My life has been full lately – in both the good and bad ways. Everything from covid to an amazing month for my business have reminded me about triggers. First, I’ll talk about what I would call the “bad” triggers. These are the things that set us off, also known as the “buttons” that can be pushed. We often don’t even know these triggers exist. We just know that when someone talks about X or Y happens in our life, we get emotional – whether it’s sad, angry, whatever. My husband and I have been plagued with our “bad” triggers this month. One of mine is feeling completely out of control. It turns me into someone I don’t want to be. However, the great thing is that we’ve been talking about them, and that’s helping make those triggers less potent. Through client projects I’ve taken on, I’m also discovering some of my business triggers, such as a fear of appearing uneducated or unprepared. I’ve been discussing these triggers with colleagues to bring them to light and begin working on them.

The “good” triggers, on the other hand, are those triggers that help us remember to take an action. One that my husband and I have discovered is that I won’t remember to start the dishwasher unless I have either a note or a dish detergent pod next to me. It’s so simple, but we never thought of it until now. Often the best “good” triggers are tied to existing habits and routines we have. For example, if you always drink coffee in the living room in the morning, use that as your trigger to water the plant in the living room – build it into your routine. What are some simple triggers that could help you remember to remember?