Brainstorming Micro-Moves and New Practices

Let’s continue our conversation about practices! We’ve talked about what they are, why they’re important and the things that need to be present for you to take on new practices.

Now, I want to brainstorm with you: what practices might you want to try adding to your life?

When I did an assessment of my life and did my “wheel of life” exercise, the one area that seemed evidently lopsided was the area of health and fitness. I have a lot of stability and practice in certain aspects of my life. But in the area of my overall well-being and fitness, all my practices have really dropped off. 

Ever since Covid took over and my yoga studio closed and my dance community stopped getting together, I haven’t been doing much to move my body. And I know that really needs to happen for me. So I wanted to implement some practices in that area.

Remember, what works when it comes to practices is making them relatively micro to begin with. I tend to be enthusiastic and over-ambitious. A wave of enthusiasm will hit me and I’ll say, “Yes! OK, I’m going to this 4 times a week for an hour at a time” or something ridiculous that ends up not being sustainable for me.

I’ve learned the hard way through myself and my clients to keep things relatively bite-sized.

So, I’ve started a new practice of walking around the block. It sounds pretty simple, and it is. And so far, it’s making a big difference.

Every day, I need to take my dog outside at some point to do her business. Usually, I would run her downstairs, let her out for a couple minutes, and then run right back up and back to work.

Instead, I’ve started putting on my tennis shoes, taking her out and making one lap around my apartment building, which is basically a city block. It’s not huge and not a huge time commitment. If I have just a few minutes between calls, I can still walk around the block.

What’s happened so far, 9 out of 10 times, is that I get out and start to walk around the block. And because I have the time for it, I just keep going. I often make a big loop and walk through the park before heading back home. Super simple, and it feels really good.

Another practice I’ve been doing lately is in alignment with building my muscle to ask for help.

As I’ve shared before, asking for support or letting myself be helped is not one of my strong suits, and I want to get better at that. So, I’ve added this practice: every time I lock my door to go somewhere, I invoke my angels and guides to protect me and assist me in whatever I’m doing.

It’s a gentle way I remind myself that it’s okay to ask for help. I let the routine action of locking the door be my reminder to ask for help. This sets the tone to ask in other places and with other opportunities. When I come home and unlock the door, I give thanks for all the places that I was supported.

It really is helpful when designing or choosing practices, that you tie them to a specific thing, time, or day. Personally, I find it helpful to tie practices to the normal, routine things that we do every day. It makes them easier to remember.

Perhaps you want to strengthen your attention to your finances. You might want to develop a practice of logging on to your bank account every morning. That’s it. Just log on, take a look at it and log out. That might be a simple move to start with.

Maybe you want to strengthen your spiritual connection. You could make it a practice to recite prayers or invite some sort of guidance while you’re taking a shower.

Maybe you want to be better at connecting with your friends by nurturing your social life and relationships. Maybe a practice you could take on is calling a friend to say “hi” three times a week. I know someone who, once a week, writes a handwritten card to someone in their life expressing their gratitude and love. You could even do the same thing with a simple text message. You get the idea, right? There are all kinds of things you can do. 

Those are just some ideas. I invite you to look at the areas of your life where you’re wanting to improve and strengthen your abilities. Brainstorm some micro-moves you could make that will start having an impact on you now.

That’s it for this week. See you next week!