Where can I add a new habit or positive pattern into my life?

Questions have power! 32 Questions: A Personal Quest Through Questions is my book. This is your invitation to engage with important questions to ask yourself. This week is all about Question #6 in 32 Questions: Where can I add a new habit or positive pattern into my life? Questions help us see and explore. There is inherent grace and curiosity in questions. Where can I add a new habit or positive pattern into my life? This question shouldn’t be viewed as one more thing to add to the already too long to-do list. It’s a question to help us explore what we are doing right now and what opportunities there might be to make our lives fuller, simpler or better in a small, positive way. I wrote about this question last year. When I read that piece I realized that positive pattern stopped working for me after a while and is no longer a part of my life. And that is okay. We can try something for a time and as Marie Kondo has taught the world thank it for its service and move forward. (With no guilt or shame and recognize that it’s time for something new to teach us and shape us for a while.) Several months ago I was invited to do something new. The invitation was to write a daily Haiku. Once a month I share one Haiku with the two other Haiku writers and respond (called Haibun). I love words and putting words together. A Haiku is a seventeen syllable poetry form, that originated in Japan. The first line is five syllables, the next seven and the final line five. It’s an interesting form because it’s not counting words, it’s counting the parts of the word. I spend a lot of time clapping and using my fingers to measure the syllables of words now. Both when I’m writing a haiku and as I go through the day and hear interesting words. The practice of writing Haiku forces clarity. So many times what I want to say is six, seven or eight syllables and I have to rephrase and rework an idea to find the absolute essence of what I wish to communicate. Earlier this week we shared our Haiku and Haibun together. The other writers are new friends and we are learning about each other through seventeen syllables. One of the Haiku I had received was difficult on first reading. I wasn’t sure what the writer was really getting at. I sat and studied the words and wrote my response. As he shared his thought process and meaning it was amazing to realize we had all understood the essences of his thoughts. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I agreed to add this new habit and pattern to my routine. It always feels a bit daunting. Can I do this? Will it help me? Is it worth the time? Will I like the people? The rewards of this new pattern continue to unfold. The practice of finding the absolute essence of meaning and putting together simple words to communicate clearly is flowing over into other areas of my life. This one practice has given me a new lens to view words and the art of communication. Where can I add a new habit or positive pattern into my life? Choose to focus on the positive. This question is not about changing a bad habit or a negative pattern. It IS about adding something of joy, interest, and value to your life. You have permission to try something new and decide if it is a positive pattern or a helpful habit. Sometimes things look good on paper, but when we actually try them it doesn’t work. In that case, let it go and move on! Where can I add a new habit or positive pattern into my life? This should not be a question that brings guilt. Let this be a light-hearted question of curiosity. If you decide to add something let it be positive, helpful and something that serves you! Looking for another Haiku? Check out this one from Micheal Kroth at Profound Living. He introduced me to the art and practice of Haiku and I look forward to his words every month. Do you want me to send you a Haiku postcard (real mail) sometime? Send me a message or comment below and I’ll surprise you in the next few months with a Haiku!) Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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