Moving To A New House: 3 Ways Changing Our Routine Gives Us Big Opportunity

MOVING TO A NEW HOUSE: 3 WAYS CHANGING OUR ROUTINE GIVESE US BIG OPPORTUNITY

by Diane Gold on August 6, 2012.

Although I really wanted to stay in my previous house for at least another year, the time it took for my daughter to graduate with an advanced degree, I had to move last week, and opportunity showed itself. My landlord decided to sell the house I rented. So, I had to house hunt, pack and go.

How we deal with changing our routine is the issue at hand. So, here we are rolling along, working on our proposed food plan, communicating with our daughters in a non-smothering, non-judgmental, non-confrontational way, exercising regularly. And all of a sudden, we are doing something else.

Whether we have postponed our weekly publication, had a fight with our daughter, stopped our  exercise program or forgotten to act dignified; we are somehow in a different place from the one we were in before.
Opportunity knocks, even if we don’t see it. Pull out the “Everything happens for a reason” poster because we get to choose what is right for us, and change often leads us to get stronger and better.

If getting back to our routine is positive, the right choice would be to get back quickly so that we don’t lose momentum. Inertia in physics resists change in motion. So, if we are moving, there is resistance to stopping. If we are still, there is resistance to starting. If we stop production of our magazine for a week, it is more difficult to pick up and start doing it than if we hadn’t stopped at all. If we stop exercising for a week, it is more difficult to pick up our routine again than if we hadn’t stopped. How many times have we needed a vacation from our vacation? Same principle.

On the other side, if we stop being excessive, such as stopping eating too much, drinking too much or being too bossy; inertia is still in play. The difficulty we have continuing to cease the excessive behavior is because we have made that behavior a habit, so stopping for a week does not stop cravings that the body has experienced for years. Stopping takes time. Starting does, too.

Let’s get back to opportunity. When we go off path because of the unexpected circumstance of having to move, we have given ourselves a new set of circumstances, as I did.

1) CLEAN SLATE

Being in a new environment has given me a clean slate. It was a disruption in my life that has been freeing, energizing and eye opening. As a matter of fact, the training I do as a tai chi mentor works on the premise that every day is a new day and is an opportunity for a new beginning.

Somehow, though, being in a new location makes this concept shout out at me. Plus, I get to create a more peaceful and more harmonious environment than the last time I moved.
No matter what change occurs, no matter what path we step off, as long as we awaken; our clean slate is created.

Imagine yelling at our daughters when our goal is not to yell or interfere in their daily decisions. At that very moment, we have created a new place in our lives, a space in which we get to start anew, no matter which direction that is, no matter what we have done to go off our path.

Now imagine, our daughters fell off their food plan and came to us for advice.

ACTION STEP

The biggest thing is to remind them (or tell them for the first time) that they have created a clean slate. They get to jump on their plan to pursue their goal at the very next meal or the next day. They need to know there is no tragedy in being human, and we must offer this advice to them.

2) FREEING THE MIND

This locational move has made me a raving fan of giving away what I don’t need. My new place is smaller than my old place, so I had to give away furniture before I moved. This led me to start giving away “stuff.” What I didn’t know was that some of the “things” I gave away were emotionally tying me down.

I gave away a pair of socks that belonged to a previous relationship I had. Who would have thought this would make a difference? But the actual removal of this tiny little item from my drawer caused me to feel an emotional blockage empty itself and feel free.
I did the same thing with pillows whose color drained me of energy. Who knew?

ACTION STEP

Become a member of the freecycle.org network. This is a free group open to anyone who signs up with the local group coordinator. The purpose is to avoid putting things in the landfill. What has happened is that people in need watch for posts from people with excess. The result is that receivers get what they need, and people with excess give their excess a good home. (Technically, recycle means to take material and break it down for alternative use. Reuse is passing things on. But the network is huge and uses the term freecycle to mean passing it on.)

3) FREE SPACE

One of the most amazing things my move taught me is the importance of living simply. The amount of boxes that were in each room actually inhibited my respiration, plus the adhesive holding the boxes together affected my breathing. The biggest factor was that the collection of “things” I had accumulated over the years was resident in my mind. I realized the importance of minimizing.

Wherever we are, when we fall off our path or change our routine, we need space, free from things.

If there is a lot of “stuff” in the house, the “stuff” crowds us, even if the house is large. When we have “things” resident in our mind, these things take our clarity. When our clarity is muddied, it is hard to focus. When it is hard to focus, it is difficult to make our best choices.

ACTION STEP

Go through your “stuff” and give some away. It will make your environment cleaner. Ask your daughter to help. In this way , you will get her positive input and she can, at the same time, learn to keep it simple.
a)    Give away silverware and plates that are extra.
b)    Give away some clothing.
c)    Get a scanner, and digitize papers to eliminate the need for file storage.

CONCLUSION

Whether we go on a vacation, move our residence or fall off our path; we are changing our routine. This change is an opportunity, although, if we fell off our path, getting back on it is much harder than it was the last time we got on it. It is much more common to fall off a difficult path than to be on one. Why? Because we are human, and we like to feel good and do what is easy. But, because, for the most part, we were born with strength, skill and the ability to choose, we can pick ourselves up and get back on our path or change it to one whose choice suits us better.

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She has just created a joyous clean slate by her unexpected residential move. Diane says,

“Being able to give away much of the “stuff” that George Carlin so aptly talked about in his routine of the same name, she is creating space in the mind, the heart and the environment for added peace, joy and centering. She highly recommends stuff removal as a tool to clearly proceed to reach any goal.”