As we approach the Spring Equinox, we enter what many traditions consider the natural new year. After months of dormancy, the earth begins to stir again. Buds appear, animals become more active, and the days stretch longer than the nights.

Are you feeling that internal nudge?  I know I am.

Let’s start with what you might want to get ready for:

• Get your beach body back
• Improve your income to stay ahead of inflation
• Prepare for a promotion or new opportunity
• Welcome a new baby
• Open yourself to a new relationship

Whatever the desire, spring has a way of whispering: “It’s time.” But what are the conditions for growth? Does the ticking clock feel like pressure …. adding more to your already long list of what you need to find time to learn, change or do??? 

Aha! ~ Your life will change faster by quitting your worst habit than by starting a new one

Stop the leak before you fill the bucket.

Most people approach change backwards. They pile new habits on top of old patterns and then wonder why nothing sticks.

More exercise.
More productivity hacks.
More goals.

But if the bucket has holes in it, pouring in more water won’t solve the problem. The real leverage comes from plugging the leak first. It’s about readying yourself for change.

Here are a few of my all-time faves.

• Going to bed 30 minutes earlier
• Watching 30 fewer minutes of television
• Cutting 30 minutes of scrolling
• Skipping the second glass of wine
• Passing on the second helping
• Tackling the hardest task first instead of procrastinating
• Catching negative self-talk the moment it appears

None of these changes in of themselves are dramatic but what they offer in terms of time and clarity can be uber powerful.  They create space … and space is where changes happens.

Take a page from nature’s book: before new growth appears, the old falls away. Trees drop their leaves. Fields are cleared. Seeds rest in the dark soil before they break open.

We’re no different.

Trying to wake up one morning and become an entirely new person is usually a recipe for frustration and is simply not natural. Real transformation rarely happens through dramatic overnight reinventions or by constantly adding more. It begins with small, consistent eliminations. One leak plugged at a time.

And when you remove what’s draining your energy, time, or attention, something remarkable happens. The life you want suddenly has room to grow.

Plug the leaks. Create the space. Smile, knowing whatever you desire is already on its way.

One change I’ve been working on for months now is getting more in tune with the sun’s schedule.  It hasn’t been a simple switch given the number of time zones I work through and the diverse work I do (not to mention engrained habits of “…just one more thing…” however I know the results of releasing what doesn’t align will continue to create the space for what does.  We’ll dive into this topic in Human U Wednesday at 4:30 eastern. Join us!