Show Notes

Episode 173: Keeping Commitments to Yourself


When we don’t keep the commitments we make to ourselves, we may stop trusting ourselves, which can have devastating consequences. In this episode, Shannon and Janine discuss some strategies for keeping the commitments we make and trusting ourselves again.

Discussion topics include:

  • Feeling icky when we let ourselves down
  • Case in point: Janine’s daily yoga practice, which has been faltering
  • Shannon’s sage advice: Get in touch with why the commitment is important
  • Thinking about the easiest thing you can do to get some of the good feeling you’re seeking
  • How it can feel harder to restart when you’ve broken a commitment to yourself
  • Acknowledging the hard feeling and restarting anyway
  • The disappointment of not living up to the identity you set for yourself
  • Ignoring that disappointment and instead embracing the identity you seek
  • Following an impulse to do something, even if it’s imperfect
  • Making it easy to act on those impulses
  • How a daily practice makes acting imperfectly easier
  • Another case in point: Shannon’s daily illustrating-her-day creativity practice
  • Making your commitment to yourself easy enough you actually do it
  • Shannon’s amazing Duolingo streak: 599 days in a row of learning Portuguese!
  • A self-reinforcing benefit of keeping your commitments to yourself: You start to trust yourself

Note from Janine: Since we recorded this episode six days ago, I have done (and enjoyed) yoga every day!

Link:

2 thoughts on “Episode 173: Keeping Commitments to Yourself”

  1. Hmmm, what about the idea that don’t break the chain is perfectionism and once it is broken it is hard to get back to it (whatever it is). Is there a helpful way to purposefully break the chain so you don’t give up when life gets in the way? Some things I’m thinking about are weighing myself every day. But I literally cannot weigh myself if I’m on vacation at a home or hotel room without a scale. Or doing genealogy every day when I’m busy with grandkids all day and have them overnight. Would love to hear your thoughts.

    1. That’s a really good question, Debbie. For me (this is Janine writing), it’s about giving myself grace and letting go of an all-or-nothing mindset. So if I break the chain, I know it’s okay. And I can just start again. The chain keeps me going but I try to cut myself lots of slack if I break it and hop right back in. I hope that’s helpful!

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