Mid-January, I realized would be turning 60 in 9 months.

“Hmmm….” I thought, “nine months. What if I took on a nine-month gestation project?”

Because I know that new habits stick when you attach them to old habits, I decided that each month I would add a new habit to an existing habit.

Because I have also learned that giving things up leads to disaster, I decided that each month I would swap one habit for another habit.

Let me give you some examples:

I added jogging to my morning walk with Dolly.

I swapped decaf for caffeine.

I added being incredibly consistent with my vitamins each day.

I swapped herbal tea for wine.

You get the idea.

Guidelines? Only one:

Any choice that leaves me feeling deprived, stressed, or sad is not OK.

(I mean, who wants to be a deprived, stressed, sad pregnant lady?)

Here is the most thought-provoking comment I have received since I started.

My yoga therapist said to me,

“You realize you have no idea what you’re going to give birth to.”

That reminder—to keep my focus on the process, and not the outcome—ensures I stay curious every day.

Since, when you are pregnant, they ask that you wait three months to tell those around you I am taking this three-month moment to fill you in on my wacky gestation journey.

If this idea has made you curious, I invite you begin your own swap-and-add gestation project.

Perhaps we can swap baby pictures when we meet?

(Yes, that is me in the photo, above…Living proof that you never really know what you’re going to get.)

Interested in healthy swaps and letting go? Look at “A (Possibly) New Take on ‘Let it Go’”