Ever want to be a Super Hero? I remember wanting to be Superman when I was a kid. Later, that seemed to be a little too big for my tights and instead we would discuss which super power would be the best. Invisibility? Flying? Super strength?
Now that I have some more years on this rock of ours, I know the answer – I want to be “HABITMAN”!
Ouch…I think I just killed my inner child…
Seriously think about it though – Any change I want to implement, just naturally becomes part of my routine!
Okay, you may be shaking your head and that’s okay. My grandma Maw used to say, “Boy, you just ain’t right.”
Stay with me for a minute.
I have had 20 years of not needing habits because I was really good at firing into a new direction at any given time. Sure, sometimes it lead me to make some mistakes, BUT THOSE WERE “LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES!” My life style didn’t require a whole lot of personal habit as I never knew when the next phone call would change my life (see previous stories about my Mum).
I became comfortable working in environments that were reactive, just waiting for the next thing to happen to me. Flooded home? I got this. Job change? Let’s do it! Last minute presentation in front of hundreds of management when I’m the new guy? Ready to rock!
What I was doing was simply patching holes in my life, not ever committing to any one thing. And now life is different. Now I have to look at me. I want to be better for myself. And I can’t seem to move.
So I want to be able to create habits at will – just imagine being able to say, “I want to go to the gym five times a week.” BAM!
I don’t want to smoke anymore – KAPOW!
I want to eat healthier – SMACK!
I want so save for a trip to Europe – ZOOOM!
(Be sure to use your inside announcer voice for this next part)
But instead I have met my evil nemesis…
MOLASSES!
…okay that sucks for a super-villain name. I’m out of ideas though; I tried looking up antonyms for “change”, and “growth” and really there isn’t a good super-villain name to come out of that. Let me know if you have any ideas.
How do you overcome feeling stuck? I’ve always thought the word doldrums was a neat word, until I found myself in my own personal doldrums.
doldrums
[dohl-druh mz, dol-, dawl-] noun, ( used with a plural verb)
- a state of inactivity or stagnation, as in business or art:
- the doldrums.
- a belt of calms and light baffling winds north of the equatorbetween the northern and southern trade winds in the Atlantic andPacific oceans.
- the weather prevailing in this area.
- a dull, listless, depressed mood; low spirits.
Ooooooohhhh – “IT’S MY NEMESIS, DOCTOR DOLDRUMS!!!”
Okay, that may have been better, but I’ll keep working on it.
Back to our irregularly scheduled programming…How to defeat the evil Doldrums? My kryptonite is a busy life and schedule full of stuff. I’m tired. I’m worn a little thin every day. College, work, bills, dinner, soccer, garage, yard…we’ve all got our to-do lists.
AACK! IT’S THE VILLAINOUS TO DO!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Noted…I should definitely NOT write a comic book story…
I guess this proves to me I cannot simply become who and what I want to become in my life. Dammit – I was hoping for an easy Hollywood solution. “Today, Habitman discovers COFFEE and does ALL THE THINGS!” (I feel like I’m getting better with every word!)
“Meanwhile, back at Habit Headquarters, our disciplined hero has started his newest super tool – The Self Journal.”
That’s the new habit to figure out – If I don’t seem to have the tools myself, then how do I find them? I could think about hundreds of ideas on how to try to accomplish what I want, but at the end of the day Yoda pipes up, “Do or do not, there is no try.”
That little green freak needs a red cape…
Every super hero story needs an obstacle and a nemesis – I guess today I found mine.
“Doctor Doldrums, your era of inactiveness is coming to an end. I am armed with coffee and an inner drive to do more, prepare to WORK!”
Talking to Myself 