How often do you pay attention to the patterns that are happening around you without question? For example, when you take a shower do you have the exact same pattern of how you go through your shower routine? For me, it’s always hair first, then body, then face, topped off with a final rinse and completed with asking our dog to move to the side, so I may safely step out of the shower. This happens every shower no matter the day of the week, or the time of the day… clear, specific, I don’t even think about it shower pattern that has become a part of my personalized shower experience. 

What if, I took a different approach and mixed things up a bit? Something as simple as saving the hair washing for last would actually have a subtle impact on my brain. This subtle moment would awaken my senses and put me more in tune with my experience versus riding the autopilot wave that most of my life exist within day in and day out.

Okay, so why is it important to discover the patterns in our lives and question them in the process? One word awareness!! Having a heightened sense of awareness will pull you into the present moment with engagement of what’s taking place no matter how basic the task. It will let you know that you’re alive and part of the world. Questioning the process will give you space to notice how you’re engaging, and if it’s worth your while too!

As you enter into midlife, which can happen as early as 35, it’s important to access what you have been doing, so you can determine if the current patterns in your life are serving your greatest outcomes for this phase of living. Questioning the patterns will help you access and act where needed.  

For example, when my children where toddlers some mornings they’d sleep in, and I’d gladly stay in bed doing nothing a bit longer enjoying the silence before the crazy of being a Stay-at-Home Mom life began. There’s no pause with little ones until hopefully, naptime… then definitely thank goodness for bedtime until day breaks again! 

Now that my kids are young-adults, I’m not certain that hanging out under the sheets most mornings waiting for a reason outside of me to get up is the best course of action for the things that I want to accomplish in my second journey. 

After recognizing this pattern and questioning it, I’ve come to realize that creating a morning routine of self-care has more value for the me, of today.  Without taking the time to seek critical awareness I’m not certain I would have strived to change this pattern anytime soon. How unfortunate would that have been?

Now it’s your turn! This week tune in to what you do and how you do it. Your current patterns have been created by choices and circumstances that may no longer be present in your life today. It’s your duty to access these patterns while seeking a better way of approaching a given moment, especially if your current process is no longer serving your best outcomes!

During the process of recognizing and questioning the currents patterns in your life, take notice of how your new awareness makes you feel in your daily actions. It’s okay to be uncomfortable in process, simple keep looking for new, helpful insights for change. 

Next Wednesday, we will explore the final two steps of The Beginner’s Mindset, make sure you follow and hit the reminder button, so you don’t miss a thing! You can go back to catch up too!

This week, think about journaling your explorations of patterns in your life to help make the experience more tangible and take pride in having the courage to begin showing up in your life in ways that are more serving of yourself now. 

I’m Ericka, the Curator of Zest wishing you a zest-filled week!