I wanted to share something with you based on a real-life example around habit change. If you’ve been around me at all in the past year, you’ve undoubtedly heard me promoting the benefits of looking at very small, simple shifts we can make towards a desired goal. Steps in line with what we envision for ourselves. This is aligned action.
Recently I bit the bullet and bought a fresh pack of socks. From Target. An under $10 investment. 6 pair of little “no-show” socks. Brand-spanking new. The thing is, I’d had a few old, bedraggled pairs of ankle socks – probably hailing from Walgreens, if truth be told. These sad socks were at least 9 years old. As old as my kid. That’s almost a decade!!!
These old socks were no longer comfortable. They were scratchy and past their prime. Way past their prime. They didn’t have major holes or anything. But they no longer held the qualities you’d want in a pair of socks you use when you exercise. They created a subtle feeling of discomfort. Decidedly unpleasant.
I didn’t realize this, consciously, until one day when I put on a fresh pair of little ankle socks we’d taken home from an adventure in sneaker buying for my son. They were soft! They were new! They felt good.
And then I realized, it was time. It was SO time. I ordered the socks. I picked them up, so shiny and new! And then – I began to throw away my old, faded, uncomfortable socks. Socks whose proper texture had parted ways from them long ago. Longer than I could believe.
I threw the old socks away with a cathartic sense of release. Out with the old! And putting on the new socks before donning my sneakers for a walk or a bike ride suddenly became a revelatory experience. Oh, the joy!!! My feet felt so cushioned! So protected! So – comfortable!
Between throwing the sad old crusty socks away and slipping my feet into the newness of each fresh clean pair, I felt SUCH GLEE!
And so it is with the little aspects of our environment that can either encourage us to lean into the habits that work for our health – or lean away from them. I’m talking about an $8 pack of socks here, that literally rocked my world. That made me 100% more excited to exercise. And that will be with me for many months to come. (But not too many. If it’s 5 years from now and my feet aren’t stoked about these socks any more – if they’re no longer holding up their end of the deal – I’ll be gratefully chucking them and replenishing the supply.)
It’s good to conserve, to take a stand against useless waste and mindless over-consumption. Goodness knows we need that consciousness now more than ever. But it’s also essential, in my book, to have the insight to see what is no longer serving you and gently let it go. Into the compost, into a donation bin, a free library, repurposed perhaps, or in some cases right on into the trash bin.
Having my feet feel happy is important. They have been known to get sore and tired. These feet do a lot. It turns out that my feet are quite sensitive. They always have been. But this knowledge is power.
What tiny shifts can you make to facilitate a newfound sense of joy and excitement to your practices? How simple and easy can you make it? What little gesture can you make to make a previously lackluster practice suddenly seem more rewarding?
This is the stuff of habit change and identity evolution. Shifts that seem impossibly small – insignificant even. But aligned actions nonetheless. Actions that can only be taken when you take the time to listen to yourself, know yourself and appreciate the uniqueness in what makes You tick.
One (now very cushioned and comfortable) step at a time.
