Why Summer is the Perfect Time for New Habits

I know that summer often feels like that frustrating time when all your routines and schedules go out the window. The kids are home, or grandkids visit, vacations get packed in, and let’s be honest – habits can be hard to hang onto!

But what if I told you summer isn’t the habit-hampering season you think? That in fact, it could be your golden ticket to finally nailing those new habits you’ve been chasing?

I’ve been personally trying this out the past few weeks, and I’ve figured out that while it may seem counterintuitive, summer can actually be an ideal season for establishing new healthy habits. Here’s why:

* The summer mindset is all about renewal and freshness. The warm temperatures and abundant sunshine have an invigorating effect mentally and physically. We tend to crave lighter foods, spend more time outdoors, and have a spring in our step (well, hopefully most days). This vibrant energy is the perfect catalyst for making positive changes.

* Summer’s slower pace also works in your favor. With fewer commitments and a more relaxed schedule, you have the time and mental bandwidth to properly integrate new habits. Starting incremental, sustainable habits is far easier when you’re not rushing from one endless obligation to the next.

* The summer season is also a powerful motivator all on its own. Who doesn’t want to look and feel their best in warm weather and lighter clothing? New fitness routines, healthier eating, hydrating more – these habits seem so much more attractive and worthwhile in the summer.

* Finally, habits started in summer can easily carry into fall. You’ve already done the hard work of installing the new routines and patterns in your brain. By September, those habits will be second nature.

So don’t buy into the idea that summer’s lack of schedule makes it impossible to upgrade your habits. Embrace the mindset, pace, motivation and consistency offered by the season to finally make those positive changes you’ve been waiting for!

Pretty cool how summer could actually be your habit-changing power season, right? That lazy vacay time may be the secret weapon you never expected!

So get started this weekend: commit to just one new habit.

Whether it’s kicking off your day with a green smoothie, journaling your thoughts, squeezing in a morning workout (I’ve been enjoying the 30-day wall Pilates for “mature” ladies), or anything else that fits your vibe, the choice is yours.

Don’t let summer’s schedule shake-ups stop you – reframe this as your habit-building season and watch the magic happen!

You’ve totally got this!

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Let’s talk about habits…Atomic Habits.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a phenomenal book that came out in 2018.

Have you read it?

I’m sorry to say, I put off reading it.

Even though I kept seeing and hearing comments about how great it is, I still put it off.

Even though I purchased it, and it was on my audible app, I still put it off.

WHY?
I thought it would be like so many other similar books I’ve read:
The Slight Edge
The Compound Effect
The Power of Habit
High Performance Habits

Also great books, so I didn’t feel any hurry to read one more book in that genre for awhile.

But then…last month I did it. I began listening to Atomic Habits and couldn’t stop. In fact, I ordered the physical book, because I knew I wanted to highlight and underline so much of what I was hearing!

You may know, along with my SimplyAlign energy work, I’ve also been a Certified High Performance Coach for the past three years. I love helping my coaching clients set up habits that are doable and will help them become who they wish to become. To get clarity, I’ll often have them write a list of: “I’m the type of person who __________.”

Going along with that, author James Clear says, “The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.” He says identity, or the type of person we think we are, is what sustains a habit, good or bad. It’s who we think we are -the best version of ourselves that we’re stepping into.

He teaches that the four laws of behavior change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits and include: 1) make it obvious, 2) make it attractive, 3) make it easy, 4) make it satisfying.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
“Your identity emerges out of your habits.”
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
“You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.”
“With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.”
“Incentives can start a habit, identity sustains a habit.”

Needless to say, I highly recommend Atomic Habits. If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you do, I think you’ll love it. And if you’ve already read it, I hope it helped you create some new habits as it did for me.

Much Love,
Carolyn

PS: In a few weeks my new Coaching Website will launch. If private or group coaching with me is something you may be interested in, then stay tuned, more information is coming soon!

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