Falling Forward: Make Getting Back to Routine Rock
/Even though Covid is far from over, we are moving on. But almost all of us can say we have learned some important things about the way we live our lives. I invite you to do the short exercise below to take stock and tune into nature’s cue to let go and embrace change.
Lessons from Lockdown
As we all ramp up for fall, a time when we traditionally get back into routine, it may be a good time to ask yourself what you want your routine to look like going forward.
For me, the fall always feels like both an end and a beginning. I feel both a tinge of sadness knowing the adventures of summer are over and a spark of excitement about what might manifest in the coming months as I gear myself up for more focused action.
This year feels like somewhat of a fork in the road. The changes Covid has presented me with means getting back into action may look a little different. I suspect, like me, you may be wondering what “getting back to routine” might look like. You may also be worried that some of the enjoyable things that you’ve had more time for over the past 20 months may get lost.
I believe that looking back is a good way to move forward. I invite you to create a chart like the one below to take stock of what changed in the past 20 months, and whether you consider the change a blessing or a curse. I’ve provided you with a few examples from my own life to help get you started.
Exercise: Make your Fall Rock!
Step 1: What changed over the pasted 20 months and why would you consider it a blessing, a curse or a bit of both?
Step 2: Review your list and ask yourself the following questions.
Blessings: How can I continue to keep the things that fall only under “Blessing” as I move forward?
Curses: Can I let these things go? If not, can I somehow make them into blessings by modifying how I do them?
Both Blessing and Curse: If you really had to categorize these items into either a blessing or curse, what column would it go into? To indicate this, simply highlight the table’s cell under either Blessing or Curse as shown below. Do this fairly quickly. Use your intuition rather than a deep analysis.
Step 3: Now go back and look at the additional blessings and curses you’ve identified and ask yourself questions 1 & 2 from above again.
Once you’ve completed your chart you’ll be left with a better sense of what you want to keep in your life, what you are willing to let go of and what you have to modify in some way to turn a curse into a blessing.
That’s a nice way to Fall forward!
