Isn’t it enough that our jobs require a fairly regular schedule? Why do I have to create my own regular schedule around that? Get up, go to the bathroom, press the coffee button, do my baby crawling exercises, meditate, exercise, write/read, eat, shower, go to work – and then start the work routine?
Routines are helpful, but on days like today, I want to throw at least portions of it out of the window and say, F-it!
I think that is what Annie Dillard had in mind when she said, “How We Spend Our Days Is How We Spend Our Lives.” You know—to consciously have a look at what we’re doing to reflect upon it to make sure that it’s in line with what we want our life to look like.
100 crappy days is a 1/3 of a way to a crappy year—why not make a change?
Right now I’m doing a Raja Yoga exercise that has me working on Yama and Niyama. I confess to not know a whole lot about the 8 limbs of yoga, but I know enough in passing. Anyway, I’m working on morals and not doing any harm to others—either in thought, word, or deed.
Another thing I’ve done in the past is the introspection exercise.
Finally, I’ve kept a journal for over 20 years.
These are just a few of the things that help me stay a little more self aware, but I still need to check in from time to time—even if that means reading a journal from 4 years ago to see if I’ve made progress on the things that I was struggling with then.
The beginning of a week is a good time to check in. How are you doing? Are there things you want to change? The Annie Dillard quote is a good reminder for why you want to change them. Cast your bad habits in an unfavorable light and then change them to more positive versions. String together a long sequence of days where your actions reflect the person you want to be.