There is a well circulated quote I find quite powerful in describing how seemingly small, inconsequential actions prove to contribute to the bigger life picture. It is as follows:
Watch your thoughts for they become your words
Watch your words for they become your actions
Watch your actions for they become your habits
And watch your habits for they become your destiny
What we think, we become.
Today, I want to discuss the power of Habits. A habit is a tendency or practice that is performed with regularity. Habits can be good, like brushing your teeth, or exercising regularly. Habits can also be bad, very commonly we think of smoking, or always eating dessert after dinner. The power of a habit is typically based on what its reward is for the person. Brushing your teeth regularly will prevent cavities and keep your teeth healthy and white, but smoking is a stress reliever and helps curb your appetite to keep your weight in check.
So how do we make better habits and give up bad habits?
The first step is having a plan. Outline which habits are beneficial for your health and want to promote and then make a list of habits that are poor that you would like to try and get rid of. Once you have a clear list of which habits you want to address, the next step is applying the following methods to either promote, or deter, our current habits.
For promoting good habits, ask yourself the following questions:
What is the simplest form of my [good habit]?
What are some tangible/attractive benefits of implementing [good habit]?
How can I get my day to incorporate [good habit]?
How can I make my [good habit] more satisfying?
So my example would be eating healthy. Here are my answers to the above questions:
What is the simplest form of eating healthy? I need to increase vegetable intake from 1 cup/day to at least 2 cups/day and decrease snacking after dinner
What are some tangible/attractive benefits of implementing eating healthy? I won’t feel as bloated, my skin usually clears up when I eat well, and my mood usually is better when I feel good about my eating habits.
How can I get my day to incorporate eating healthy? Have a grocery list and stick to it (don’t shop hungry!), put the ‘junk food’ in the back of the cabinets, use a meal planning app to prepare for the day.
How can I make eating healthy more satisfying? Put aside $100 and plan a shopping spree for new clothes when I have stuck to my plan for 3 months.
We can take the same exact questions we used to create our healthy habit and utilize it to stop our bad habits as well. The questions would then look like:
What are some complexities of [bad habit]?
What are the unattractive qualities to my [bad habit]?
How can I make it harder in my day-to-day to do my [bad habit]?
How can I make [bad habit] less satisfying?
We can think of habits on a small scale, like this exercise above, but we can also utilize habits on a larger scale as well. Stephen Covey summarizes this best in his well-known book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His seven habits encompass self-work but also team-work that lead to better outcomes. To surmise, I will include a brief synopsis of each habit:
Habit 1: Be proactive
Understand you are in charge of your life, and you need to start by making a plan that fits your personal goals
Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
This piggybacks off of Habit 1. You need to know your goals to be proactive
Habit 3: Put first things first
What Covey means by this is put in the work before you play. Understand that you will have to fight a little bit to get what you want, and that anything worth having will not come easy. Understand that you have to get through the journey to reach your destination
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Understand that by promoting and helping others reach their goals, you are promoting and helping yourself reach your goals. My mother always told me “don’t burn bridges” because you never know who you help or keep good contact with will help you down the road
Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Having rock solid communication skills is a key foundation to being successful. Understand that good communication means you are not only an effective speaker and can give clear direction, but that you can also be a good listener and take direction with just as much ease.
Habit 6: Synergize
Similar to Habit 4, it is all about working together to reach your goals. You do not always have to be the lone wolf, or go it alone. We all need help at times. We are never going to be an expert in all fields we come by. Understand your weaknesses just as well as you understand your strengths and ask for help when needed.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Covey uses Habit 7 to refocus on self. Having balance in life is imperative to prevent burnout, but also to deter you from staying stagnant. Another adage to look at this Habit is “Moderation is Key”. Too much of anything is a bad thing eventually.
If you found this information helpful and would like to practice creating better habits and kicking bad habits, please subscribe to receive your FREE Habit Building outline!
Comments