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September is a great time of the year to recall the goals and intentions we set in January, to reflect on what our year has been like so far, and to adjust our sails to finish the year strong. It’s a time of year when we might ditch our January goals to set new goals for ourselves and our families, either because we have reached our January goals or our priorities have changed. We get excited thinking of our calm mornings without technology, about the possibilities of chore charts, or about daily exercise routines. I encourage you to take that enthusiasm and take action!
If you’re anything like me, I spent many Septembers thinking about all the ways to reduce technology use in my house or thinking about how to get my kids to help more around the house instead of diving in and doing it. I’d spend time on Pinterest to look at all pretty chore charts others have created instead of creating my own. Or, I’d get on Facebook to read of how others kids don’t reach for their phones instead of sitting down and establishing some ground rules for my boys.
Join me and let’s make this September different. How? By bringing mindfulness and intentionality into our days. Wait…keep reading! That’s not woowoo magic fairy stuff because I started last year and it’s been working! Yes, it means I had to take action but has made all the difference in my and my family’s lives. How? By doing two things each day:
1) Morning Magic: Schedule time to sit for 5-10 minutes in the morning to consciously create your day.
Get out your calendar, pad of paper, and a pen and ask yourself these questions:
What do I want my day to be like?
How do I want to feel during my day?
How do I want to be or act like?
How do I want to feel at the end of my day?
What do I need to do to make that happen?
Answer these questions on your pad of paper each day for the month of September. Once this habit is established, you can choose to visualize your day instead of writing it down however there is magic when we put a pen to paper. My days stay closest to my intention when I write down what that intention is. Write down the actions you need to take to feel the way you want to feel on your calendar. Plan it out and set a time for each task. Exercise, sleep, eating, packing lunches, etc….Some pieces will be identical (great for habit formation!) and others will vary on the day of the week and events involved. What doesn’t vary is your commitment to yourself to live consciously. Write it down.
2) Evening Examination: Similar to Morning Magic, gift yourself 5-10 minutes to sit and examine your day. Get out those same tools (paper, pen, schedule) and ask yourself:
What went well today?
What can I learn from today?
What do I want to do differently tomorrow?
Taking these two steps each day has dramatically improved my life. I’m calmer. I’m happier. When shit does hit the fan, I am less likely to react and make it worse.
If you want a different experience in your life, you must do something differently. What did you do last September? How did that work for you? I imagine that if you’re still reading, you are looking for a different September. How can you make that happen? Commit to yourself and these two steps for a September that’s different from your past Septembers. If you skip a day of both Morning Magic and Evening Examination or one or the other, perfect! You can reflect on why you chose to skip the steps and how your day was different because of your choice. Then start right back up the next day. There is no perfect way to live or parent. We learn from our experiences which is why these two tools pair together. We set intentions in the morning, life happens, and we learn in the evening.
A mindful mom is a more content and less reactive mom. A mom who blames others, looks for excuses, and keeps doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is a bitter and sour mom. It’s truly your choice. Email me, comment below, zing me a message….The more of us who live in a conscious intentional way, the calmer and less reactive this world will be.
