Here’s a recipe (a witch’s magical brew) to help you nurture new habits as part of your daily life.

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I’m part of this really nice membership program called New Rules Studio. It’s a writing salon. We meet a few times a week online and we write.

It’s very different from other writing programs. The way we feel encouraged, the way it brings things out, the way the teachers nurture us, it’s really nice. And the community? All the wonderful people who are in Studio make me love being a part of the salon!!!

It’s been a little over a year since I’ve been in this program, and some of these podcast episodes have originated there. I’ve written them during class.

Usually I don’t attend morning sessions because as you might know, I’m not a morning person. Or rather, I’m not a people person in the morning. Haha But this Friday I happened to have woken up quite early. So I thought, “okay, I’m up anyway, I might as well attend a session.”

The teacher for that session was Chris Young, a newer teacher. Her prompt for us was, “Habits”.

She told us to write about ‘Habits’.

Sometimes just one word can pull so much out from inside you it’s amazing!

As soon as I’d finished writing the piece, I knew, okay, this has to go into the podcast. I knew you’d all enjoy listening to this and it’ll probably resonate with you.

Considering it’s the beginning of the year and everybody’s thinking about their habits and stuff, the topic also is pretty timely.

So here goes…

They’re not set in stone.

And that’s the only way they work, last, thrive.

Habits that meld into your being, flex and flow as you change and transmogrify into the many beings you are.

A habit isn’t really a habit until you stop noticing it.

It’s such a natural part of who you are. You won’t even think of mentioning it if someone asks you what good habits (or bad) you practice every day.

That’s because it isn’t a practice, you see. That would be as ludicrous as saying…

“I practice breathing through every second of my day.”
“I practice peeing as soon as I wake up in the morning.” (Or several times on cold nights if you’re a peri-menopausal woman in your 40s. If you know, you know.)

A true habit is the kind you’ve assimilated into your nature. Like the Borg.

You don’t think about it, or plan for it, or push yourself into doing it. It just happens all on its own.

The rest of the habits? You know, the ones that need will power or intention or resilience…those are Muggle habits.

They’re hatchlings. They’re needed, they matter. Of course they do. But they haven’t reached their full, vibrant, flowing potential until they move from, “I need to do it”, to, “I can’t help but do it.”

So let’s drop the force and the guilt, shall we?

For a hatchling habit to turn into a full blown, true one, it needs love and nurturing. A flexibility within the framework.

The space to move and dance and pirouette gracefully. To relax and slack off if needed. A gentle nudge, a loving guidance in the right direction. With lots of space for creativity, spontaneity and play.

So habits? They’re not to be set in stone. It’s the only way they work, last and thrive.

So that’s what I wrote in class. I hope it resonated with you.

Think about how you can be more kind to yourself, give yourself more grace, as you embrace new habits, as you develop them and work on them.

Make it easy for yourself.

So natural that you absorb these habits and they become a part of you. Instead of pushing yourself into them, or feeling guilty if you don’t do them.

When it comes to habits (or pretty much anything else in life), this is one of my favourite questions…

Ask yourself, “how can I make this easy for myself, and for everyone in the world?”

That question is the secret formula to unlock many wonderful things in life.

All right. It was so good talking to you today!

I’m off to a vegan market that’s happening the whole weekend long. Tomorrow at the market I’m a part of a panel discussion. I’m so excited!

I’ll come back here next week and tell you all about it.

Until then, go here and sign up for my free newsletter, The Feel Good Tribe.

Talk to you again next week. Take care. Bye!

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Susmitha Veganosaurus

“I read voraciously, find humour in most things, and I’m most in my element when I’m teaching, writing, and playing with clay. I believe authenticity and kindness are the keys to world peace. Sign up for myfree newsletterwhere I share conversational emails with stories about Life and Business Tips, Vegan Hacks, Holistic Guidance, and more.“

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