Day 24--Forming a habit

01/31/18

Day 24

Task—write without adverbs (specifically not, so, that, really and their -ly friends)

Running is my favorite form of exercise. When I am in running shape, I have energy, a clear head, and clothes that fit. A few years ago, I decided I would train for the Bolder Boulder, a 10k race in Boulder, Colorado. Held annually on Memorial Day, the race prides itself on being one of the largest Memorial Day events in the USA; there were about 54,000 runners last year according to Wikipedia. Participants run through the streets of Boulder, bands play at every new kilometer marker, and people stand out on their lawns enticing runners over with bacon and makeshift slip-n-slides. Even writing my memories of the Bolder Boulder makes me feel vibrant and alive. Throughout my training, I pictured running the 6.2-mile race in under an hour; the image fueled me. With the help of Jay-Z and Linkin’ Park’s “Numb/Encore” collaboration blasting through my headphones, I could run six miles in under an hour (not a tremendous accomplishment, but exciting for me). By the time the race rolled around, I could run seven miles or more, and it thrilled me! Running smoothed the nervous edges I carried within me. Prepared and ready on race day, I met my goal. I ran the Bolder Boulder in 55 minutes. I remember crossing the finish line. And do you know what I was thinking as I ran on a track in front of thousands of celebrating people, “This is as fit as I will ever be!” I set a goal, I met it, and I surrendered to the notion that my fit life would now fade away because there was no other specific goal waiting for me on the other side of the finish line.

This is not an isolated incident. The streets are lined with challenges I conquered without any long-term commitment. For instance, I did Beach Body’s 21-Day Fix, and then I decided I had in fact fixed whatever it was that needed to be repaired. I am unsure of where the DVD for that fitness program even is. I met a goal with Weight Watchers and then dropped my points counting. I learned to knit and crochet and set a few project goals, completed them and dropped my needles. This pattern forces me to acknowledge my reality—I can meet a challenge, but I don’t try to form a habit. If I have realized anything from these 24 days with the My 500 Words challenge, it is that I don’t want to make this experience about the challenge. I want to make it about the habit.

In “How to build good habits – and actually make them stick” by Brigid Shulte, Christine Whelan, a public sociologist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison makes some practical suggestions for people to create permanent habits. Her first advice is to choose one goal as a focus. Therefore, for 2018, I will set my sights on forming a writing habit as a goal number one. She also suggests that habits be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Rewarding, and Trackable. A writing habit fits with those character traits. She suggests joining a community to share progress, and she also suggests that those creating a habit ask why they are doing it. A habit should be something a person wants to do, not something a person feels should be done. Whelan also suggests 90 days as a time period for creating a habit, not 21 days. Find the steps I plan to take to create a writing habit.

Steps to Creating My Writing Habit

1. My focus goal is to create a writing habit.

2. SMART steps

--Specific goal—spend three days a week writing 500 words per day and two days a week editing and revising. Take two days off completely

--Measurable—1000 words toward the completion of draft one per week/ 500 words toward one blog entry every week/60 minutes a week spent revising.

--Rewarding—Sharing my work and getting feedback is rewarding, and I need to think of a weekend reward for following through during the week.

--Trackable—It’s easy to track progress on a word document or even as part of the my blog.

3. I will maintain my participation in the #My500Words Facebook page, and I will look for a meetup of writers in my area.

4. I will set my sights on working on this weekly for a year (setting a reminder to track my progress weekly on my phone, so even if I miss a few days of writing, the habit stays on my radar.

5. And as an Elissa addition, I will keep in mind that I have chosen a challenging time (bring on that baby) to create a habit and do what I can to keep at it anyway.

You may think my writing goal doesn’t apply to you. That’s ok. Whelan’s advice could apply to any habit you want to form. 2018 is going to bring me plenty of opportunities to be flexible and to roll with the punches of the unknown. However, I want to bring 2018 one habit addition to my repertoire I am in control of, a writing habit. Here’s to change and following through! Here’s to keeping the habit past the challenge. And I pray to continue reaching and sharpening and moving toward becoming a better, fitter writer tomorrow than the one I was today!