Years ago, I purchased a book called 52 Mondays. The premise of the book is each brand new week is ripe with opportunities for us to work towards a larger goal. I set some resolutions at the start of this year but I haven't really stayed on course. So, I've decided that, to reach my intentions, I've got to implement a week-by-week reset as part of my overall strategy.
The approach will be simple, each week, I'll engage in a two-part process that will bring me closer to the most ideal version of myself.
Part one of the process requires an honest reflection of the past week. This includes the positive aspects of my actions from the week before along with the results of those actions. For instance, last week, I was consistent with my skincare routine (cause I'm deathly afraid of the change of season ruining my skin). As a result of my consistency, my skin is currently clear and problem-free. Last week I also made sure to get dressed before starting work. Previously, I'd work the entire day in loungewear which was terrible for my productivity. Listing a few wins from the previous week is important because I want to bring those behaviors into the week ahead to continue enjoying those results.
Next, I list the areas where I'd like to improve for this upcoming week to further build on my current results.
-I'd like to improve my work efficiency by using a productivity timer for deep focused work throughout the day.
-Identify a project to work on consistently for the new month ahead. At the end of the month, I'll assess the outcomes of working on the project.
Then, I ask myself "what would a more ideal version of myself do this week that I didn't do last week?"
I don't have to create the MOST ideal version of myself. Instead, I just want to embody a version that more closely resembles who I'd like to become. Sometimes all it takes to get there is just a few tweaks. Small changes such as putting my phone in a different room while I work can set off a domino effect that catapults me closer to my ideal.
Even if I don't maintain some of these habits permanently, the intention is to live as the person who I see as ideal and experience the benefits of implementing the new behaviors. That way, if I fall off the wagon again and begin to experience negative outcomes, I can say to myself "when I ate salads for lunch for a week, I noticed less bloating and gut issues...I need to get back to doing that again." Or "when I wrote down my to-do list nightly before bed, my days were less hectic and chaotic."
The point of this "ideal self" experiment is two-fold:
1.) It's an easy way to insert new habits into your week. There's no pressure for you to keep the habit active forever, you're just "trying it on" for a week and seeing how it possibly benefits (or positively impacts) you. Maybe you realize that going to bed by 9:00 pm for a week allows you to fall asleep sooner and leads to more energy the next day. Then you might decide that having more energy creates a more ideal version of yourself than the one that's doom-scrolling after midnight.
2.) The second reason why I love this weekly "ideal self" experiment is because it feels like a manageable way to create real transformation. The author of 52 Mondays said that he started one year by supporting a family of 5 making an income of just above the poverty level. By the following year, he was earning six figures (this was back in the 90's when earning six figures was rare).
He basically dedicated each Monday of the year to his growth path. Each and every Monday was an important step that led him closer to his goals. My worst personality trait is sehttps://www.bellemocha.com/2014/09/monday-motivation-push-over-that-domino.htmltting goals every year and then completely forgetting they even exist. That's because there's no system in place to keep things top of mind and promote forward progress.
Personal development gurus tell us that to reach our most ambitious goals, we must embody the version of ourselves that will easily achieve those goals. If every Monday, I think about the ideal version of myself for the week ahead, I also am reminded of the goals that she'd want to achieve and experiences she'd want to have.
The point isn't to totally transform your life overnight but you can begin a journey of transformation by moving one step closer one week at a time.
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