I had a conversation today with someone at work and the topic of breaking habits came up. I mentioned I had read articles stating that it takes 21 days to truly form a habit or break a bad habit. While driving home from work I found myself thinking about those magical 21 days. Panicking isn't the right word for what happened next, but let's call it an anxious moment. I was at a stop light on Blondo and I noticed for the first time how freaking hilly Blondo street really is and cue my next thought....."how the hell am I going to bike that?"
It was like an avalanche of thoughts one after the other. I needed a pause button for my brain. Literally. What at first seemed like minor changes suddenly seemed HUGE! Individually, these things didn't seem like much, but add them together and the picture is staggering. I'm not only trying to form new good habits, but break some bad ones as well. So the analytical, type A side of me reared it's head and I sat down for some research on habits. I don't want to fall flat on my face before I'm even out of the gate. I needed more than my baby step approach. Hard facts and numbers are comforting to me and I needed a heavy dose tonight.
I stumbled onto this link. In the middle of the article is the six step (no not 12) 21 day habit practice. I thought step one and three were very important. I mentioned that this blog is to help keep me accountable and for support. These objectives fit in with those steps. So here is my step three, my conviction, my why, and my motivation.
My why and my inspiration was experiencing an entirely different way of life in Sámara Costa Rica. Things that I considered important prior to this trip actually don't even make the list of things that are truly important. To a degree I am a lazy, materialistic American with no immediate thought to how I am impacting the environment. I drive everywhere, and waste no time in lamenting about high gas prices. I chose a gas guzzling Jeep and I choose to drive that vehicle daily. The United Arab Emirates didn't make me buy it or drive it. I made the choice and have continued to make the choice. I discovered that I can make due without my Jeep, without my cell phone, and survive without modern conveniences. Much to my surprise, not only did I not have a seizure or go into a prolonged state of catatonia, but I ENJOYED every minute of my experience. If there was a way to thank every single person in Sámara for this experience I would.
I didn't find the kinds of facts I was looking for tonight. I did strengthen my conviction for why I'm doing this. Obviously, there are some limits to what I can change here. Omaha is slightly larger than Sámara. So there is my conviction and my why out there forever on the net. It will be my reference point for when I am frustrated or having an anxious moment on a hilly road. I also plan to spend plenty of time on step five. I'm gonna celebrate every little milestone no matter how long it takes me to get there.
My glass Snapple bottle is the first of many to go in the bin.
:::high five:::
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