Today, among other things, I was thinking about seeds, habits, spaciousness, the growth cycle of a plant, my stride and how good it felt to run in the rain. As I ran, I got one of those awesome light bulb moments.
Habits and resolutions are like seeds. You can't force a habit any more than you can force a tree from a seed- it takes time. According to Tom Corley in his book on habits, most habits take between 18 and 257 days to be formed. The difference in time being the complexity of the habit and how consist you are in getting it integrated in your life.
Here is the light bulb moment...drum roll please... In January, we are only sprouting seeds. We may not even see the dirt move until it spouts later in the year. But...and this is crucial... just because we don't see any life altering change, doesn't not mean there isn't an extraordinary change happening... The seed is trying to sprout!! January is when we are preparing our dreams and seeds to sprout. We may not see anything but nothing, absolutely nothing, will grow without a beginning.
By February, and this is when many resolutions and hopeful habits get lost in the shuffle of life. By February, if we stop caring for these itty bitty, very fragile seeds they will wilt and die. Come next December, instead of enjoying the harvest from potential seeds we will sadly remember our hopes and dreams for the year.
Idea! Write down your desired habit or resolution. Get a picture of a seeding. Combine the two and put them in a spot you will see daily. Anytime you start getting board, discouraged or sidetracked, think of the tiny little seed/habit beginning to sprout and trying to make its way out of the soil. Think how sad and disappointed the little guy would be if you just up and walked away from him.
Wishing you happy seedlings and rich soil,
Denise
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