Tea Leaves an Impression
New year, new ideas, new routines. Here is your obligatory New Year’s resolutions post, although, we aren’t going to focus on “resolutions” per se.
I have an admission that may discredit me to some. I don’t drink coffee.
While visiting family over the holidays, my mother-in-law set up a fun coffee, tea, and hot chocolate station in her dining room. My wife reminded me how excited her mom was for us to try the station. Definitely not wanting coffee, and trying to avoid too much additional sugar (we already tend to pump ourselves full of sugar at their house during the holidays), I decided to try a tea with some lemon and honey to help soothe my scratchy throat. As I continued to be on the edge of a cold, I continued to have a tea with lemon and honey each day. It became a habit, and I can see myself becoming a tea (mostly decaf of course!) drinker.
What brought about this new habit?
easy to access and use
fun and engaging
social support
purpose
The tea station was setup with cups, tea bags, and an instant tea pot ready to use. Between my mother-in-law’s excitement and the variety of mugs, she made the experience fun and engaging. I wanted to have a tea to be part of the experience and use the mugs. She encouraged us all to try the station and, in turn, created a culture where using the station was celebrated. Never lose site of the power of purpose. In this case, my impending cold triggered me to try something to soothe my throat and possibly ward off getting sicker.
And, with that, it is time to go enjoy a cup of tea this morning.