The Three Week Groove

Wanna get your Groove on?!  Oh, make no mistake about it - you very much want to; you just may be a little unclear of which groove it is and a little more unclear of how to get it on. 

The Grooves

Do any (or all!) of the following interest you?

• Getting up earlier
• Reading more
• Exercising everyday
• Writing more
• Playing an instrument
• Praying more
• Getting more organized
• Keeping your house cleaner
• Keeping your car cleaner
• Kicking the habit of procrastinating
• Kicking some other habit out of your life
• Working on your temper

If you’re anything like me, there are several that interest you. But for now, just pick one.

When I chose my first one, I asked myself, “Which one could most help me in my pursuit of the others?”  After thinking about it, I decided that getting up earlier would help me the most.

It’s easier to tackle one goal at a time, even though human nature wants to grab as many as it can carry.  That’s one of human nature’s problems, though.  It often thinks it can carry more than it’s designed for. It’s much better to take care of one, then use the momentum from that success as strength for the next one(s).

Do any of these (or others you may know of) interest you enough to train for?

Just about anything in life has to be trained for.  There’s on the job training, training camps, boot camp, trade schools, religious training, etc. Most are months or years long.  But the training for Getting Your Groove on is just 3 weeks.

When I decided that I wanted to start getting up earlier, I knew I’d have to “re-train” my body and mind.  My mind, in its hyper little state, was all for it - but the body thought it was being punished for some crime it was certain it hadn’t commited.  For three straight weeks, my mind drug my body out from under the warm covers and forced it into an erect position as it pulled out every trick it knew:  “I need my rest,” “The body knows how much rest it needs,” “It’s too cold,” and its absolute favorite, “Just 10 more minutes!”

Three weeks later, I now automatically wake up an hour earlier than I did.  I was able to re-train myself and create a habit.  It may not seem like much, and on the grand scheme of things, it is a teeny little blip.  But, it’s also a clear example of how a great new habit…a life-changing Groove… is just 3 weeks away!

Just be warned of three things:

1. Your body fights new routines.  The older you are, the more of a fight it’ll put up.
2. You have to make it a priority each of the 21 days - no days off.
3. A good habit can be broken in less time than it was made.  Be on guard against backsliding - dig in and refuse to budge!

Tomorrow is Monday.  I can’t think of a better time to start a life changing habit, can you? By the time Mother’s Day (May 10) rolls around, you could wear that habit like a nun.  Speaking of “wearing”, last night an incident with my favorite pair of Levi’s served me up the subject of my next 3 week focus!  If the body thought the early morning wake-up calls seemed like punishment, it ain’t seen nothing yet! 

Hear that?  Your groove’s calling. It’s wanting you to get it on!