Create Better Habits

"The unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones." - W. Somerset Maugham

Have you ever looked at someone else and thought to yourself  "How do they accomplish so much?" Ever work on your goals for a while, but then lose motivation, and quit? Leaving yourself frustrated and discouraged? You need to create better habits.

We vow to get up and exercise every day, but then the weather turns bad or we have conflicts in our schedule, or we're a bit under the weather, and then suddenly we don't feel up to it anymore. We vow to write thank you notes for every gift we receive, but then we get busy and caught up in our regular day-to-day activities. Soon time goes by and by then what's the point? We vow to eat healthier foods, but we get in a rush and fast-food becomes more convenient.  It always seems that we are quick to stop doing the things that are good for us and give in to the bad habits.

We need to make good habits stronger than our bad ones. Make a list and track how well you are reinforcing your good habits and seek to extinguish the bad ones. Pay attention and recognize you are doing it. Give yourself credit for sticking with your good habits.

Creating and sustaining good habits can be easy and fun, with a few tips:

• START RIDICULOUSLY SMALL: We all want to create a big change as quick as possible, but this requires a tremendous amount of willpower. Willpower works like a muscle. If overused, it gets tired causing a likelihood to quit. Solve this by starting so small that it hardly requires any willpower at all.
• KEEP TRACK: It's hard to let go of a project when you've put a lot of effort into it. Each time you successfully complete your new habit, put a big red "X" on that day on a calendar to be a visual reminder of how much you've invested, and how much you've accomplished. The longer the chain grows, the more you'll want to keep it going. This will build momentum.
• USE HABIT STACKING: Link your new habit to something existing you do regularly. Like "after I brush my teeth (established habit), I will do 10 push-ups (new habit)".
• CELEBRATE SMALL WINS: Celebrating your progress is crucial for self-motivation. When you reward yourself for making progress, no matter how small, your brain releases key chemicals creating feelings of achievement and pride. This will motivate you to take further action to create bigger successes in the future.
• BE SURROUNDED BY SUPPORTERS: Your chances of success increase by making sure you have the right people in your corner. Be selective of who you spend the most time with. Maybe find an 'Accountability Buddy' to keep you on track.
• SCHEDULE IT: This seems obvious, but very few people do it. What gets scheduled, gets done. If it's important to you, make a commitment and stick to it. 

It takes 21 days to create a habit, and 90 days to build a lifestyle. You can achieve success with a few simple disciplines every day. We become what we consistently do. Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped. If you believe you can change - if you make it a habit - the change becomes real.

Motivation will get you started but habits will keep you going and stay with you even when you don't have the motivation. Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, but a lot more rewarding. We must change our habits if we intend to get different results. Reinforce and develop only the good ones and work to stop the bad.

The best kind of happiness is a habit you're passionate about.

Make today great!

Curtis

"In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It's what we do consistently." - Tony Robbins