WOOP your life
Happy Fearless Friday, Friends!
In our Daily Practice Survey we asked over 1000 people to tell us the one thing they would like to do more consistently because they believe it would most enhance their life.
Out of over 50 behaviors, here are the top 5:
1. 🏃🏽♀️Physical exercise
2. 🎨 Being creative for work or hobby
3. 🏕 Spending time in nature (including gardening, nature bathing, hiking, etc.)
4. 📔 Spending time reflecting through meditation, prayer, or journaling
5. 🛌 Getting quality sleep.
When I took the survey, I realized that spending more time outdoors could have a big effect on my well-being. But, if that had been easy and convenient I’d probably already be doing it, so, I’ve been looking closely at what gets in my way and building plans to get outside more often. My strategies include taking the reigns on walking the dog, slowing down and really appreciating the fresh(ish) air and scenery on my morning jog, shifting a few Zooms into walking phone calls with colleagues, planning outdoor activities on weekends with the kids, and looking out the window to bring nature inside when I’m working from home. I feel significantly calmer, clearer, more present and more creative when I do these things.
But, why don’t we do them?
Even when we know the thing we most want to do, we often find ourselves not doing it. That can be frustrating and mentally exhausting. Here’s one of my all-time favorite techniques for turning ideas into actions. It’s an adaptation of WOOP, a science-based mental strategy that people can use to find and fulfill their wishes and change their habits. I recommend checking out their open-source tools to learn more.
Step 1: What’s your wish? Choose something that calls to you and that you genuinely care about, while still being realistic and achievable.
Step 2: Imagine what would be possible if you were to achieve your goal. Really picture it and notice how you’d think, feel and act if you achieved it.
Step 3: What thought or habit in you is getting in the way and holding you back?
Step 4: What alternate thought or habit might make it easier for you? Next time the obstacle comes up imagine yourself doing what you intended to do instead.
I love sharing these insights and practices with you and I hope you're finding them valuable. There's so much more to learn from the data, so reach out and let me know what you'd like to hear about next.
Aransas
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