September is the new January.

Summer is - hands down - my favorite season. So, I’ve been lamenting the end of summer for weeks. In the Northeast, the summer break is often extended until after the Labor Day holiday. That just allows me to be in denial about the start of school for a little bit longer.

But, in late August, I had to face the music. I had uniforms and folders and water bottles to buy. And I had schedules to plan and calendars to synchronize.  The flurry of back-to-school activity made it pretty hard to ignore that September was coming. Well, that and that pumpkin spice latte that just won’t go away. And now September is here! 

If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you may have realized that I really embrace new seasons. In January, my blog post focused on making your New Year’s resolution a habit. You can find that post here.  On July 1st, I offered The Real Summer Reset in celebration of doing a mid-year follow-up for your 2019 goals. And now September presents us with yet another opportunity to grow. (Yes, you can literally reflect on your life and make changes at any time. But I think it’s powerful to set aside time for it.) Perhaps September can be your time to grow with intention.

“Something that can be done at any time is often done at no time.” - Gretchen Rubin

So, have you heard that September is the new January? Well, I love this perspective! Especially if you have kids. After a long summer of trekking small kids back and forth to camp or having your home taken over by your college students, September, in a way, offers a breath of fresh air. September brings with it routine and order. And dare I say it? … it allows you to step back and catch your breath before the busy holiday season (which seems to start with Halloween these days!).

So, take a moment to check in with yourself. Here are two questions to get you started:

How could you be happier and healthier in this season?

How do you want to feel at the end of next summer?

A feeling is often a key motivator. Like this … a runner doesn’t just like to run. A runner enjoys the feeling of freedom. A weight lifter doesn’t just like to lift; she likes to feel strong. A healthy eater probably likes healthy eating but really likes feeling comfortable in her own skin. At its core, every habit or goal has a feeling behind it. So, why not start by identifying the feeling you seek and then build habits to get you there?

With that, here’s my primer for maximizing your potential for growth this September:

Find your why.

Start by making a goal and be specific. The more broad your goal is, the more variably you can interpret it. For example, someone may say “I want to get healthy this year.” I mean … what does that even mean. Does it mean you want to walk for 30 minutes every Saturday? Does it mean you’re going to eat more veggies? What does “healthy” mean to you? 

And why do you want it? This is often referred to as your why. It’s also called the root cause. And as I mentioned before, it’s usually linked to a feeling. So, how do you find your why? One technique is to ask yourself why at least 5 times. Your first answer is guaranteed to be a bit superficial. You need to interrogate yourself to get the goods! You need to get deep. And it’s that deep why that will propel your forward … even through challenges. If you don’t identify that deep why, when you face resistance, you’ll likely turn around. Why wouldn’t you? You have to know the struggle is worth it.

Also, when you’re super clear about your why, there’s less wiggle room. You’re less likely to get off track. Even more than that, you’ll know immediately if you’re getting off track. And then you can correct your course without losing too much ground. Identifying your why is crucial to your success as you move through this next season of your life.

Try asking 5 why’s of your goal now.

Make it visual.

Humans are visual and there are several sayings that illustrate this. “Seeing is believing” is one. But “out of sight out of mind” may be even more appropriate. Visual reminders have been shown to help us stay accountable to our goals. One tried-and-true method is a vision board. But maybe your why is really personal. Maybe you don’t want to broadcast it. Or maybe you’re just not crafty.

Let’s say your why is, I want to feel more confident in my body. I understand that you might not want to share that with Joe, your office mate.

I have so much respect for vision boards, but I’ve never used one. I keep it really simple. I use Post-its. I love me some Post-its! I place the Post-its in obvious locations like my laptop, a desk, and even a cork board. Mix and match the colors, sizes, and shapes. Have fun with it! A more digital suggestion is to use your phone. Your phone is likely with you wherever you go. So, why not use it as an accountability partners. You can set daily reminders with your clock app. You can also write a reminder on your lock screen. This is my personal fave! This way, I see the reminder dozens of times each day. You keep yourself accountable each time your look at your phone.

Not only that … visualizing it helps you ...

Envision it.

Not only should you keep your goal visible, but you should visualize it. This simply means thinking through each step. See it in your mind so that your body can follow. This will help you identify the obstacles before you begin. If you identify each roadblock before you meet it, you’ll be ready to jump over it with ease! 

I’ll stick with the example I want to feel more confident in my body. Envision yourself as a confident woman. How do you look? How do you move? How do you smell? Which thoughts run through your mind?

In my mind, this self-confident woman holds her head high. Her back is straight and her shoulders are back. She walks with authority. She smells like freesia. Her focus is inward. She’s not concerned about any onlookers - whether they’re supportive or not. She’s self-assured and in command of her gifts.

This woman may have a mantra for her self-confidence. She worked for it. It wasn’t handed to her. But she identified as a confident women for a long time, even before she believed she was confident. And then, one day, she looked up and she sincerely was a confident woman.

Speak positively to that goal.

If your thoughts about your want-to-be habit are negative, you will surely repel from it. Now, it’s totally normal to have some negative thoughts but do your best to keep them in check. 

Working more with I want to feel more confident in my body, you’ll need healthy habits to get you from where you are now to where you want to be. So, speak positively to them.

So, if you realize that drinking water is an important way to nourish your body, do yourself a favor. Don’t start trash talking drinking water. Instead, speak positively to developing a new water drinking habit.

Like this: instead of saying, “I have to drink 3 liters of water everyday!” try saying, “I get to drink 3 liters of water everyday.” Even more affirming, you might try, “I’m fortunate to be able to drink as much clean water as I want.”

But still, you might have a hard time with drinking water. You didn’t even enjoy drinking water as a kid. So, you’ve got two options: (1) you can give your energy to complaining about drinking water or (2) you can find ways to make the water more tolerable. Add slices of lemon or cucumber. Maybe a mint tea bag. There are so many possibilities … if you stay positive.

This is your September check-in but, as always, you can do this at anytime. Here are the 4 steps again:

1. Find your why.

2. Envision it.

3. Make it visual.

4. Speak positively to that goal.

These 4 important steps can keep your goal at the forefront of your mind. Now you need an action plan to make that goal your reality. And if your goal involves your health, I invite you to join me in my 5-day Healthy Eating Habits Challenge. With 5 days of live teaching and coaching, you’ll build your healthy eating habits with me, step by step. You can join the challenge here. www.doctorbrittny.com/challenge