I’ll keep this one short because I’ve officially named July “girls gone wild” month. 😜 Not like the old MTV days (I age myself), but more like the wildness of summer.
July tends to be the month when schedules are officially out the window, vacations abound, bedtimes are ignored, sweating is perfuse, and more ice cream consumed. In short, patterns are officially interrupted.
Pattern interruptions can be a great thing if we allow it. They shake us out of autopilot. They can cause us to re-evaluate what’s working for us. They can help us want we want moving forward. Pattern interruptions can invite us into a deeper way of being, relating, and interacting in the world. They can spark creativity, fresh perspective, and a new way of participating in our lives.
We are creatures of habit and pattern interruptions – like the girls gone wild days of summer – allow us to review what’s working for us and what we want to adjust.
During these wild days of summer, these 3 questions help me during wanted (and unwanted) pattern interruptions:
- What do I want to START during this pattern interruption?
- What do I want to STOP doing?
- What do I want to SHIFT moving forward?
Here are a couple examples of what that’s looking like for me these wild days…
One of my wake up calls is how I want to listen better to my body with my sleep. I’ve been participating in our Warrior Women Wholeness Challenge this month, and I’ve realized that I function better and feel more like myself when I go to bed and wake up around the same time daily. If my sleep rhythm gets jacked, the entire day (week!?) feels off kilter. I want to shift my sleep rhythms.
I’ve also come back to the belief that work is to help us live well, not the other way around. Even though I love my work, it’s not who I am. But if I don’t take time away from it, I lose myself. I want to stop working in the margins of nights and weekends.
What about you? What do you want to start, stop, or shift? Allow the pattern interruption of these wild summer days expand your wholeness in life and leadership.
