#21 - Name What's Working

January energy is bonkers 🤯  Before we jump into goal-setting and habit-building, can we find more contentment by simply recognizing what's already working for us? 

Inspired by Kendra Adachi, the Lazy Genius, I take a step back from the crazy pressure of new year resolutions to name what's already working.

This episode is inspired by The Lazy Genius Podcast, episode #399.  

The Lazy Genius  #399 - Name What’s Working

“The Plan” by Kendra Adachi

Instagram reel - Kendra talks about naming what’s working 

Heather Robertson’s free strength training program

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Transcript

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Finding What's Working in Life

Speaker 1 0:26

It is drumroll the last week of January , whoa . I'm taking a little break from regular podcast episodes and today I'm sharing a mini episode about naming what's working . My favorite author and podcaster is Kendra Adachi . She's also known as the Lazy Genius . She did a podcast episode a few weeks back about naming what's working .

Speaker 1 0:53

I really like this concept . This month , we've been living in the midst of unhinged new year energy . We feel like we have a fresh slate that we can put anything on . We feel like we can slash , should make new goals and new habits , etc . Etc . And oh yeah , the advertising . The advertising is all trying to convince us to improve ourselves and crush our goals . By the way , speaking of ads , have you guys seen these car commercials ? This was mostly like November and December car commercials , but these car commercials are trying to tell us that all we need to do to not be running late to things is to get a faster car . Yeah , I really like those commercials . Sounds like that would definitely solve your problems . Just get a faster car . Okay , anyways , that was not in my script .

Speaker 1 1:56

So the new year it's a crazy . New year energy it's all about convincing us to crush our goals and set new resolutions . So here's what Kendra the lazy genius says about that . She says what if we start by naming what's working ? Name what's already working in your life . What's working Name what's already working in your life . So a lot of the lazy genius philosophy is pushing back against the idea that the goal of our lives is greatness . The goal of our lives is actually not greatness . This is what the lazy genius says . She cares about noticing what's good in our lives , right here and now . She reminds us it's actually okay to be content where we are . We don't always need to listen to the world telling us that we always need to push for what's next or what's better or what's going to make us great . She has a new book out called the Plan , about compassionate time management for women , and it is so refreshing . Like I , I felt my soul grow lighter as I read her words , the words in this book . It was really remarkable . So I highly recommend that book , the Plan , especially if you feel like you're drowning in the goals and resolutions culture , which I often feel like that . So in the goals and resolutions culture , which I often feel like that . So I'll put a link to that book and also a link to Kendra's podcast episode on this topic and I think , like this topic is relevant for , especially for certain Enneagram numbers .

Speaker 1 3:26

I'm a one , but I'm also thinking like type threes , who feel like they always need to keep pushing and achieving , and type twos , you guys feel like you always need to be on for your people and you always need to be meeting everybody's needs , and a lot of our worth and identity can be tied to these things , these performance things , and so I want to talk more about naming what's working . This , to me , it sort of feels like it's a cousin to gratitude naming what's working . So how could it make us feel to name what's already working in our lives now , before we jump to creating all the new habits and goals and pushing ourselves into this new and improved imaginary future version of ourselves ? Of course , setting goals and creating new habits are great and they can be so helpful and they can be good for us in certain seasons , but it can just be helpful to have a foundation of wait . What am I already thankful for and can I find contentment with some of the rhythms that are already in my life , and can I find contentment with some of the rhythms that are already in my life ? So , okay , I'm going to explore what is working in my life . So I'm going to do this process name what's working , what's been working in this past couple months of my life , in this season that I'm in , before I jump to setting my new goals . Here's what's working for me .

Speaker 1 4:52

Number one reading fiction before bed . Okay , I love reading . I was recently going through some of my storage bins from when I was a kid and I just found like journal entries of myself at eight years old talking about how much I love reading . And I found these books that I read when I was a kid and I'm just really thankful that in the past couple of years I've been reconnecting with that part of myself that just really loves to read for pleasure . And here's why I try to make it specific reading fiction before bed .

