As my children arrive at our house for the holidays, I am provided with so many interesting opportunities to observe the way they move about in the world. One mind boggling behavior shared by several of them is the use of the snooze button on their alarm. It appears that the typical number of times they hit it is about three. Three different times they delay the inevitable – getting their butt in gear. This feels painful to me and is pretty much 180 degrees different than the way I get up and get going. (My husband occasionally remarks that one of these days I am going to have an early morning heart attack because of how quickly I jump out of bed).
I am curious about what is happening in folk’s minds when they resist making a move, of any kind? What conversation are they having with themselves?, “I don’t really need to do this now.” or “I can stay put if I take ______ off my list.” or “I don’t want to get out of this comfortable space …” Rationalization. Procrastination. Lethargy. A few of many characteristics that may be alive and well when we find ourselves stuck – in a relationship, job, role, that isn’t providing us with what we need to be happy. These are strong impulses to be sure and getting past them requires effort that can be overwhelming and fear-inducing.
So, how do we break patterns that are keeping us from fulling living, and create new habits that serve us better? Beating ourselves up about our past behavior doesn’t sound very motivating to me. What would happen if instead, we let the story of what we ‘yearn for’ take front and center? Actively envisioning your hoped for future puts you in the very best place to reach for it.
So if you are pressing your snooze button so often that it is preventing you from moving forward in your life, maybe it’s time to recalculate a new direction. Create a vision of your future that you can’t wait to embrace. The world needs all that you can bring.
