#reverb15 // Day 10 // Creature of change

I'm joining pals Sarah and Elizabeth to write every day in the month of December, feel free to join in any time! Today's prompt: Creature of habit or lover of change? This year were you a creature of habit? Or did you seek change? Or a combination of both?

As a person who focuses intensely on my task at hand, also known as the-worst-multi-tasker-ever, I tend to drive all other simultaneous functions, I'm talking voluntary actions not stuff like breathing, on what G likes to affectionately call autopilot. My autopilot mode is defined entirely by repetitive actions taken in the past. The farther back those actions go, the stronger my pull is toward them. Those are habits, no?

So, my default is habits. When I don't think about what I'm doing, I go to the ordinary, the usual, the routine. But, I am truly a creature of change. My sign, Sagittarius, even deems it so. I don't just not fear it, I seek it out. I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes, when I get intense with people and am asking them questions they feel like they're in some kind of interview. Noted. I'm working on that! Instead of shying away from information and opinions, I want all the knowledge and opinions available. I want to know everything. I want to find something out that will change the course of my thoughts and actions.

You know that whole concept right now called FOMO? Fear of missing out? I think I have serious FOMO over information. I can't bear the thought of thinking something is true when there is concrete information available that makes it clear that I am wrong. This, above all things, makes habits easy for me to break and change.

Sometimes, I find just that-- a truth that differs from my current belief. And I have what I need to implement change. I learn fast and act quickly. And my autopilot gets updated like an iOS update. G thinks it's a little bit scary.

A really good example of this is the not-so-new revelation in the fitness universe that intense, weight-based training is better for fat loss and overall health than long, endurance based cardio. That it's not about the expenditure of calories, it's about the impact to hormones. So, in with the GRIT, and out with the 60 minute RPM classes, and all-day cross country cycling events (except the occasional, which I genuinely just enjoy). It wasn't an immediate change, but once I experienced this and realized the benefit, it became part of my mindset. And now, whenever possible, I prioritize HIIT workouts over other types of exercise.

Sometimes, when I read or hear information that I don't agree with at the time, it causes me to question my own thinking. We should always question the things we believe. And if you have sought out all sides of an issue and can come out resolutely on the other side still believing that you are correct, then no change is needed. The habit stays intact. For the time being, anyways!

However, there are some habits (involuntary ones) that die hard. Like, when my intensity creeps up into my forehead and I now have not one but TWO huge lines between my eyebrows from knitting them together so frequently. How can I stop doing THAT??

#reverb15 #Reflect