Speaker 1 5:30

And the reason I chose fiction is because I I like the idea of reading nonfiction . I like reading a lot of topics of nonfiction books that I think would be really great for me to read and I could learn so much . But I really have been struggling lately with finishing nonfiction books . I do not have that problem with fiction . With fiction I can run right through it , stay really engaged in the plot . So when I'm trying to find something to read before bed , nonfiction is not relaxing to me . It kind of just makes me feel like I'm working and fiction just makes me feel like I'm having fun , if that makes sense . And , yeah , I go through the phases with my phone of I need to keep my phone in a different room while I sleep , but then the next week I'm like no , I need to play my game as I fall asleep because I'm addicted to being on my phone screen . So I think reading fiction is something that can like compete compete with that that pull that my phone has on my brain . So I think reading fiction before bed is like my is my top choice in this season of what I do to fall asleep , and it's been working .

Speaker 1 6:43

And here's another thing that's been working Listening to an audio book while I work out . Working out is really important to me . It is important to me to take care of my body and to do exercises that I enjoy , which currently is just strength training videos . I use Heather Robertson's free training programs on YouTube , but lately I've like been getting bored . It's like if I go , if I pass that 20 minute mark , which most of the workouts I do are like 30 to 40 minutes . Then I'm like getting bored and feel like I don't want to finish . So I started putting in my earbuds and listening to an audio book that I really like again a fiction audio book while I work out , and that is kind of keeping me from getting bored and like quitting my workouts halfway through . We could dive deep into ADHD and other things that are affecting why I get bored while I'm working out , but we'll just leave it at . What's working is listening to an audio book while I work out . So I'm just going , but we'll just leave it at . What's working is listening to an audiobook while I work out . So I'm just going to keep doing that until it doesn't work anymore .

Speaker 1 7:50

Number three thing that is working Soup-er Mondays . Do you love that name ? It is so silly . I originally said I'm going to start cooking soup on Mondays and every Monday in this winter season I will make soup for dinner and it's just decided . Then we'll have soup leftovers . And then Brayden said oh , we should call it Super Mondays . And I was like well , yeah , of course we're definitely going to call it Super Mondays . So every Monday I make soup and it's fun because then during the week . I'm like keeping an eye out for new soup recipes that would be fun to try , and then I don't have to make a lot of decisions on Sunday and Monday about what we're going to eat at the beginning of the week . So name what's working . Soup Mondays is definitely working .

Speaker 1 8:42

So then , if I wanted to take this list and , you know , actually make goals from it , I did have .

Speaker 1 8:48

I did have a book reading goal for January .

Speaker 1 8:50

I wanted to read six fiction books . Okay , so that's , that was my goal . But that was built on this foundation of okay , I'm already reading fiction every night before bed , so it should be pretty easy to complete that goal because I already have this system in place that's been working . So I don't know , it felt like I wasn't adding this unattainable goal . It was something that made sense with my current lifestyle . So I tried to start making a list of like , how do you name what's working for each Enneagram type ? But honestly , that didn't really work out because this is like , so personalized to everybody's lifestyle , it's not really something that correlates to Enneagram type . So it's very personal , based on each person , not based on each person's type . So I hope that you can think of one or two things that are working in your life . If you do like to set new goals and create new habits , that is great . Go for it . I'm happy for you . I have a few for myself . But also don't forget about the good things that are already working , and I also think this can help our mindset . We know the scientists say that gratitude is good for your brain , so maybe this process is also something that would be good for your brain before you start making all of your goals .

Speaker 1 10:17

I'm going to end this episode with a list of things I love about being friends with each Enneagram . Type Ones you guys work so hard for the people you love . Enneagram twos they notice that something is wrong before we even notice it ourselves . Type threes cheer us on and want us to be the best we can be . You can always find a good cheerleader in your three friends . Fours sit with us in our pain and they tell us the truth . Fives help us understand the world around us more . Sixes keep us safe and help us think things through . Sevens remind us of the good things in life . Eights are loyal and always have our backs .

Embracing Diversity in Personalities

Speaker 1 11:06

Nines make us feel seen and heard without judgment and before I knew the Enneagram . I got easily upset when I found that people weren't like me . Or if people weren't reacting the same way I was or doing things differently , I would just get upset by that . But now I really value our differences and I know that I could not live such a full and abundant life without them , without having this diversity of personalities in my life . So what Enneagram number are you especially thankful for this week ? Think about it , maybe send that person a text , tell them what you appreciate about them . So that is all for today . I'm going to take a couple more weeks off and then later , towards the end of February , I'll be back with some more interviews , some more full-length episodes , and I cannot wait to keep learning with you .