What’s your one thing? The thing that would make all the difference for you?
I had an idea for an article and wanted to get an early start the next day with a clear head. I told myself that I would eat a healthy, light dinner, drink lots of water, abstain from wine, and get a good night’s rest.
The reality ended up being something entirely different.
The Promises We Make
I worked on real estate contracts at the office until 6:30pm and arrived home starved out of my mind. I grabbed some cheese and crackers to stem my sinking blood sugar while I cooked dinner. My cheese and cracker plate looked naked without an accompanying glass of wine, so I poured a nice red and foraged for dinner ingredients.
I sent off the contracts while I ate dinner and drank another glass of wine. I was now full, but had really not enjoyed my dinner as I had been so distracted with work. I was also fuzzy headed and tired, so I opted to find something mind numbing to watch on television. I fell asleep with the TV and lights on. I woke around midnight with a headache and sore neck, turned the TV off, and tried to go back to sleep.
I scanned Facebook while I waited to doze off. Of course, doing so only prolonged falling asleep as I was giving myself a big dose of blue light and continuing to stimulate my brain. Sleep eventually came in restless bursts — not deep, restorative waves.
When 4am rolled around, I felt hung over, sluggish, and tired. Worst of all, I had not kept the promise I had made to myself, and my inner critic was on fire with admonishing commentary.
Hiding in Plain Sight
I vowed to get it together that night, but I continued in the same cycle not just for days, but weeks. I was hiding in plain sight.
I knew deep down that if I were to be completely on my game at night, that I would face the page the next morning without excuses or delay. It would be GO time to create, to show up, to step out of the shadows.
When the pain of staying stuck was greater than my perceived pain of putting my work out into the world in a big way, I finally made a decision to change my nighttime ritual for real.
Doing so was my one thing. And it made all the difference.
I am now fiercely protective of my evening ritual and consistently keep my promises to myself. I literally leap out of bed at 4am and am writing shortly thereafter, connected to the divine in a joyful state of flow that elevates and sustains me.
Your One Thing
I have a hunch that if you were to find your one thing, your life would change as well.
Take a moment and write at the top of a page in your journal this question: What is my one thing? What one thing could I change that would make all the difference for me? Maybe it is a habit that doesn’t serve you. Maybe it is a relationship with a person who is toxic. Maybe it is a painful thought or limiting belief that keeps you feeling small and lessor than.
Spend some time doing stream of consciousness writing and see what comes up for you. Once you’ve landed on your one thing, write down 3 ways you might be able to address it/change it and/or replace it with something healthier, more sane, more satisfying, more loving.
Select one idea and give it a try. Be prepared for a one step forward, two steps back reality for a little while. It may take you several attempts (like it did for me) to bolster your commitment to yourself and finally decide to follow through.
