“We first make our habits,
and then our habits make us.” 

— John Dryden

I am a person of habits and routines. Most serve me well and have been honed with intention and discipline. I avoid procrastination. I juggle multiple demands. I balance action and reflection. And, most of the time, I am highly efficient and productive.

This morning, I realized that this year I have lost many of my habits and routines and need to pick them up again. And maybe shake them all up to respond to the constantly changing environment and my own life changes (aging, interests, and more).

• Is anyone else experiencing this phenomenon?

There has been one constant in my life. When I observe all the right habits around eating, my weight is what I would like it to be.  However, I regularly ‘fall off the wagon’ and eat emotionally, gain weight, and have to start all over. It is a well-developed pattern.

So, I am not unfamiliar with the need to assert discipline and pick up good habits anew.

• Is this what makes us human?

Yippee!  At least I recognize what I need to do and am not afraid of making a fresh start.  I let go of blaming, shaming, and complaining self-talk a while ago.

• How about you?
• What habits and routines are you going to shed and adopt to     shape your life the way you want?

Please share your stories. I learn from listening to other people and their experiences.

As organizations move back into a cadence of returning to work, what routines will be most important to weave into the experience to re-ignite connection, community, and a way of working well in this world? As you end a year and ready yourself to begin a new year:

As you end this year and are ready for the new year:

• What are the trends you are following?
• What commitments are you making?
• What lessons are you carrying forward?
• What gift of formative experience did you receive from 2025      that has further shaped who you are?

Leslie

“Habit is necessary;
it is the habit of having habits,
of turning a trail into a rut,
that must be incessantly fought against
if one is to remain alive.”

— Edith Wharton