The 117th Day

“Do you write?” someone asked me today.

A few months ago, I would’ve mumbled a sorry excuse in answer to their question – something along the lines of “I love writing, but….”.

Today, I am able to say “Yes, I write. I write every day.”

This realisation hit me with shock, surprise and a feeling of immense well-being, like jumping into freezing water after a hot sauna.

I write! I said to myself.

I write every day! I exclaimed in my head, barely believing my own words.

I love writing and I write every day! I repeated over and over again.

I am no longer the girl who “does not have time to write”, or the girl who “has run out of inspiration”. I am no longer envying those with a regular writing practice or wondering when I’ll finally start creating something.

Now, I make time and I invite inspiration; I keep up a regular practice and I am creating every day.

Every day, I put pen to paper. Every day, I invent, or describe, or tell. Every day, I do what I love.

NB: This is my 117^th day of the 120-day “Do What You Love Challenge”.

Form One Good Habit at a Time

Forming one good habit at a time is the best path to the lifestyle that you desire. When we have a list of things we want to improve in our lives (eat healthier, do more sport, get more fresh air, spend more time with family, learn an instrument…), it is very easy to be overwhelmed by all of the changes we need to make in order to make them happen. This can paralyse us into not doing anything at all, because we can’t imagine being able to manage everything at once.

Yet when we form one good habit at a time, we allow ourselves the time to introduce a small change into our lives. Our everyday life isn’t overthrown by this new habit, which makes it easier for us to integrate it into our current routine. A month ago, I stopped drinking coffee in the morning; two weeks ago, I started eating a healthier breakfast; and last week I started doing regular exercise. Giving myself time to get used to these changes made it easier for me to keep them up.

Modern trends advertise fast results, that require extreme changes in our lifestyle. However, a study carried out by Phillippa Lally showed that, on average, it takes around 66 days for us to form a habit. Lasting results come about from continued effort. If we persist, slowly but surely, with a new good habit, we will benefit from all the positive things that this brings into our lives. And to make this easier, we shouldn’t try and achieve everything at once, but take it one step at a time.