They say it takes 21 days to make something a habit.
21 days.
But that’s a really long time when you need to start loving getting up at 5am RIGHT NOW!
Every Sunday night I set my alarm for 5 am. At some point in the night I end up getting up to go to the toilet or to a child who missed the cue for going to the toilet. Then I can’t get back to sleep. So I reset it for 5.30. I put my phone on the other side of the room so I have to physically get up and turn off my alarm. It goes off. I take my phone back to bed with the promise of only 1 snooze. I finally emerge at 6.25… Sh*t.
By Wednesday night I’m back to setting my alarm for 6 in hope that if I get an extra hour, I will actually stay out of bed after that first ring.
By Friday I think ‘What’s the point? I’ll start next week.”
And so it continues…
I want to be one of those people who rise at 5am glowing, who dances into the kitchen, flicks on the kettle, and waters the plants while it boils. I want to be the Mumma who does her yoga EVERY DAMN DAY, before the kids get up.
But at some point I have to accept, that is not me.
I want to be one of those mums who has a healthy homemade lunch every day and whos kids eat all their veg. One of those Mums who doesn’t yell, but her and the kids glide out the door with 5 mins to spare and we all laugh on the way to school.
But at some point I have to accept, that is not me.
I want my kids in bed at the same time every night and not hear anyone yell 'But I want to tell you something!' at 8.45pm. I want to make one delicious meal that everyone loves. I want to always be on top of the washing and always have clean knickers ( … ). I want to walk my dog every day. I want to get to the gym 3 times a week.
I want… I want … I want…
But at some point I have to accept that all this wanting is not me.
So maybe I have to accept that I don’t like dark and cold mornings and that sometimes my lunch is an apple and rice cakes with jam and peanut butter. Maybe I have to accept that I will sometimes not get to the gym for 3 weeks straight and its ok to have a glass of wine after work, sometimes.
You see, 21 days is a damn long time, especially when you have so many other things you want to be.
But there are always certain things that you can ALWAYS do.
- You can always greet your partner/kids/dog/cat with a smile when you first see them in the morning.
- You can always hold that cup of tea and breathe in deep.
- You can always set your intentions in the shower (Or on the toilet).
- You can always kiss your children goodnight, no matter what time it is.
- You can always dance in the kitchen.
There are things that can become routines, even if you suck at routines. Because it takes 21 days to form a habit. But a habit is what you make it, so make it yours.
Michelle
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