A girl was taken to a garden by her grandmother and was told to pull out a tiny plant that was growing from the ground. The girl easily plucked the plant from the ground. The grandmother then told the girl to pull out a larger plant close by. With effort, the girl plucked this plant from the ground too. The grandmother then told the girl to pull a nearby oak tree from the ground. The girl pulled, and pulled, and pulled. She could not pluck the tree from the ground.  The grandmother said, “Habits and behaviors are like these plants. When habits are small and new, they can easily be removed and tossed away. When habits are practiced and grow over time, they become strong and deeply rooted in who we become.”

This fable is a reminder that your habits and behaviors can serve you well, and they can serve you wrong.  Recently I read Founder of Twin Cities Wellness Collective, Alex Morrall’s, Well-Being Weekly where he challenged readers with this question: What habits and behaviors help you to feel well and how can you choose them more? 

As many people, I have been working from home since March. This has been especially challenging as ONE – I am an extrovert, TWO – I am no longer just doing administrative business stuff from my home office, I am also conducting client trainings from my home studio.  Everything. Is. At. Home.  Do you know what this is like for an extrovert? Lethargy. Boredom. Confusion. The new way of working had me sliding into some not-so-helpful habits and behaviors. I was losing momentum. I recognized I needed NEW stuff. New habits. New behaviors.

Last week I changed my scenery. I packed up my car with work, headed to this absolutely lovely Airbnb (below), and BOOM!  Energy! Excitement! Clarity!

Photo by JGrace

So, to answer Alex’s question in two parts:

What habits and behaviors help me to feel well?

  • Revisiting my vision and mission
  • Writing blogs with helpful tools
  • Reading for business and for fun
  • Sleeping enough
  • Practicing mindfulness
  • Learning how to improve cognitive strength

How can I choose them more? 

  • Posting my vision and mission so I see them daily
  • Blocking time on my calendar to write
  • Reading before I go to sleep
  • Turning the TV off an hour before bedtime
  • Reminding myself to be “in the moment”
  • Subscribing to the Building Psychological Strength podcast

AND

  • Changing the scenery when needed (like the Airbnb above)

YOUR TURN:

What habits and behaviors help YOU to feel well?

How can YOU choose them more?

I’d love to hear your answers! Comment below.

For ideas on more helpful habits and behaviors, check these out:

When Your Brain Doesn’t Want to Go to Work

Having a Positive Attitude