The Thought Life | Episode 2: Have to Habit

Hey girlie! Welcome to Week 3 of the Clear the Fog 40-Day Writing Challenge. We’re back with another episode of The Thought Life—your weekly dose of motivation and encouragement. Last week, we discussed Big P Energy: seeing our brains as Prisms that reflect light, rather than Prisons that keep thoughts unreleased.

This week’s episode is Have to Habit (H-A-B-I-T). We’re talking about routines that run like well-oiled machines so our brains aren’t bogged down with decision fatigue every single second of the day.

Let’s get into it…

Every iconic story needs a protagonist and an antagonist—a hero and a villain. We’ve watched the showdowns for years: New York vs. Deelishis on Flavor of Love, Simon vs. Paula on American Idol, NeNe vs. Kenya on Real Housewives of Atlanta, Tami vs. Evelyn Lozada on Basketball Wives, and Omarosa vs. Everybody on Celebrity Apprentice (where she’s actually the hero, depending on how you look at it).

For us, the Routine is the Hero. It’s the positivity that carries us through the darkness. But the Villain? That’s the inconsistency and the exhausting strain it takes to realign yourself once you’ve fallen off. To free up YOUR mental real estate and thrive toward uninterrupted peace, we HAVE TO HABIT. Think of these daily habits for a sec: you get up, you pray, you groom, you move, you drink water. These are natural actions that don’t take up mental space because you are simply led to do them. I want your writing to feel just as natural as taking steps toward a destination. Even through the occasional aches and pains—and girl, my lower back knows!—the actual effort of getting from Point A to Point B is the habit. We don’t have to think about how to move our legs or our bodies; we just move.

Here’s the most powerful part: you can turn your unformed routines into effortless habits in as little as 30 days. The 40 days of this challenge were designed to give us the room to strengthen our routines. Most of us already write, but exercising the thought-releasing muscle clears out the room in your brain and makes space for those brilliant new ideas that actually need to take up space. By the time we reach the end, we aren’t “trying” to clear the fog anymore; we’ve built a system that does it for us.

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[The Confessional]

And now for the Confessional. 🎬 Survey participation was quite low this week, so consider this my shameless plug for you to take the survey. Surveys recap the past week of your writing. Here are links for week 2 and for week 3! I just want to make sure The Thought Life is hitting for what it’s supposed to hit for.

But for the queens who did check in, the receipts are telling a story:

1. The Frequency: We’ve written a solid average of 3 to 5 sessions this past week. (Yes!)
2. The Breakthrough: You’re starting to uncover hidden patterns and solutions tucked away in the shadows of your previously overworked brain.
3. The Release: A collective Decompression is happening, sis—a significant release of tension and weight the moment you finish a session.

Last week, we discussed the prison versus prism. The data shows that brain fog is still trying to keep some of us in lockup, but the hero is winning. Even if you only wrote three days this week, or maybe forgot to take your survey, you’re still proving that when you release thoughts, you release weight. You tasted that decompression—now it’s time to make it permanent.

A good girlfriend of mine bought me Atomic Habits by James Clear, and in it, he drops a truth bomb: “The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.” He teaches that tiny changes equal remarkable results. If your routine is the car, your habits are the parts. If just one part is out of commission, the car simply doesn’t move—or it moves but in a raggedy manner. How many of y’all can relate to that?

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[Take your Cue: Developing the Habit Loop]

So now, it’s time to Take Your Cue.

Science tells us that every habit is established through a cycle of cue, routine, and reward—called The Habit Loop. During the filming of an episode of a series, directors typically use a cue as a heads-up that something is required of the main character. In your own life, cues are the signals your body sends to let you know you’re ready for something. Take your cue, sis. Once a habit is ingrained, your body begins to crave it. That craving forms the routine, and the satisfaction is the reward—less stress, meeting goals, and mental space for new experiences. We can use writing in two ways:

1. The Release Method: Exercising the releasing muscle to help clear out the room in your brain.
2. The Regulation Method: Using stress or overwhelm as your Cue to write, aiding in immediate decompression.

