TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH

One of the obvious pleasures in my son’s life is to admonish me when I insist that he get a chore or obligation handled.
I learned long ago that raising my voice was counterproductive to cooperation and basically just got me hot under the collar. Despite the absence of heightened emotion, he delights in telling me, “Just take it down a notch, Mom. Just take it down a notch.”
Then, we just laugh or smile and he handles the task at hand.
The idea of ‘taking it down a notch’ could be just the thing for this time of year.  A month has passed since many of us took a forward look into what we wanted to create for ourselves this year, what we wanted to change for the better; whether it was our relationships, our health, our financial situation or our physical surroundings.
How’s it going? Still jazzed? Seeing results? Feeling good about the process?
Often the goals or resolutions we set on January 1 are big and require big changes, possibly a 180’ turn in our lives all at once. This can happen and have lasting effects occasionally, but often when trying to make a 180’ leap, we are likely to lose balance as we land.
Out great intentions to get fit are waylaid by sore muscles or other demands on our time, in spite of the new equipment, exercise clothes or club membership. Then, with feelings of guilt or remorse, we either start the cycle again or shy away for longer.
Or perhaps we are determined to keep our files and papers in order, getting new shiny folders and cabinets, which fall into disuse, vanquishing our hopes for a system to help keep us organized.
If this sounds like you in any way, take heart, and take it down a notch! First, you are not alone, you are not a failure, you are a human being and a creature of habit. Second, you can do these things if you use a different approach. Instead of changing the whole enchilada (isn’t that an expression?), you can bring in one small activity this week. Instead of losing 20 pounds, how about just taking one walk around the block for starters?
Instead of keeping the house immaculate, try choosing one item from the list of household chores and do it every day. Because it is one thing, you are more likely to be able to stick with it and it will soon become part of your routine.
On another level, take a look at your resolutions and see if they are inspiring you. Are they fun to keep? If not how can you make them fun? One might be able to create a positive focus, “I intend to have a more fun this year,” instead of “I’ll stop being so upset at small things.”
Or, instead of thinking of them as resolutions, think of them as guidelines. For example, think in terms of only eating foods that are good for you rather than loosing vast amounts of weight by Easter.
To implement the 'take it down a notch’ strategy, pick one small, not too demanding, component of the overall change you seek for yourself. Phrase it positively and in an uplifting, inspirational way, and commit to it on a daily basis for the next month. Observe yourself to see when you are ready for the next step. It may be just a few days. Keep track. You may crave faster progress, but has that really worked for you in the past? You may find that you will build better momentum when you incorporate new and desirable changes at a slower pace.
So, “take it down a notch” and see how it goes!

QUOTES:

“If you have ever made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Mary Pickford

“ A finished person is a boring person.”
Anna Quindlan

“If you never risk anything, you risk even more.”
Erica Jong

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

“Little by little, one travels far.”
J.R.R. Tolkien

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