Play, Practice, Persist

Many of us are making changes in our lives. We use the law of attraction. We may be changing our health habits, creating wealth, developing better relationships and generally trying to be happier. But do you experience the same thing that I do when trying to make change?

It seems to come and go in fits and starts. Some of us start new habits or changes, but quit too soon. Some of us fail to create any momentum because we are distracted too often. Some of us are not motivated enough, that is, there's no real energy behind our desire to change. Some of us just think about change, but fail to take action.

So here's an idea to help: Persist, Practice and Play.

I've found that when I change my language to say, "I am going to play with this (new habit, new idea, new change)" it is much easier to stay engaged. When I say "I'm working on this", it has a heavier feel to it and is harder to stay with it. If you are playing with something, it is much easier to feel happier about it, and using the law of attraction intentionally requires positive feelings. Playing at something feels more energetic, more lighthearted, and as if there are no huge judgements about your performance waiting on the other end.

I've also found that practicing helps. I no longer expect perfection from my efforts. I assume I will need to practice whatever I'm attempting, whether it is changing my health patterns, developing relationships, or being happier. Practicing means you actually spend time doing whatever it is you've decided to do. Practicing means time and energy are focused on the change. Practicing also has a lighter feel to it, just as play does. If you are practicing something, there is much less judgement around the whole event. So what if you are not perfect yet, after all, you are practicing! Want to be healthier? Practice eating healthy and exercising. Want to have a quieter mind, be clearer, and be happier? Practice meditating. Want more wealth? Practice being wealthy (do what a wealthy person would do).

And most of all, persist. Don't give up the first time you drop the ball. Don't give up if you're not doing it perfectly. Don't give up if you're not making fast progress. Persist, practice, play.

30 Day As-If

Often in the Law of Attraction teachings, we are advised to live as-if...as if we already are wealthy, or as if we are beautiful, or as if we are loved, etc. Great advice, and I always thought, easier said than done.

My husband and I have had big and fairly specific plans for our semi-retirement years. We would be healthier, exercise, meditate more, travel more. So here it is six months into that semi-retirement and none of those things were happening. Life kept getting in the way. Life-long habits persisted. We made many half-hearted attempts to do the things on our list but only travel really took hold.

I was frustrated and feeling defeated about the whole thing. then I remembered the as-if teaching. My husband and I discussed a plan to have 30 perfect days of living our plan. 30 perfect days of eating healthy, exercise and meditating as if we were already doing those things. This is different from just saying I have a goal of losing 20 pounds so I'll start dieting. That's a goal with a measurable accomplishment and an end. Notice that our plans didn't really describe goals, they described a lifestyle. We wanted to live healthier, live more spiritually, and experience the world through travel. So rather than wait until we could somehow set up goals, make plans and figure out how to do these things, we just lived as if they were already true for us.

Just as an example, here are some of the thoughts that kept us stuck: I'm not ready to lose weight, I'll start when I'm not so stressed, meditating two hours a day is too much, I'll have to work up to meditating that long, It's almost summer (in Houston) and too hot to start exercising, it will take me hours to figure out how to plan menus to eat healthy, I'm too tired, etc.

So when we decided to live as if we were healthy, fit, and spiritual, we simply decided what our days would look like. We'd eat healthy, we would buy healthy foods, we'd choose wisely, we'd exercise every day, we'd choose activity over sloth, we'd take our vitamins and supplements regularly, we'd take our prescription medicine religiously, we'd monitor our health, we'd floss every day, and meditate between 1 and 2 hours a day. And we would put all of this as our daily priority. For example, when friends called to ask us to meet them for dinner, we declined because they were going to eat Mexican and didn't want to change their plans. We thought this would be too much of a challenge for us given where we are right now. Another set of friends asked us out and we suggested a salad place.

I have to admit, I secretly thought we'd stick with it a day or two and then fall away or that we wouldn't even get started. But lo and behold, we're doing it. And it's easy. And it's fun. I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

But now, how does this apply to you? What is it you want? What is it you are putting off trying or "getting ready to get started" (my own personal favorite way to put things off). What dream do you have but don't really see any way to get there?

Many of you have already done one or more "dream boards". They often have pictures of wonderful friends and family gatherings, exciting activities such as travel or dancing or kayaking, loving relationships with a spouse or lover, happy times with children, satisfying careers, etc. Almost all of these are actually lifestyle choices. Can you choose to live that way starting today?

What would happen if you just started? What if you took the first step today towards that dream? Live as-if all the planning, all the getting ready, all the inner work, all the obstacles had already been taken care of. Just start, now.