Your body knows how to respond to trauma—now we’re building a new habit of regulation.

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[💡 Week 3 Writing Prompts]

Now, some of you ladies asked for some support with writing prompts to help you throughout the week, and I’ve come up with the perfect one. Every main character should say this: WHERE ARE MY CUES?

• Days 1 & 2: Starting today, I encourage you to write about your personal Cues. Think about the signals your brain sends when it’s time to release and relax. Just like Whitley Gilbert from A Different World said: “Relax, Relate, Release!” For each cue, write out the habits you can form to answer it. This just adds more tools to your “I know what my body needs” toolbox.
• Days 3 & 4: Write down those thoughts you “put in the pocket.” Those new ideas you didn’t have the bandwidth to explore. This is your cue to explore this week! Write out a few actions that you might take to launch that idea if you had the time, the capacity, or the excitement to start right now.

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As we head forward into the rest of the week, this is your friendly and sisterly reminder to take your cue. Say it with me: Take your cue! Spread the word. Do exactly what the world doesn’t want for women—especially Black women—to do: think, write, plan, and execute brilliance. Share this challenge with your family and friends by sending them this sign-up link and link to the blog thinkimpossible.blog for inspiration.

Also—if this challenge has already amplified your routine and you have ideas that need to take up space, cash in on your free coaching session. Book here.

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[The Wrap Up]

Okay ladies—we’re almost at the end of today’s episode, and I promised that I would share my tagline for The Thought Life with that real Real Housewives energy this week. Okay, so here it is:

“Just like a clock—I ALWAYS have that IT factor.” 💅🏾🕰️

Okay, I love it! I’m going to say it again: “Just like a clock—I ALWAYS have that IT factor.” This tagline is going to remind me to keep moving and keep grooving because I am the main character in my life—and so are you, sis!

I want to see and read your tagline! Leave it in the comment section at thinkimpossible.blog.

Okay ladies, that’s a wrap! Continue forward into Week 3 with your heads held high. I’ll see you next week for Episode 3: If You Thought It, Flaunt It.

🎬 Scene 1: Meet the Producer

Hey girlie—welcome to Week 2 of the Clear the Fog 40-Day Writing Challenge! I want to officially introduce myself. I’m Khendall, CEO of Think-Impossible—a virtual thought development and life coaching practice based in Washington, DC. I’m an ICF-trained life coach and, most importantly, I’m a natural motivator who is deeply passionate about helping women thrive in everyday life. If you’re here today, you are officially part of that journey, and I welcome you with loving and open arms.

This writing challenge was inspired by my own self-reflection. I decided to take a fast from social media for Lent because I realized dead-scrolling was stealing all of my time. I needed a real way to connect with women who face the same challenges as me: overthinking, needing peace, and searching for clarity. And honestly? I also wanted to think of a creative way to find new clients. If it worked for you—my books are open, sis! Spread the word. Mama needs her hours—aa-kayy! 💅✨

I believe that women are NATURAL VISIONARIES AND BRILLIANT THINKERS. WE GIVE REAL “RIB” ENERGY, if you know what I mean. But sometimes we don’t live to our fullest potential because we let our minds get in the way of our future. Your future isn’t just about a career; it’s about designing a life that you actually want. I want us to live a soft life, but girl, you cannot live a soft life if you’re stuck in a constant mental tailspin. It’s impossible to enjoy the view when you’re spinning in circles.

I decided to do a little something different and get us out of that loop. If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with reality TV and 2000s sitcom culture—just like Forever First Lady Michelle Obama! I love the drama, the storytelling, and especially the breakthroughs. So, I’m bringing my two worlds together. I’m calling this blog space The Thought Life because I believe it’s time we stop being side characters in our own heads and become the Main Character of our own reality.

Welcome to Episode 1, ladies: Big P Energy—The Pilot.

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🎥 Scene 2: The Stage

Let’s set the stage. Picture this: The cameras are all around us. They find us at home… at our desks… hiding from our kids… or parked out front of the house for a good ole’ car therapy session. We’re fresh off a mental tailspin, exhausted, and it’s giving very much “throw the whole day away” energy right now. I know we’ve all been there before, sis.

