Cookbooks as Decor, 3-Day Resets & Getting into First Gear
It’s time to experiment!
You know that thing called “motivation”?
It’s pixie dust. Magical pixie dust from a wand inscribed with “you’ll never get enough of me” because motivation kinda sucks when you really want to accomplish something but it’s going to require more than a few day’s effort.
Motivation will never be your ride-or-die. It will leave you cold, naked, and afraid on the side of the road—that hellcat won’t even look back and wave goodbye…is she coming back?? you wonder.
No, she’s not, if only for a flicker. She won’t be there when you’re standing in front of the fridge uncontrollably eating Cheetos at 5 pm while trying to make something out of thin air for an answer to the all-defeating question “What’s for dinner ma???” (Have you ever noticed how your body literally loses muscle contraction when you hear that question? I turn into a sac of tater-tots.)
Anyway, motivation is unreliable. But here’s the good news: we don’t need her anyway… bitch.
I’ve found the next best thing for starting something new, breaking bad habits, or just mixing things up without flipping your life upside down.
Experiments.
Yep, little experiments. Small wins that get the wheels turning. Slowly at first, but eventually, momentum kicks in. (Momentum > motivation, btw.)
So, what experiments am I trying for the next 30 days? Well, first up:
First to bat are my cookbooks…
… and how absurd it is that I use them as decor instead of pages dedicated to the merging of ingredients to awe and delight the palette. Instead, I use them as little decorative stacks placed all over my house. (Is that weird?)
But I’m feeling the maternal tug to feed my children healthier meals as I’ve grown weary of the predictable: the 5:30 pm stroll into the kitchen that turns into a smash-and-grab looting of snacks that turns into a 6:30 run to the market for a 7:30 meal that no one wants to eat because we shoved all the crackers and pop chips (ridiculously addictive!) down our throats at 5:45 — or was that just me? I thought there was someone else there with me?
Yes, sometimes I eat like a monster. Which is my call signal to come back home, slow things down, and try to be adult-like again.
So meal planning is on the docket and if I can make this happen, so can you because haven’t we all tried meal planning only to wave the white flag by Tuesday? What is it with Tuesdays?
When I create my plan this week I’ll be sure to share it with you—and if it was at all painful, time-consuming, drove me to drink heavily by Tuesday, I’ll let you know.
3-Day resets
Oh these little mini-resets remind me of tea sandwiches and now tea sandwiches will absolutely be on my meal plan for the week. At least for three days because that’s what these 3-day resets are all about—giving yourself a little taste of something new that you’ve been wanting/meaning/refuse to prioritize or attach any mental focus on to making happen because who has the time and aren’t we SO SICK of that conversation!?
How it works is this: For three days I’ll focus on small changes I’ve been meaning to try, like no sugar, no coffee, or no complaining. (The last one’s a doooozy!)
Or I could flip the script: three days of daily walks, random compliments to strangers, or writing love notes to my spouse.
The beauty of these mini-resets is their simplicity and ease of action. They’re short, safe, and not overwhelming—so you win by default. Still a win!
Getting into first gear
All great big, massive goals begin with one step and that first step is undoubtedly the hardest.
When we’re bogged down with grand notions of achieving greatness and a million little to-dos, we often fill our days with the seemingly innocuous little things instead of the uncomfortable bigger things. This traps us in the auto-pilot abyss that prevents us from taking that one important step forward.
The first step—first gear—is the hardest. And much like driving a stick shift (does anyone even drive stick anymore?), first gear is the most powerful. It’s what gets you moving.
Once I’ve knocked out a few 3-day reset wins and I’m flying high on happy hormones, I’ll tackle my big action step which is creating a fitness accountability workshop. (Did a balloon just deflate?)
I know it’s not window-shattering but this workshop idea is a biggie of a commitment for me and something that kinda freaks me out. It’s going to take a lot of work—planning, crying, tweaking—but when it’s ready, I’ll launch it into the world despite how much it’s going to want make me vomit to share it!
To get the big ideas rolling, all it requires is getting into frist gear—not trying to get it into 5th—that’s too big of a jump. Your car ain’t gonna move, much in the same way that you won’t move when you feel like you have to get it all done, and the sooner the better.
When you feel overwhelmed with a scary idea, just focus on shifting into first. That’s it. That’s all you can do. Literally. That’s ALL YOU CAN DO.
And sometimes the scary ideas can feel oddly exhilarating. (That’s when you know you’re on the right track.)
So what kind of experiments do you want to try this week?
❤️
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May I suggest an experiment for you??? How about you click that subscribe button and see what a newsletter like this can inspire you to create? Try it for 3 days at the very least 😜