Listen to your body.
This week I realized I need to go a little easier on lifting. My right shoulder is acting up, just like my left one did about a year ago. My progression has stalled out on quite a few lifts, and I realized today that it’s time to back off.
For a bit. To recharge. To come back stronger.
Listen to your mind.
Before Christmas, I could feel the need to dive deep into a good story. In a book, not on a screen. So I checked out a bunch, some old, some new. Ultimately, I settled on Dune, one I’ve read a few times, but not in a long time. It renewed me over the holidays. I loved sitting back in my recliner, and just spending evening after evening in a great story.
Listen to your heart.
On Sunday I was being lazy. It’s a good day for it. But my ten year old son wanted to do something fun. So we watched a few youtube videos and settled on a project: making a swan from an apple. Here it is:
Listen to your spirit.
Despite not being raised Catholic, I’ve attended a midnight mass on Christmas Eve for the last few years. It’s a fun tradition. This year, I wanted to do something a little different, so I attended a different local church each Sunday of Advent. Each one was different, and I enjoyed hearing different perspectives on the beautiful story of the Nativity, one I see as a metaphorical exploration of humanity’s need for new life as represented by birth.
In sum: Listen, so you’ll know when to make a change.
Routines are rad, habits are happy, getting into a groove is groovy.
But sometimes, when you listen to yourself, you’ll know it’s time for a change.
Credit your intuition with deeper wisdom than you can rationally justify. While it may be wrong, it’s never right to dismiss it without careful thought.