Keeping Promises 4/52

Never break a promise to yourself 

Week 4: Keeping promises

Any new habit is a change in your lifestyle. While a goal can lead us in a new direction. It is not a destination to reach but instead, the transformation of who you want to become. When creating a new habit, look for a habit loop, trigger or anchor that provides accountability. Don’t leave forbidden foods on the counter, or in the house, when you are choosing a habit of healthy eating. My anchor for writing each day is a clock stopped at 12:07, on my desk. It is a connection that brings me to Ryan, and an anchor to my writing habit. 

Discovering ways to keep a promise to myself, made me follow through with my intentions. With each action I completed, I learned to believe in myself. Not allowing any internal chatter to alter my plan as I pushed through the discomfort. Usually I don’t look forward to outdoor runs in the cold. But I did know how good I would feel when I finished. That feeling got me moving out the door to begin. Within minutes I am warm and when I finished, I was proud. I said, “yes, you can” and followed through. -  you can too. 

The promises we make (and keep)  feel exhilarating, especially when you did not believe something was possible. Often described as a “runners high” or “flow.” You cannot be distracted from the delight in what you are doing, and that feeling gets you to keep coming back again and again. 

For me, that feeling comes with running, writing and even practicing yoga. The habit I built with running was never an actual goal, but grew from the habit of walking 10 or 20 minutes a few times a week. The change began when I set a goal to quit smoking years earlier. Transforming from a smoker, to a non-smoker, and moving from walking to eventually running.

All change begins by deciding on one habit.