Reinventing Yourself with New Habits
Hello and welcome to season 6 and episode 51 of the Liz Career Coaching podcast. My name is Liz Herrera and I am your host.
You are here for a reason, and it may be time for a check-in. I am definitely in self-reflection mode, but I am really focusing on building new habits, breaking bad ones and maintaining my good habits - cause they definitely are in need of some TLC.
You know we often get into the swing of things and we are on autopilot and it is when we are in a moment of crisis that we have an urgency to make changes and then looking for immediate results. However, we need to be intentional and forming a habit to perform self-check-ins to gauge where we are in the areas that we value and that impact our daily lives.
I admit that there are moments in my life where I feel like a complete zombie, and basically going through the motions directionless. It is when I am mindful and in the present that I can recognize where and why I may be lacking motivation, recognize any bad habits I have formed, and if I am still living my truth and my purpose.
Self-check-ins and self reflection is not an easy practice and it is so easy to get lost and muffled over so much external noise that is our society, and other pressures and expectations. One of my favorite check-in points is the new year and usually the time when I set some of my more ambitious goals. But this year just feels different. As I have been in discussion with other women and colleagues, I have heard things such as I don’t have time to set new goals, my plate is already full, I am feeling overwhelmed, and the list goes on. I don’ know, it might a mid 40s thing!
I personally had to be very honest with myself and think about what I wanted to achieve this year despite not having an ambitious and lofty goal in sight. As I thought more about it I realized that there were some things that I needed to let go but also things that I want to continue doing, further develop and enhance where possible. One of the first books on my list this year was Atomic Habits by James Clear, which I highly recommend if you are looking for strategies and simple ways to form new habits and break bad ones. On this episode I am basically walking you through my own self-reflection and how this book has provided me with some light bulb moments that might serve you as well.
As I consumed each chapter, it helped me recognize and acknowledge that over the years I have experienced the fulfillment of reaching goals and then experiencing the “now what?” moment. If you are a goal digger, I am confident that you feel me.
I remember the year I set out my goal to run my first marathon and while it felt like such an incredible accomplishment, after achieving that, I asked myself what’s next. I’ve formed a habit of running a race each year, and while I certainly don’t want to undermine the physical and mental challenge of running a marathon, the goal of running a marathon doesn’t hold as much weight as it once used to…having said that, while my goal is no longer to run one more race or add more miles (which I eventually convinced my husband Juan to run 2 Ultra marathons with me), the point is that I realize that running is part of my identity. And I have created a habit of simply running and being fulfilled with the idea of being a runner and recognizing how much joy it brings me and how it has changed my life in so many ways. And so just like running, there are other goals that I have achieved where I have created systems to keep that consistency such as traveling, saving for the future, eating healthy etc. But I admit that while I have created systems I find myself getting too comfortable and need to acknowledge when I am deviating from these systems and I need to check myself.
I find this to be true in many of the career related conversations that I have with friends, colleagues and clients, where people have expressed going through the motions at a job that they used to love and over time they don’t recognize themselves anymore or why it is they are still in their organization or doing the same work that no longer serves them. And so I want to challenge you to get into the habit of those check-in and self reflection moments. This is such a critical piece to forming any new habit, and most importantly taking intentional action steps - which I am all about. And I recognize that can be difficult.
One part of the Atomic Habits book that resonated with me was the 2 minute rule. The idea is that when you are looking to start a new habit, it could essentially only take 2 minutes. This makes it doable and less dreadful if you will. The idea really is to first start showing up for yourself and eventually it becomes a habit. If you are looking to start meditating, you might do so by simply turning on peaceful sounds and sit quietly for 2 minutes… or you have been procrastinating in identifying people to connect with on LinkedIn for informational interviews, so perhaps you just open up your LinkedIn app and scroll through your feed every morning or during lunch….
This 2 minute rule really resonates with me again as a runner. People that know me personally are surprised by this, but As much as I love to run and enjoy the post run endorphins, it is more often than not that I still find it challenging to motivate myself to actually go for a run. I realized that the easy part and first step was just lacing up and putting on my running gear, after that I might as well get started. And that has worked like a charm.
If you are anything like me, a very action based person, I appreciate any tools and strategies that are tangible and easy to execute. And that is why I really like this book. So one of the strategies that I wanted to share that is definitely worthwhile trying is the Implementation Intention strategy. Basically, you have to name the action, the time you will do it and the location. So for instance, I am an audible and podcast junkie but admittedly, I have not been as consistent these past few months and I currently have 3 unfinished books and 3 credits on Audible. One thing that I am consistent with is my weekend running, so using the implementation intention formula, I decided I would (action) listen to an audible, (time) in the afternoon, (location) during my long run (either on the treadmill or outside). I am typically motivated by music during my runs, but thought I’d try it out and you know what I learned, that since I am hyper focused when I am running, I was actually more in tune with what I was listening to. While I know this works with running, there are other aspects of my personal and professional life that I have yet to implement. Take this podcast for example, I am going to be very honest, my priorities have significantly shifted and I have procrastinated in getting started this season … so I decided to put this strategy to the test.. I said to myself, I will open up my laptop and just start an outline. I will do this after my Sunday afternoon tv show, while staying cozy on my couch….this worked like a charm because before I knew it, I actually finished this episode outline.
Going back to thinking about goals, if you are in that space where you are not ready to set that lofty goal that is ok. However, I do believe in the power of having a growth mindset and striving toward being the best versions of ourselves - and of course I am preaching to the choir as you are listening to a self-development podcast. While there may be new and ambitious goals to chase, there is nothing wrong with building upon the foundations we have already established… One of the ideas that really resonated with me, which is the essence of the book, is that small changes can eventually lead to larger and significant results in the long run - but it requires time and patience. Which admittedly so, has its challenges as we are constantly chasing immediate results.
This season on the podcast, I am focusing on the theme of reinventing you. I want to explore different areas of life where we may need a boost of motivation or need some inspiration to improve, grow and further explore uncharted territories that require us to be patient but can pay dividends in the long run.
As you continue to start off your year in the right direction (which only you know what that should look like) perhaps this is a good time to think about areas that you have already started to begin forming good and positive habits and how you can continue to grow.
These areas may include financial freedom through financial literacy, travel and adventure, developing as a new leader, living a healthier lifestyle, making a career transition, overcoming the fear of leaving your organization, continuing your education or starting your business. So, What is on your list? I invite you to take this journey with me as we take it one day at a time to start forming new and everlasting habits that will lead to success - whatever that looks like for you.
Thank you for listening and hope you will join me this season. I’d love to add you to my network,I am on LinkedIn and on Instagram at Lizcareercoaching. Until next time, this is Liz Herrera, your career coach and job search ally.
