December piques an interest…

This is it. December. The home straight for 2020. The year of panic, pandemics, lockdowns, restrictions, bubbles, tiers, furloughs and government support for some, but not all.

It’s also been a year of slowing down. A chance to rediscover things which are closer to home. An opportunity to connect with others. A moment to assess where you are focussing time and efforts. Which leads me to this post.

Back in October, after a fun night and a terrible hangover, I quit drinking Alcohol. I’m not sharing this to show off or preach, just to set the scene. After a week, I recognised the feeling of freshness was worth more to me than the glass of wine (or three!) the night before. Personal choice I guess.

In November, I continued with no drinking. I liked the monthly challenge theme. So much so I added in something else – to go for a walk every single day. No excuses. Come rain or shine I donned my waterproofs and walked for at least 30 minutes.

This worked for me on a few levels. First, it was workable in my everyday life. Second, it was enough of a challenge to pique my interest. I’m pleased to say I did it.

Again, I’m not sharing this to show off, I just wanted to share my experience with building in habits during these turbulent times, and the feeling of accomplishment it brings.

Which brings me to December. A friend of mind is a Triathlete. I completed my first (and only) triathlon back in 2015. It was one of my favourite moments of that year, and I’d love to do another but the thought of all that training is overwhelming.

So, for December, I’m carrying on with my ‘little and often strategy’, and planning an advent run/cycle/HiTT month. Basically, everyday for December, I will complete a run/cycle/HITT session.

Just like October and November, it won’t be anything crazy. As much fun as huge challenges can be, I’ve found that once they’re complete, I just stop.

My thinking for this is different. I want to make these habits part of my everyday life. I’ll probably fail a few times but who cares. All you’ve got to do is start again. And again. And again.

Perhaps little and often really is the way…:-)

PS. If you enjoyed this post or found it useful, perhaps take a look at some of my other posts such as:

What if the opposite of depression isn’t happiness but vitality.

The difference between effort and effort with direction.

The power of consistent small change.