Have you decided your future?
If you’d like to listen to this blog’s audio version, you can do so here.
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” —F. M. Alexander”
This quote really hit home for me. I’ve never got on well with long-term planning. Sorry – I can hear some of my clients laughing there because I plan ahead more than most, with next year’s diary organised in November for the following January to December. What I mean is, I’ve never managed, for example, to work out where I want to be in 5 years or what income I’m going to achieve, the kind of thing the ‘planning’ books tell you to do.
If I decide I want to do something, I tend to go all in. Too often, that means I burn out within a few weeks. A new diet plan, exercise plan, rest and relaxation regime, etc. Few of them last. But maybe this habit thing will work for me, and maybe it could work for you.
The way I hear it, the recommendation is to introduce a micro habit in the direction you’d like to go. I want to ache less and to feel fitter and more flexible. There are, of course, 101 routes to achieving this. I need a route that I find enjoyable so that I have a better chance of sticking to it. I need something that’s achievable, given that I’m a single mum with a full-time business (and several more online courses and books just waiting to escape!). It needs to fit into my priorities because, like everyone, my to-do list will always have more on it than I’m able to do.
To help me become fitter and more flexible, I’ve chosen to introduce yoga as part of my daily life. The combination of strength training, resistance training, and flexibility is ideal for me. My aim is to do 20 minutes each morning and something every evening. I accept that most days, I won’t want to get up and exercise, but that the benefits are worth the effort it takes to drag myself out of bed in time. I accept that there will be so much to do in the evening that skipping yoga will be the easiest option most evenings, but I’ve promised myself that I’ll do a minimum of 4 minutes every evening (that’s the shortest routine my app offers). I realise that twenty minutes or more a day isn’t exactly a micro habit. But I’m very much looking at this as a habit that will decide my future.
What habit will you start this week that will help decide your future? If you’d like some accountability or the affirmation of writing down the habit you are starting, drop me a message. I’d love to hear from you and cheer you along.
If you’d like to listen to this blog’s audio version, you can do so here.
Sue Palmer MCSP, aka The Horse Physio, is an author, educator, and award-winning Chartered Physiotherapist. Sue specialises in understanding the links between equine pain and behaviour, caring deeply for her clients, and promoting calm, connection, courage and confidence through curiosity, compassion, clarity, and creativity.
Popular books and online courses from Sue Palmer include:
Harmonious Horsemanship, co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson
Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy
Sue is registered with the RAMP, the ACPAT, the IHA, the CSP and the HCPC.
