I always liked September—even when I was in school.

Not that I loved school, but I always enjoyed the anticipation of the new year. Getting a new timetable, new books, new stationery. And the sense of possibility of the new year stretching ahead.

What adults feel in January, school kids feel in September.

But I never lost that in adulthood. I still get that Back-to-School feeling.

It’s like a “New Year” reboot. As we start hunkering down for winter, it feels good to have a plan as to how we’ll make the most of the long, dark evenings. It feels empowering to aim for something better than vegging in front of the TV every evening.

Of course, like New Year’s resolutions, September intentions also have a way of falling by the wayside very quickly—especially if following through on them involves leaving the house when the winds are howling and the rains are lashing against the pane.

I want to get fit this autumn.

I’m not a gym bunny, and my intention is to run—in the wild outdoors. But I know I’m going to struggle to haul my a** out into the unfriendly elements.

I need a plan, and I need a routine.

That’s all it takes, really, to change our lives. An intention, a plan, and a routine.

Oh, and maybe a little willpower.

Willpower can be the place where I struggle, so I’m going to enlist some support by joining a group rather than going it alone.

A strong routine can help overcome willpower issues, too.

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” ~ John C. Maxwell

There is no need for despondency. There’s a full third of this year remaining, so still plenty of time to implement the changes we had intended back in January. But, once we slip into October, it does seem to get psychologically harder to begin again.

Although I know that (in theory) any day is a good day to start afresh, there is something in the air of September that makes it feel particularly ripe for change.

The change in nature’s seasons can support a change of season in our mindsets. But, before we recommit to our intentions, the smart thing would be to review them first:

Are they what we truly want for ourselves?

Why do we want them?

Will pursuing this path really serve our greatest good?

Because, outside of our daily routine, there is another possible reason why we haven’t taken action. Deep down, the intentions we set ourselves may have come from a place of should-ness, rather than a true core desire. And when that’s the case, we often develop a subconscious resistance to carrying them out.

It’s easy to dismiss our inaction as laziness, but if our intention lit a spark in our soul, we’d surely want to see it through.

So, before making a plan and establishing a new routine, let’s be sure this path is the one we really want to tread. If your intentions for this year are feeling stale, or even irrelevant, then I encourage you to revisit them and make a conscious choice to either renew your commitment to them, or to reset them completely.

That “start afresh” energy is there for us, if we want to tap into it.

Let’s embrace it.

Here’s to seeing out the rest of the year with energy and vitality.

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Relephant:

The Promise of Sweet September.

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Author: Hilda Carroll

Editor: Toby Israel

Photo: Flickr/Named Faces from the Past

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