you have asked me if I will continue writing now that this challenge is ending. The answer is yes. I will be cutting back to once a week, on Wednesdays, and I’ll be finding another topic. I’m out of ideas to write about just now, and a break is important for my creative juices and continued desire to keep blogging. I have been absolutely floored by the positive response to my writings. Thank you all for staying with me on this journey, for your interesting comments and thoughts, for sharing my work with others when it has resonated for you. I’m so glad I have something to say that many people can relate to.

 
​I am grateful that many of you have been reading and sharing on Facebook. I’ll continue posting my blog there, but the algorithms are weird enough that you could miss a once a week post easily. I have a specific blog mailing list that I plan to keep active, as it will motivate me to keep my promise to write every Wednesday. If you didn’t subscribe and you’d like to now that things will be coming to your inbox only once a week, here’s a link to subscribe. ​

​If you’re interested in continued examination of the power of habit in your own life, and you’d like to study with me, I’ll be offering a four session evening class called “Exploring the Power of Habit” starting on Tuesday, March 12. Class size will be limited to seven, so you’ll need to pre-register if you want to join me on this journey of self-examination. If you want to know more about the freedom and ease Alexander Technique can offer you, the power of habits in your life and how to change them, and how to live fully in your body, then this class is for you. Click the button for full details.

Exploring the Power of Habit Class Series Info

I wish you well on your journey into the very-well known habits of your lifetime!