21 Days to Welcome a New Habit: An Equinox Invitation

The Fall Equinox is a moment of balance—day and night are almost equal before we move more deeply into the quieter, darker half of the year.

It feels like a beautiful time to pause and ask: What do I want to bring more of into my life this season? And what am I ready to release?

A few months ago, I had a mole removed from my leg that was diagnosed as melanoma. I’m now waiting for a date for surgery and further testing to see whether it has spread to the nearby lymph nodes in my groin.

Living in that unknown was scary.

I reached out to a naturopath to help prepare my body for surgery, including supporting my immune system and doing a gentle detox. She also suggested something very simple to help get my sleep patterns back on track: go outside for at least 10 minutes as soon as I wake up.

My circadian rhythm had gotten pretty messed up while I processed the diagnosis. Painting all night had been one of the ways I calmed myself, processed what I was feeling and found my way back to peace—but it wasn’t helping my sleep!

So I decided to try her suggestion.

The first morning, I went up to the rooftop terrace of my building and witnessed an extraordinary sunrise. Synchronicity.

After that, I made it an intention: 21 days to anchor the habit.
I’d learned that’s how long it takes.

Most mornings, I went around sunrise. I always did Yogananda’s Energization Exercises, which take about 15 mintues, and sometimes followed that with a full yoga routine—while giving the sun time to rise higher in the sky for my time-lapse videos.

I also enlisted my Facebook friends as my accountability buddies. For 21 days, I posted a little video from the rooftop.

Knowing I was going to make one final 16-second collage of all 21 mornings (see above) helped keep me going, too.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped doing it because I had to.

I loved it.
I went to bed earlier so I wouldn’t miss the sunrise.
I told my body to wake me up by a certain hour and it did.

Watching the sky. Breathing fresh air. Feeling the quiet. Moving my body. Praying. Giving thanks. I was now beginning my days with beauty and presence instead of immediately jumping into work.

After 21 days, it was anchored as a habit. And a few weeks later, I’m still doing it.

The beautiful irony is that my life is better because of the challenge I’ve been facing. I’ve long said that challenges happen for us, not to us. I’m doing my best to live that belief.

I’m still living with some unknowns. But I’m back in my peace about it. And I know that I can choose how I meet each day.

This Equinox, I’m inviting you to choose something of your own.

Something you want to add to your life—or something you want to let go of and replace with something more life-enhancing.

Maybe it’s walking, cooking more, journaling, sitting down for a meal with the family, creating, going to bed earlier, putting down your phone by a certain time, or sending a love note to a friend each day.

It doesn’t have to be profound. It just has to matter to you.

Go ahead:

1. Choose your habit.
2. Choose your accountability system—a friend, a heart sticker on the calendar, a daily photo on Facebook, whatever works for you.
3. Start! Aim for 21 days in a row. If you skip a day, start your count again. And don’t beat yourself up—get curious and learn something about your own willpower and what helps you follow through.

And when you reach Day 21, reward yourself. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished and the promise you’ve kept to yourself. Then keep that habit going.

I’ll be starting a new 21-day challenge this Equinox, too: more consistent meditation. No videos this time. I’ll check in with an accountability buddy.

The Equinox is a natural threshold—a time of balance, transition and consciously choosing what we want to carry into the next season.

What will you choose to anchor?

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