Monday

This week I am going to share with you some inspiration I have gotten from

some of my favorite books.

It's an opportunity for me to take a little break from writing, as well as pass on some awesome advice and ideas.

I deliberately chose topics and passages that I could also draw inspiration from.

I hope you enjoy. 

:)

Today's book is "Live More Want Less"

52 Ways to Find Order in Your Life

by Mary Carlomangno

.......The beginning of a new year is usually when people adopt new habits- or, in a more familiar term, make resolutions.  

They address all the new rituals they will put in place when the calendar page switches over and plan for the new routine to literally take root overnight.

But like countless resolution makers before them who have failed and failed again, some annually, they quickly learn that changing a mindset and a way of life does not come with the end of one year and the beginning of the next as if a switch were thrown.

Anyone who has started the cabbage soup diet on January 1, then crashed and burned on January 4 can attest to this.

Good habits take time; while the beginning of the year is the start of a new daily planner, it does not always equate to the transformation of a new you. The date is arbitrary.  In reality, every day presents the opportunity for a fresh start.

Recognizing the the underlying theme behind resolution making is flawed is the first step.  

Vowing to make swift overnight changes is unrealistic and impossible to sustain.

Like a child when his toys are taken away, you approach the weeks like an avaricious little rebel.

Instead of setting up a feeling of deprivation that accompanies resolution making, choose to cement a ritual that you can live with, day in and day out.  Removing the sense of deprivation will give you a much better chance at succeeding.

This subtle shift in thinking is the key to maintaining good habits over time.

New Year's resolutions do not work.

The only annual resolution to make is resolving not to make them at all.

THE WAY

Lose the all-or-nothing mentality that resolutions engender; instead, practice daily rituals that slowly take root over time.

DAILY PRACTICES

*Let go of the idea of the calendar date marking when you begin your transformation.

Instead, choose a slow and steady approach to achieving your goals.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and you won't be ready for a marathon overnight, either.

Remember that practice makes permanent.

*Recognize the Mardi Gras mentality that might cause you to yo-yo from one extreme to another.  If you are an all or nothing-type person who is either bingeing or fasting, see the middle ground this week by journaling what your imbalances are.  Once you have recorded an opportunity for change, slowly adjust your habit to be worked on over time.

*To you own calendar be true.  Do you have any rituals that you honor and practice daily, such as a walk at lunchtime or calling a parent every evening?  Recognize your ability to make things that are important to you a priority, and begin to carve out the necessary time to honor them each day.

*Pause to valued each day in the process of your new ritual. So much of our time is spent aspiring to the next level that we rarely celebrate the moment that we are in.  Think of your process as charms on a bracelet, with each charm having its own intrinsic value.  Being present for the daily moments will make you appreciate your efforts that much more.

*Be selective.  Most of our promises to do better in the new year fall short because we simply choose too much to do all at once.  Guarantee your success by being single minded:  focus on becoming better at one area or task in your life.  Do not give in to your knee-jerk reaction to list 10 resolutions to fix ASAP.  Pick one or two areas to improve on over time.

* As you look at the good habits you want to foster, also review the bad habits you have cultivated.  Letting something go at the start of a transformation is a powerful as taking on something new.  Review the rituals that may have become harmful, and choose one to release.

~

Taken from Chapter 1:Ritual

Live More Want Less, by Mary Carlomango