I recently caught myself zig-zaging. I was avoiding sitting down to complete some work and found myself outside power-washing the house. Now even though I fully admit in the zig-zagging, this task of power washing the house has been on my to-do list for the past two years and left me feeling refreshed. It reminded me not to always believe what I think. It reminded me to question my norms.

While out there I realized that I have been accepting a moldy house for almost two years. I had build a pile of excuses that kept me from completing the task. I told myself reasons why I was ok with a moldy house. I let myself believe my excuses. I let the tape in my head run so that I had no way out. I allowed the status quo to go on because admittedly it is easier that way. Change is messy.

Your body and mind want to continue with the status quo because it takes less energy. Habits and patterns are your way to simplify your life. Think of your morning routine or your weekly grocery list, by keeping these the same you are limiting the amount of energy you use in a day. Now think of a time you learned a new skill or started a new job. You were exhausted by the end of the day.

Why? Learning new skills is mentally and emotionally taxing and that playing into our physical exhaustion levels.

It makes sense why we continue to live in the status quo. Change is messy and takes energy.

When we choose to change and when we lay down our excuses we start to see that we are the ones standing in our way. There are situations when staying with the status quo is accepting things that get under our skin and drain us. These situations could be keeping you from the job you desire, the relationship you seek or it could be keeping you living in a moldy house.

I know that standing where you are looking at where you want to be can feel daunting. Sometimes it feels as if all we ever do is change. Here is the thing: we never know what is on the other side of our old habits and “When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure.” (― Pema Chödrön, )

Go seek adventure. Get messy. Find Bliss.