Do Different to Be Different

We are creatures of habit. We go about our days unaware of the stuckness of routine until it feels hard to break free.

Yet it’s in the breaking that real change occurs.

A certain level of sameness is good. Morning routines make us more productive. Moving every day is great for physical and mental health. Particular sleep schedules that are optimal for us individually should remain.

But what routines do you keep that don’t serve you? In what ways are you going through the motions?

If you “do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”

Small changes are great— perhaps even better than big ones. Small changes incrementally change us from the inside out over time.

I personally implement small changes every day to keep me unstuck. I move my body at different times each day and in different ways. Sometimes I write online, sometimes in a notebook. I practice pranayama some days, meditation others, or sometimes both. I eat different things and at different times.

I live within the seasons. I let the days inspire my routine — waking and hiking at dawn in the spring and summer, sleeping more in the winter.

By changing our routines regularly, we create new neural pathways in the brain which, in turn, creates more freedom for future change.

What can you do differently today that will trickle more effective change for tomorrow?

Start small. Indeed it makes a difference, day after day.

Originally published on Medium. Thanks for reading!