feeling stagnant? try THIS...

(Bill Nye the Science Guy approved.👨🏻‍🔬)

I’m not sure about you, but it is straight up EASY to find yourself livin’ on autopilot mode— going through the motions, having each day be largely the “same”, & falling into old habits.

…Again.
And again.
And again.

But, don’t be too hard on yourself— it’s human nature! Despite our best intentions, it can be straight up HARD to break existing habit loops. And there’s a reason for that.

As humans our neural networks often subconsciously nudge us towards repeating the same things over and over again. Simply put, our brains are quite literally wired to crave repetition, comfortable habits, & familiar thought loops.

For example, tell me if this sounds familiar…

You may have intentions of….

• doing things differently (waking up early! actually taking our supplements consistently! reading more!),

• trying to build healthy habits (meditation! cooking more at home! running a 5K!), or

• starting a new hobby (pottery! pilates! writing!),

But, yet… you find it difficult to actually put it into practice & take action on those desires.

What if we thought about these goals in a different way—

Instead of trying to cultivate a new habit through sheer force, grit, & “challenge”, what if we simply experimented? Hear me out.

Which form of goal-setting sounds more fun, curiosity-provoking, & exciting?

• 😤 I WILL meditate every day.

• 😤 I WILL go to bed earlier

• 😤 I WILL reduce my screen time.

ORRR………

• 🤔 If I meditated every day for a week, what would I notice?

• 🤔 If I started going to bed every day at 10PM, how would I feel?

• 🤔 If I deleted social media from my phone, what changes would occur?

Doesn’t simply phrasing those goals in a question, more-experimental manner seem a lot more FUN and enticing? Like, what would happen?

In the spirit of that, I’m turning 2024 into my year of self-experimentation.

Each month of this year I’ll be *experimenting* with one new habit for an entire month and then reflecting honestly here on Substack.

Maybe I’ll love the new habit, maybe I won’t. Maybe it will be super impactful. And perhaps it won’t. But, regardless, I’m ready to try. To experiment. and notice.

12 months. 12 different experiments. I’m so excited to come back here each month and share what I learned, what was challenging, what was rewarding, and what I’m going to keep up throughout the rest of the year.

Here’s a peek at what’s in store—

if ya need me, this is the energy i am bringing into 2024.

1 experiment. 1 month at a time.

For example, since January 1st, I have been tracking my budget every. single. day., and it’s already been so INSIGHTFUL.

The funny thing? I have tried to do a money check-in daily prior to this, but I always lost steam.

It’s amazing how much more motivated I feel when I simply approach it with an attitude of curiosity instead of force.

I’ve taking meticulous notes throughout the process, and can’t wait to share all the aha budgeting & financial moments I’ve had. That post will be coming in the next week or two— make sure you’re subscribed to hear that full reflection. ;) 

12 months of experiments, self-growth, & trying new things!

And the best part? Tracking my spending every day for a month is just one of the topics we are going to deep-dive on in 2024.

Once a month for the next year I will be trying some of my ideas and some of yours for a month straight and letting you know what I learned and what my takeaways are. Below I’ve outlined some of the ideas, habits, & rituals I want to try, but I would love to be a guinea pig for YOU — 

I want to hear your ideas for what I should do as a 30-day challenge in the comment section, as well as feedback you have or topics you particularly want me to discuss.

🌟 Some of My 30-Day Challenge Ideas for 2024

• I tracked my spending every day for 30 days, and here’s what I noticed…

• I didn’t eat out for 30 days…

• I used my gua sha daily for 30 days….

• I “got ready” daily for 30 days…

• I meditated for 30 days..

• I did a creative project every single day…

• I didn’t drink alcohol for 30 days…

• I didn’t buy anything for 30 days…

• I dry-brushed every day for 30 days…

• I ran every day for 30 days…

• I ate breakfast every day for 30 days…

• I organized my phone photos every day for 30 days…

• I didn’t drink coffee for 30 days…

• I stretched every day for 30 days…

• I journaled for 30 days…

• I reached out to a friend every day for 30 days.. 

