Most people struggle with establishing new habits and patterns. I often get asked how I am able to be so dedicated to my sport and although I have always attributed the consistency of my training to my tendency to be neurotic and obsessive, most of the time I'm really just not sure how I do it.
We watched the movie "Argo" last night and I loved the part where Ben Affleck was pleading with the American hostages to become like their new fake Canadian identities so much that they start thinking like them. They aren't to merely play the part but to BE the part. I think what it is for me is that running has become a part of my identity which really forces me to keep it up. I don't go for a run so that I can act like a runner; I go for a run because I AM a runner.
If you want to be clean and organized then you need to become known for being clean and organized. You need to go out somewhere and meet new people and then you need your old friends to raise their eyebrows at you and ask, "do your new friends know how clean and organized you are?" and then roll their eyes and smile.
I don't have a hard time keeping up my running habits because running is who I am. I am Suzy the Runner. I don't ever think about giving up brushing my teeth because I am Suzy Who Brushes Her Teeth. However, I am having a hard time keeping up the discipline of writing because it's still new to me, and I haven't yet fully taken it on as my identity. But I need to! Suzy the Mother. Suzy the Runner. Suzy the Writer.
It helps to say things out loud to people, like "I am healthy" and "I am a runner" and "I am a writer." Never underestimate the power of assertion. Do whatever you need to do to convince yourself and everyone else that you are this new person. Don't just spill your latte on your new running shoes to get them dirty and used... run in them!
This is my struggle as a runner and photographer. Is it because i haven't taken it on as my identity or because I'm not validating my worth in those areas? Interesting that you write about this as I've been pondering a blog post about it too :)
ReplyDeleteWell, from personal experience, I struggle with saying "I'm a writer" out loud to people because of the worthiness aspect. Am I writer only if I get paid for it? Published? Am I writer just because I keep a journal? What constitutes a writer? And then I guess this is where the "act as if" ideology comes in, where if we claim something to be true, then the feelings will follow. Positivity attracts positivity. It's a huge topic, but my point is that all we need to start our journey as Suzy the Writer and Kelly the Runner is by picking up a pen and putting on our running shoes.
DeleteAgreed. I'm a runner even before I finish that 1/2! You're a writer before you are published/paid for it. "Act as if..." positivity and belief in who we are.
DeleteGood thoughts, Suzy!
A runner runs. A writer writes. I used to get a bit hung up on defining myself...then I figured that it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. All kinds of people go out and buy the really expensive shoes and gear but, until they run, they are just people with expensive shit. I like your writing...you are a writer in my books.
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