But before we check out, we need to look at the receipts. Now, if you’re a reality TV buff like me, you know the best part of every reality series is the Confessional, honey! So, every week and every episode, we’ll have our own confessional where we look at and get into the data from our surveys.

Let’s get straight to the facts: From the initial survey, I found that nearly 100% of us who’ve joined this challenge already write daily and weekly. Listen– in da clurb, we all FAM! ✍️

But here’s the tea: 75% of us who already write daily/weekly are still hoping to gain peace and mental clarity from this challenge. Ladies– the practice is there, but how effective is the impact ?

Now, try not to cringe with this next reality moment, sis: The data says that 94% of us deal with daily brain fog and 88% struggle with racing thoughts. This is normal—but it’s also not the norm. As women, this should not and does not have to be our norm. When we let these habits run the show in our lives, we inadvertently turn our minds more from a place of peace to a prison. ⛓️

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💎 Scene 3: The Plot Twist (Prism Energy)

But here’s the plot twist: Your mind was not meant to be a prison where thoughts go to die or where the brain keeps reliving past mistakes. It was meant to be a Prism. Big P Energy is about realizing that prisms reflect light—while overthinking creates the shadows that cast the darkness. We’ve got to let our minds reflect the thoughts we want to keep, that bring the light into our lives, and then the light into the world.

As the Main Character of your reality, you decide which thoughts get the floor, which thoughts get the stage, and which thoughts just “walk on by” like Dionne Warwick said. 💃💨

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✍️ Scene 4: Meeting the Moment

In order to get closer to peace, we have to meet the moment. If your writing has gone well this week, continue to do what you’re doing—I’m proud of you! But if you need some support like me, or even a new direction, here is how we win and meet the moment this week:

The Camera Roll Dump: Is your brain too foggy to write complete sentences? Girl, I get it. I struggled to write every single day this week myself, and I created the challenge! Start by recounting your day: name the moments lingering in your mind, write them down, and get them out of your head immediately. Stop living in a past that isn’t coming back. We are future-minded. We are moving on. Freeing that mental space is exactly what allows Real Action to take place in your life.

The “Who Said That?” Exercise: I want you to channel your Kandi Burruss housewife energy. Grab your paper and draw two columns. Label that first one: ‘The Lies, The Lies!’ 🗣️💅 Underneath it, I want you to dump every single thought that hit you that day and you know is a lie.

Then, for the second column, I need you to tap into your NeNe Leakes energy: ‘I said what I said!’ In this space, you are writing the absolute truth about who you are. We have to consistently remind ourselves of our real identity—not the version we think the world is judging.

The 30-Second Breath: Sis, before you write, you need to breathe. Do it with me… Inhale… hold for 30 seconds… and Exhale. Take another breath if you need to. We’re doing this because overthinking creates a disconnect—and it’s time to sync your body with your brain again.

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🥘 Scene 5: The Secret Sauce

I’ll leave you with this: Science shows that handwriting boosts memory and focus in a way typing just can’t touch. Don’t be that girl who reaches for her phone notes to get your thoughts together all the time—put the screen away and pick up a pen.

Losing your handwriting is like losing the da family recipes. Your handwriting is your soul’s fingerprint. Let your hand do the thought releasing for you.

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🎬 End Credits

As we wrap up today’s episode, I just want to remind you that the cameras are rolling, sis! Please don’t forget to take your 30-second survey that recaps last week’s breakthroughs. 🎬

Also—I’d love to hear from you. Are you really ready for that Big P Energy? 🥂 Click the link below and leave a comment under today’s blog and episode.

Spread the word! This challenge is open to anyone, at any time. Because when a woman starts writing to release what’s on her mind, it’s more than just a breakthrough—it’s a great day for America, the world, and the culture.

Okay ladies, that’s a wrap. Join me next week for Episode 2: Have to Habit! And bring your best Housewives tagline… I’ll be sharing mine. See you next week, Sis. Bye! 🥂