Practice Makes Practical: The 3 Habits That Actually Change Your Life

RACHEL LAFORCE
Oct 16
3 min read

Listen, I love a good morning routine as much as the next millennial recovering from burnout - but if I see one more video of a 25-year-old doing breathwork, journaling, Pilates, and filing her taxes before 9AM, I might astral project out of pure rage.

The truth? What’s practical for one person might be chaos for another. And what’s practical this season might be impossible the next. You’re not failing; you’re evolving.

We live in a culture obsessed with optimization - biohack this, manifest that - but very few people talk about integration. And that’s where the magic happens. You don’t need to perfect your life; you need to practice it.

Assess the Gap (a.k.a. Stop Gaslighting Yourself About Your Habits)

Be radically honest about the distance between what you say you want and what you’re actually doing. If your calendar and your values aren’t in the same zip code, it’s time to relocate.

Journal Prompts:

Where am I living out of alignment with what I say I value? What small, practical shift would close that gap this week?

The Physical Check-In (Because Your Nervous System Is the First to Know)

When you start to receive the things you’ve been asking for - the relationship, the raise, the peace - your body might still react like it’s under attack. Cue the tight jaw, hunched shoulders, and “who, me?” energy.

Try this instead: shoulders back, jaw relaxed. Train your body to recognize that safety, success, and rest are allowed to coexist.

Journal Prompt:

What does my body do when I feel unsafe receiving good things? How can I physically signal to myself that I’m safe to expand?

3. Stack It (Because You Can’t Juggle Fire Until You Learn to Juggle)

Start small. Build capacity over time. You don’t need to burn it all down - you just need systems that keep your peace intact.

Whether it’s your business, your body, or your boundaries, create rhythms that support your evolution instead of overwhelm it.

Journal Prompt:

What’s one system I can build this month that would make my life 10% easier?

Where am I still mistaking chaos for momentum?

Confidence vs. Capability (The Real Plot Twist)

Forget “fake it till you make it.” Confidence is nice, but capability is sustainable. Confidence says, “I’m ready.” Capability says, “I’ll figure it out.”

When you focus on capability, you stop waiting to feel worthy and start proving to yourself - daily - that you already are.

Journal Prompts:

Where am I waiting to feel confident before taking action? How can I practice capability instead - today?

The Bottom Line

Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes practical. And practical builds peace - not because your life suddenly gets easier, but because you stop fighting the version of you who’s already doing her best.

So, assess the gap. Relax your jaw. Stack your peace. Because healing doesn’t have to be heavy - it just has to be practiced.

And if I haven’t said it enough yet, I’m really, really proud of you. This work is not easy, it is often not applauded and certainly isn't rewarded in our current culture and you’re doing ti anyway because you trust and understand that everything you are seeking is seeking you and you are your future self. Keep going, we need you.

As always, tune out, tune in. LYMI.

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