• I decluttered one area every day for 30 days…

• I did a capsule wardrobe for 30 days and here’s what I noticed…
  

Which of these are you most excited about? What other ideas do you have? Drop a comment to let me know ◡̈

If you feel called, you could even come along with me and challenge yourself to the habit as well. Each month, we could experiment & *try* a new habit to see what goes well (and what doesn’t). It’s almost going to be like a book club???? But for habits and hobbies???? Just an idea ;)

How can you cultivate this idea in your own life?

The fun things about “experimenting” is that it feels less pressured. Instead of feeling like you HAVE to stick with something, it’s more of a trial run. Maybe waking up early will improve your life, or maybe I’ll find that you benefit more from the extra sleep. But you wouldn’t know unless ya truly tried. And that’s what it’s all about!

What is something you’ve been meaning to do (waking up early, carving out time for creativity, experimenting with your style, taking you vitamins, etc.) that you can show up for yourself for the next 30 days? 

Whether it’s as simple as reading before bed instead of scrolling or something more disciplined like cutting out alcohol or doing a no-spend month, I encourage you to *experiment* this week, this month, this year!

Approach the new habit with a spirit of playfulness, curiosity, & wonder.

• What would change?

• How would you feel?

• How could this fit into my life?

• What would I learn?

I’m genuinely so excited to approach life this way for the next 12 months and to chat with you guys all along the way.

To me this does feel a bit more like an intimate peek behind the curtain at my day to day life, so these posts will be for paid subscribers only — if you want to get in on this magical year of experimentation, make sure to sign up now (for just $1.03 per week!) so you don’t miss a beat. (Annnnd, bonus, any new paid subscribers who join by the end of January will be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of 3 self-care packages from yours truly— a snail mail gift of skincare, nontoxic candles, journals, & beyond sent your way!)

So this year, I want to encourage you — 

In your own life, where can you experiment this year? Try something new? Be CURIOUS? Where could you break a pattern? Be a bit more playful? Could you mix things up?

• How can YOU break yourself out of that all-too-common autopilot mode? And, ultimately, how could you EXPERIMENT in your life?

Life is simply too short to get stuck doing the same ol’, same ol’ for years on end.

Ready, set, experiment! 

If anything, I hope this post reminded you that you don’t always have to grit your teeth in order to implement a new habit.

• What if you simply tried? Wondered? Noticed? Experimented? And approached it with the curiosity of seeing what would happen?

I’m genuinely so excited to share these mini month-long experiments with you. Make sure to drop a comment letting me know some things I should try in my month-long “experiments”. (they don’t necessarily have to be wellness related!) and I’ll toss what resonates on my list.

And, for my paid subscribers, I’ll see you at the end of this month for a [very specific] recap on challenge numero uno— tracking my spending every day for one month. Let’s do this!

XX,

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: Speaking of 30-day challenges… ;) Shameless plug, but it couldn’t possibly be more relevant if I tried. This is my comprehensive habit tracker I use to track my progress. I’ve used it for years, and it truly helps me so much with staying *consistent* in my habits. Whether you print it out or use it digitally (all the automations are already set up & you can use it *instantly* with google drive). It’s such a great way to have a visual representation of how you’re tackling your monthly experiments. Snag it now for just $22!

SONG OF THE WEEK: Wow, what a BOP— “Making Love” by Sir Woman. This song came on my “discover” feed and I instantly loved it. But even more grabbing, I just knew I recognized the singer’s voice, but couldn’t place it. Turns out the singer, Kelsey Wilson, used to be one half of the band, Wild Child. Ding, ding, ding! I absolutely loved that band in college, so discovering this song felt like connecting with an old friend. A must-listen!

JOURNAL PROMPT OF THE WEEK: “What would it look like to approach my goals with a spirit of curiosity and ease?”