~Recover~

 I do love a good challenge. I’ve completed a few this year, but this move has really caused me to lose my rhythms, be it regular reading times, yoga, walking and more! I am tired, my schedule is a mess, and my will power is drained. And the continued Covid craziness has definitely done a number on my mental health. Such a rollercoaster of emotions!

 I haven’t yet found my way back to a daily schedule. How will I recover what had seemed like such a strong start to 2021? My will power muscle has depleted, and fatigue has set in.

The meaning of the word ‘recover’ is closely linked to the word ‘recuperate’. This makes sense. According to Drew Dyck, author of Your Future Self Will Thank You, the way to recover willpower is to rest, to meditate, to quiet the mind. Studies show that this results in more focus, less stress, more impulse control and increased self awareness.

To recover the life I envision for myself, I also need to tap into the power of habit, because, as John Ortberg says, “Habits eat willpower for breakfast!”. For this, I will need to grow my self control muscle, a muscle that weakens immediately after use but strengthens with frequent use.  It is important, therefore, to only create one habit at a time. I cannot change too many things at once! I must prioritize what’s important to me. I must pace myself. 

 I can begin to create those habits I’ve lost, one at a time.

Recover is a hopeful word. 

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Book Review: Your Future Self Will Thank You

Personal growth is an ongoing interest of mine, and when I came across Drew Dyck's Your Future Self Will Thank You,I was intrigued. I've heard Drew Dyck several times on a podcast I enjoy, and he is funny! A book that can talk about self-control, the Bible, and brain science, all while making me chuckle is worth taking the time to investigate. 

This is not a preachy book by any means. Drew Dyck honestly writes about his fruitless efforts to complete goals, practice self-control, and learn new habits to improve his life and what research has taught him. This fact-based book makes it very trustworthy. There is evidence to prove that what he suggests works. He intersperses each chapter/topic with his own real life situations and how he did or did not succeed in his efforts, and why.

 If you’re looking for some practical tips on how to create a habit loop, how to grow (and replenish!) your willpower, and how to conquer your weaknesses, this is the book for you. There are a lot of gems in here, and it will be worth your while to learn the secrets to self-control. Who doesn’t want to be freer, happier, and more productive, as well as being more at peace?

I received this book for free from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. 

~Build~ (Five Minute Friday)

I’ve been thinking lately how to build a better life and realize that a lot of it has to do with habits.  It really is the little things, it seems.

I have started reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, all about how small changes can make a big difference in your life.  His life and his research shows that improving just 1 percent each day for one year will make you 37x better by the time you're done, and getting 1 percent worse each day will result in being at zero. 

"If you want to predict where you’ll end up in life, all you have to do is follow the curve of tiny gains or tiny losses, and see how your daily choices will compound ten or twenty years down the road.” 

James Clear believes we should be more concerned with where we're heading than our current results. This makes a lot of sense to me, when considering things we have control over (choices). For example, choosing to eat healthy food  today doesn’t really make much of a difference, but continue that habit tomorrow and the day after that, for one year, and your body will thank you - you’ll feel different than you do now! Speaking kindly to yourself today might not change your thought patterns, but if you did that everyday, what changes would you experience after a year? How might spending regular time in spiritual disciplines change your spiritual life?   Doing yoga three times this week might not make you feel calmer and flexible after 7 days, but continue that habit for 52 weeks, and you’ll see a difference. I know that I must apply this habit building concept to writing, because I tend to think about  and read about writing more than actually putting the pen to paper!

“Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy.” 

I’ve been challenged to think about the habits I am making. Are they leading me to a better life? This book is motivating me to be intentional about my future. I look forward to learning how to design and build habits to set me up for the life I believe I was created for. It's never too late to start. 

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