Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been absent in my blog. I had set the goal in 2021 to blog every two weeks to get used to writing (since I’m writing a book), to draw people to my little resilience and wellness business, but most of all to share my thoughts and opinions and let people know that they aren’t necessarily alone in their own thoughts and opinions. Or at least to let myself know that I’m not as crazy as I (and my husband) sometimes think I am.
I haven’t written in over a month now. Life got in the way a bit. The weather was hot and the beach was calling to me. I tried typing on my laptop at the beach but sand got in it. (Sand has a way of creeping into places we’d rather it not be!). I had a topic I really wanted to write about, but had a hard time expressing what I wanted to convey without sparking some controversy and perhaps some ruffled feathers in my workplace. And then I’d lost the habit I’d created.
If you’ve been to my workshops or classes, you know one of my favourite mantras is “Begin Again”. Just begin again. When we “fall” out of a yoga pose, follow our “monkey mind” in meditation, miss some time making healthy nutrition choices or miss our prompt in creating a new habit, we tend to beat ourselves up. We are so damn hard on ourselves. But all we really have to do is begin again.
It takes time to make change. Especially if something is very new, has a learning curve, or we’ve got deeply entrenched habits that need to be changed. Think of your brain like a road map. We have all sorts of roads; some are superhighways, some are main roads, some are back roads and some are paths that have rarely, if ever, been used.
The superhighways are the things we’ve done so often that we are mostly on autopilot doing them. The road is cut deep and is well used. Like brushing our teeth (hopefully!). The main roads are things we do fairly regularly and don’t have to put a lot of thought into them. Some would say that driving a car is like this; most of the time you don’t have to think about it but sometimes you have to pay attention. The back roads are the things we do less often but enough that they’ve mostly stuck with us and come to us when we need them. Like the words to a song you sang in the 80’s. I couldn’t tell you the lyrics to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” but as soon as I hear the music start, suddenly I’m able to belt it out word for awesome word! The paths are the things we maybe did once (like making spring rolls), or have a vague sense they are there (like knowing we should eat more veggies), or are even things that we’ve never done before (like learning a new instrument).
When we have habits or patterns that are well established but want to change them, then it requires something to prompt us to travel on the back road or path as opposed to the superhighway or main road. And it can be hard going. The road less travelled is full of potential unknowns. Some paths have overgrowth, roots and rocks in the way. Our brain (and sometimes our body) is lazy and wants us to take the easy route.
When making changes to become healthy and more resilient so we can live our best lives, we have to start taking those back road or paths on a regular basis. This is called neuroplasty and can be done by changing our habit prompts. For many years, scientists thought that we couldn’t change our brain, that we couldn’t learn more, that we couldn’t change habits. Now they know this is a fallacy and we hold the power to make changes, learn and grow, and change our habits. The key is…WE hold the power. YOU hold the power.
Many of us don’t have the patience or fortitude in this impatient, immediate gratification world to wear down those less used roads and paths so that they become our new superhighways. It’s easier to take a road that’s clear of overgrowth, roots and rocks. If we truly want to make change, we have to put on our boots, maybe grab some clippers and just keep at it. Begin again. And sometimes begin again and again and again. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s hard to change a path into a superhighway. Arm yourself with knowledge, ask questions, take classes, and when you slip on a rock, get up and begin again.
“Nana korobi, ya oki”. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. (Japanese proverb)
Subscribe & Receive a Free 7-DAY FITNESS PLANNER!
Newsletters are sent twice per month with updates to the schedule, classes, and wellness information!
By signing up you agree to receive regular emails.
