By Alisa Murray www.AlisaMurray.com Nationally recognized portrait artist and award-winning columnist.
Living the Sweet Life:
Daily/Weekly/Monthly
H
ey Sweet Lifers! Oh my it’s January again! How did that happen? Most of us, especially over the past few years, have been doing a scramble to try to find some normalcy in routines and goal setting just really well for me has not been top of mind. Getting things done and holding on to what feels right in the moment has become a goal in and of itself. It is January though, and as I took time to reflect on what this brand new year will become, I decided that truly we all should perhaps consider ditching the usual goal setting and adopting new habits instead. Everyone knows that habits are actually the bricks that build a goal. Generally speaking they are what actually stops us from achieving the very goals we seek to accomplish! Daily, we have the habit of self talk that sabotages our psyche. Weekly, we have the habit of procrastination that quietly sneaks into our daily routines. Monthly, we have the habit of doing things a certain way that we know does not lead us to the outcomes we so very much want for our lives and for others. So habits need to be the focus from now on and breaking the bad ones is the first real steps to any change. Daily we must stay in bed a little longer and stretch. Lift those legs up in the air and rotate your cute little feet before they ever touch the floor! Listen to the birds outside of your window and smile at yourself when you get to the bathroom. Smile at everyone each and every day.
30
Weekly we must take an hour and find something to organize. When we stop doing the crazy busy stuff and actually look at the things we have accumulated, we see there are things we have that no longer serve us or represent who we have become. Most of the time those things will bring joy to someone we know . . . so give them away. Give away all the “stuff” and keep what is important and useful. While we are on the weekly habits, try taking a walk. Take it without your phone and perhaps invite a friend, a child (especially interesting) or wait for it . . . your spouse. Connect to nature and those who you love, and I actually call this exercise so there’s that, too! Monthly we must continuously define and redefine who we are and who we want to be both for ourselves and for those we love. We do this by actively journaling what we are grateful for, acknowledging both our misgivings and our way to go’s! Pick a day and just sit down and write. Maybe it’s a love letter to your spouse or child or an apology for something said that you need to make right. Acknowledging all of it monthly as a habit is the brick building of the life you want. That’s what all this new year stuff is really about anyway, isn’t it? As always, Take Care of YOU & Stay “Sweet!”
JANUARY 2022 l TO ADVERTISE, EMAIL: patti@absolutelyfocusmedia.com
