For my whole life, I thought and told others that I thrived in spontaneity. I loved the ability to pick up and go at a moment’s notice.

Travel to Paris? – I’ll pack my bag in 20 minutes, I’m in.

Free ticket to a concert… tonight- sign me up.

It’s 10 at night and nothing to do – let’s go camp on the beach!

I thrived in these circumstances. It’s what triggered my creativity, passion, and spark for life! I thought that the more spontaneity, travel, and non-defined schedule the better…. Sometimes to the chagrin of my friends, as I had a hard time making definite plans.

As life changed and I moved from the strict scheduled routine of college and graduate school to owning my own business and setting my schedule, the more “free” I became. Or so I thought. Even though work hours became longer and more purpose-filled, I found myself engaging in play and spontaneity less and less. How could the exact thing that fed my soul be absent from a schedule that I can create?

The answer….

Rhythms of life. Routines. Consistency.

When I find my rhythm, reinstate my routines, and emphasize consistency in my life – in the right place, the right way, and the right timing – everything shifts for me. I become so much more aware of my choices (especially food), I’m more in tune and present in my relationships, I’m more productive, I engage more in my passions and authenticity, and I enjoy my life overall so much more.

You can create a mind, body, and life that reflect who you truly are without crazy amounts of effort – but you have to have the right conditions in place to be successful. Rhythms of life. Routines. Consistency.

Definition of Rhythm: movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.

Rhythm is a movement and a recurrence that provides reassurance. We THRIVE when lives are stable and have the reassurance that we are moving in the right direction and with the right rhythm.

When I put rhythms, routines, and consistency in my life in the right place, the right way, and the right timing… everything shifts for me. I become so much more aware of my choices (especially food), I’m more in tune and present in my relationships, I’m more productive, I engage more in my passions and authenticity, and I overall enjoy my life so much more.

In short, it was my exact rhythm pieces (I had before) that fostered the conditions I needed in order to be spontaneous, creative, and passionate. It was the very thing I thought I was against (routine) that truly created the conditions for what I needed (creativity/spontaneity) to thrive.

As I’ve been traveling and working this summer (over 7 weeks away from my physical office space – oy!), this idea has never been so apparent. I am CRAVING routine, rhythm, and consistency…. SO THAT I can get back to the creativity, spontaneity, and giving of love that are a part of me.

And, as I completed a 3-day retreat with my business/coaching mastermind group last week, with some of the most amazing women and deeply connected (now) life long friends, the topics of routine and rhythm kept repeating themselves in not only my talk but also what other women were saying were absolutely necessary components to their health, self-love, and happiness in life in general.

The rhythms of life, waking with the sun and sleeping with the setting, nature and rhythm of changing seasons, the consistency of Saturday morning brunch or Sunday afternoon phone call with your grandma, the morning routine of brushing teeth or having a cup of tea while reading the newspaper, all of these set the rhythm and consistency we need in order to thrive and follow through with other areas of our life that we truly value and feed our souls.

Rhythm gives us…

something that we can count on, depend on, when nothing else goes as planned. It gives us consistency so that we are able to make the spontaneous choices in the moment. The rhythm gives us a path and routine to know when we need food, when we need down time, and when there are free moments to create, be spontaneous, and simply be you.

The take away from this short deep thought is not to tell you to put more structure into your life or even add more spontaneity (as both are always necessary). The key here is to take a couple minutes to reflect and see which one is out of balance for you. This imbalance is what leads to discontentment, trying to keep up with things you don’t really even want to keep up with, and never truly living the life of your dreams and honestly what you could be doing (changing and impacting the world).

So, I’m curious, what part(s) of your life can you bring rhythm and routine to that will make you thrive? Make you feel peaceful and balanced? When sh*t hits the fan and you feel your life completely spiraling out of control, ask yourself where the routine and rhythm is and what is one area that could be put in place or put back in place.

Where are pleasure, fun, and spontaneity missing?

Confused on where to start or even what to uncover…. Take a look at your morning routine, your contact (or lack there of) with loved ones, or even a habit like painting your toes that you love but never implement.

The key is to find YOUR balance and create the skill set to continually return to YOUR rhythm and ride asking yourself these very questions I just asked you.