It’s The New Year
Time for starting new habits to support balance in life.
Why not start a habit of doing The Work every day, or every week, or every month this year? For me, it’s the steady practice of The Work that keeps wearing away the rough spots in my life.
I’ve been doing The Work more or less daily since January 2007. In that time, I have questioned many different stressful stories. And the result is that I don’t have much fear or anger these days. Many times I’m shocked to find that I’m as happy with losing and being wrong as I am with winning and being right.
This Is A Result Of My Regular Practice of The Work
And life keeps showing me more places where I’m still confused. That’s what I love about this process. I’m constantly learning and growing.
It’s not about an endpoint. It’s not about “fixing” my life (though I started out with that belief). It’s about “What more can I learn?”
That’s why it’s a practice, not a once-off, for me.
So How Do You Make The Work A Steady Practice?
The key for me has been to schedule it into my life.
The number one reason why I don’t follow up on long-term practices is that I sometimes live life reactively, constantly putting out fires instead of structuring what I want.
Life can be so busy. If I don’t create a regular time to do The Work, all the other demands of life with push it out.
How To Schedule It In
You have to first of all be honest if this is going to work. You can’t pretend yourself ahead of your own evolution. I like to start small.
Maybe you don’t want to do this once a day. What is your actual truth here? That’s what’s important. Maybe it’s once a week, or once a month. Find something that feels right to you. And experiment. If you bite off more than you can chew, you may reject the whole practice out of rebellion.
Then find a time of day, or time of week. For me it’s morning. That’s when my mind is fresh. For others, before bed is a perfect time free from distractions. For you, it might be Saturday morning. Can you find a time that you could do consistently without having to fight for that time slot every time?
Working With Others
Doing The Work with others is a huge help.
I have done The Work different ways over the years. Currently I participate in the online Inquiry Circle programs on my website, which is a group program. I have also paired up with others to do The Work by phone and Skype over the years.
Working with others helps me to keep showing up.
One More Thought
If you’re new to The Work, it really helps to take some training in The Work, so that you’re comfortable finding turnarounds, and understanding how this simple, yet challenging, process works.
I suggest The School for The Work at thework.com or various training coursed available from certified facilitators. I’m hoping to develop an intro course sometime this year.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“It’s generous to bring this practice into everyday life. The results are nothing short of miraculous, realized ever more deeply through further inquiry.” Byron Katie, Loving What Is
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