After some inclusivity training at work, I started thinking about myself a little bit differently. The training suggested a people first approach, rather than focsuing on any identifying thing first.
Within minutes of finishing my training, I received an email from the Spartan OCR organization. Another email suggesting I should sign up for a race. (Some of you may or may not know that I have participated in a handful of Spartan obstacle races and the pull of another one always tugs in the more guilty ways) This email had some tidbits of inspiration. The inspiration got me thinking about my resolutions and how they are worded leading to a lot of failed attempts at them. The Spartan way is more of a reset of who you are, rather than goals or steps to get you what you wish for from your resolutions.
So, it begs the question,
What kind of person are you?
Make your resolutions or transformations in life about who you are not what you want.
If you want to have less clutter in your home, a resolution of ‘donating stuff weekly’ is a great resolution. You may declutter a bunch of stuff for the first few weeks. Then it might start getting harder, or life gets busy and then you realize that it has been a month since your last donate run!
Try instead, putting who are first! Set the rules to default! Tell yourself that you are the type of person that keeps a tidy home. Tell yourself that you are the type of person that passes things on when you no longer need them. Or that you are the type of person that puts things in their place when you are done using them.
If you want to eat healthier or get to the gym more, tell yourself that you are the type of person that fits in a workout a couple times each week.
Make your statesments even more powerful by using an “I” statement.
I am the kind of person who keeps the counter clear to make healthy meals.
I am the type of person that goes to the gym at least once per week.
I am the kind of person that eats a healthy lunch.
I am the type of person that hangs my coat up when I enter the house.
Keeping your phrases handy and repeating them to yourself reminds you that this is who you are! You don’t even have to think about whether you should or shouldn’t do something. If the action lines up with who you are then do it because it is in fact, who you are!
You can strengthen your statements further by adding your feelings about it or giving a reason that enforces why you are that person.
Take the last statement as an example; “I am the type of person that hangs my coat up when I enter the house.” You could add, because I care about my coat, or because I want the space to feel tidy, or even, because it’s important to me that I show the kids how to properly enter the home.
Adding a feeling or reason helps magnify why you are the person you are and why it matters to you to maintain that person’s rules!
Are you the kind of person who washes the dishes right away because it helps the kitchen stay tidy?
Are you the kind of person that hangs up their clothes when you take them off because it keeps your clothes looking great and fresh?
Are you the kind of person who donates items from your house that you no longer need because you want to maintain a peaceful home?
So again, I ask, what kind of person are you, really?? Share in the comments below and start living true to the kind of person that you are!
Transform some of your exhausting daily decisions and just stay true to yourself.
Home Under Clutter 