This Is Why Your Morning Routines Don’t Work

How many times have you started a new morning routine, thinking ‘I’ll stick to this’… and then you don’t?

Some days you want to do the things you promised you’d do, some days you don’t.

It’s not that you’re hopeless. It’s that you’re magic.

And that ‘motivational roller coaster’ we go through, is much more predictable than it seems.

There are four distinct mindsets, or ‘modes’, that we move through.

Wild mode. Bear mode. Super mode. Sparkle mode.

We move through them in that order, over and over. Different people move through them at different speeds. Some people spend a few days in each, many spend only a few hours in each, so they experience all four modes in a day. These ‘modes’ explain why we feel so differently at different times. You are not one ordinary woman, you are four extraordinary ones. We all have four different women inside of us and they all want different things. (And only one of them likes routine.)

There’s a wild woman, a hibernating bear, a superhuman and a sparkly fairy. All of them are in you. All of them ARE you. All of them want what’s best for you. But each of them has a different approach. They each feel different, which is why one day you might set yourself a new daily routine, and before you know it the routine is completely forgotten. A different part of you has taken the reins, and that new part has a different focus.

It can feel like inconsistency. You wonder in frustration ‘Why can’t I ever stick to anything?!’ But there IS consistency there. The pattern is very consistent. What can seem like a random rollercoaster of emotions, is in fact a sophisticated, intricate, built-in, life calibration system.

When your inner wild woman is driving you, you’re in wild mode. She wants positive change and nothing will stand in her way. She’s the reason for those decluttering tangents and occasional online shopping sprees.

When your hibernating bear takes over, you’re in bear mode. She wants something different. She is looking for rest, reflection and healing so that you can grow in a sustainable way.

When your superhuman hops in the driver’s seat, you’re in super mode. Her desires are different again. She wants structure and certainty, to keep you moving.

And when it’s your sparkly fairy’s turn, you’re in sparkle mode. She is only interested in fun, connection and creativity.

Right now, one of your four inner women is at the wheel, and whichever is at the wheel, dictates which ‘mode’ you’re currently in. It can be difficult to tell which, as each mode can feel like it’s how you always are. It can feel like it is just your personality to be that way. But as you start to track your own rhythm, you will find that there are subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) shifts, as each of your inner women hands the wheel over to the next. They each get a turn because they each have work to do. How fast you shift will depend on how long it takes for each of them to do their job. Once your ‘wild cup’ is full, you move on to bear mode. Once you’ve rested and filled your ‘bear cup’, you’ll shift into super mode. Productivity and tangible results will full your ‘super cup’ and then it’s sparkle mode time. And on it goes.

Each of us spends about 25% of the time in each mode, which means only about 1 or 2 days a week does it feel good to stick to a routine. Our soul modes are what make us well-rounded, balanced humans. Our soul modes are also what drive us forward. Together they form an ongoing cycle, and this cycle is our in-built system for personal growth. But of course, when we don’t know something is there, we can’t tap in and make the best use of it. It can be very easy to mistake this natural rhythm for something else, like inconsistency, flakiness or an inability to commit to things. Routine is drummed into us as the answer to all our problems. We think ‘if I could just get my morning routine right, then things will get done and I’ll be fit, healthy, happy and successful.’

But the truth is much more freeing.

Learn more about Soul Modes and its creator, Carlie Maree, over at carliemaree.com