Have you ever discovered a new healthy habit that seemed LITERALLY life altering.  Maybe you started getting up earlier and discovered new levels of energy, slept better at night and found time for some form of self care before everyone else got up.  If you are like me, you then became an evangelist to others about how amazing this new habit is "I mean SERIOUSLY friends - have you ever tried meditation? It is THE BEST".  Gratitude and goodwill runneth over. The power of this small change impacted everything in your life - you had more patience with your kids because you filled yourself up with positivity first thing in the morning.  You were more centered and loving, you felt so proud of the positive direction your life was starting to move.

A few weeks later you were still going strong...until you took a short family vacation or maybe got busy with work.  With slight shifts in your routine you let your circumstances determine how your day began. It wasn't an obvious and dramatic downshift necessarily, but you let outside influences erode this tiny bit of time you had carved out for yourself.

As days and weeks go by you slowly began sleeping a bit longer in the mornings.  You started making deals with yourself - instead of 30 minutes of leisure you'll give yourself 15 minutes before everyone else got up.  Then slowly, before you even realized what was happening, you began hitting the snooze button again.   Now your life doesn't instantly plummet into despair, you aren't RADICALLY worse off by having slipped off track.  But things are just slightly less awesome.  You are less patient and a maybe even the teensiest bit resentful toward whatever, or whomever, is now getting the first moments of your morning. It can happen so subtly we don't even know when or how it occurred.  This "great new thing!" you had discovered in your life, the habit that had excited you and made you feel wonderful, just slowly fades into the white noise of an average life.

This is what happens when we stop intentionally directing our lives where we want them to go.  We drift.

Drift happens in every area of our lives the second we drop our focus.  Just like driving a car down the freeway.  Your attention may lapse for just a moment and the car starts to drift to the side of the road - thank God for rumble strips.

The answer always lies in recognition.  Recognizing where you have drifted away from positive routines and then intentionally reprioritizing is just part of creating a better life day by day.  It NEVER stops.  If you've been on a healthy eating plan - remind yourself every day of why this is important to you and recommit.  If you've been working on building a business, getting out of debt, learning a new skill or improving your thoughts.  Whatever it is - watch out for drift.  It is subtle and almost seems insignificant in the moment but it is truly devastating to your dreams.