Positive Peer Pressure

It seems that whenever I'm considering a new lifestyle habit or contemplating a new theory or mindset, it shows up everywhere around me, including and especially my inbox.  When I was thinking about going raw vegan to cure my diabetes, resources in the form of books and blogs and others doing the same seemed to fall into my lap.  When I decided to devote time and attention to my finances and healing my relationship with money and self worth (another blog post on it's way), it seemed as if all the gurus I follow were promoting the same thing.  I suppose you could call it what Pam Grout of the book *E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality* calls her Volkswagen Jetta Principle…. because I was putting my attention on those specific topics, they started to appear to me, even though they were already there before I focused on them.  She gives the example in her book (an awesome, easy, entertaining read by the way) that when you are thinking of buying a new Volkswagen Jettta you start to see them EVERYWHERE!   

"What shows up in our lives is a direct reflection of our inner thoughts and emotions."  -Pam Grout

I love this phenomenon and consider it a positive form of peer pressure.  "Oh look at all these people getting into the same stuff I am!  The camaraderie!  The support!"

Now, I'm not a fan of forcing something to fit your life just because "everyone else is doing it".  There is no one diet fits all or one exercise regime that works for everyone.  Not every style of fashion works for all bodies.  Heck, what works for you one week, might not the next, depending on where you are in your energy cycles and the season of the year.  Same goes here, in my opinion.  So what I AM a fan of is taking this inspiration from our peers and our environment and exploring how it might inspire some healthy and exciting change and growth.  Using the information and momentum from the crowd to learn more about ourselves and develop an even more loving and intimate relationship with our inner wisdom and our bodies.  

So, here's what's been coming up for me….. within the last week SEVERAL people… from friends to online bloggers I adore… have talked about morning routines and how they're structuring their rituals.  Here's a typical synopsis of mine:  
*alarm*hit snooze*drift off* second alarm* hit snooze*drift off* third alarm* streeeeeeetch*eyes open* check email*scroll through Facebook*finally get out of bed to find coffee that I drink as I zone out on instagram*breakfast*write in desire map planner….

The minute I open my eyes, I'm diving into other's lives on social media, instead of diving into the inward, deep, soulful places of myself that I just traveled during sleep.  Already, I am getting trapped in the time-suck procrastinating comparison-inducing activities of the inter webs before I even leave my bed.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some Insta action.  But is this really the best way to start my day??

According to my current positive peer pressure, no.  The lovelies I've been reading and talking to have started setting aside one…two…three hours for just themselves before they dive into emails and social media.  This time may be for journaling, meditating, walking, yoga-ing, writing, or just sitting with whatever emotions are coming up that day.  Time for whatever feels important and necessary to start the day in a grounded, more soulful place.  A time for focused action or a time for quiet reflection.

So I am trying this new lifestyle habit on for size to see how it fits me.  I feel I have so much creativity inside that I haven't fully devoted time to ME to let it flow out.  Setting time specifically for that tells the Universe and my muse that I'm serious and I mean business.  Today, I started this new choice.  And LET ME TELL YOU!  It was HARD.  I realized what a habit it is for me to pick up my phone and check out mindlessly while I'm sipping my coffee.  It was almost as if the action of picking up my mug was deeply connected to the scrolling on my phone.  I find it a little sad how dependent I've become on those habits, but I am excited to find out what shifts when I change them.  I shall keep you updated!

My desk transformation:  the one on the right was a gift from my amazing roommates and the place where I shall be spending my morning time writing.

Now over to you: are there topics of conversation that keep coming up in your awareness?  What sorts of changes or positive impact are the peers around you inspiring?  What are your morning rituals like and are they serving you well?  Or maybe do they need a little revamping?