My Top 20 Habits
Kerry Brown ???? ?????, ?? ???
Project Manager, Leadership Expert, Leadership Coach, Life Coach, Trainer, Leadership Development, Martial Artist, Author, Speaker, Mi'kmaq
There is a plethora of suggestions of daily habits provided by countless people online, in presentations and in too many books to mention.?Habits are the pillars that hold up the foundations of our daily lives and the strength of the pillars are defined by how well they balance the trifecta of mind, body and spirit, the three core mainstays of my Warrior Leadership Book.?A balance of efficiencies and optimization among your mind, body and spirit determines your chances of success, happiness, and overall Leadership effectiveness.?So, in no particular order, here are my top 20 habits I like to work on with folks I coach and mentor in order to optimize and enrich the mind, body and spirit.?
I don’t like to label these as daily habits, nor as habits to be executed at a particular time of day, for everyone has unique preferences, needs, work hours, free time, etc. and any plan must be tailored to suit the lifestyle of the individual. In fact, I completely disagree with those who try and pigeonhole everyone under one mantra when it comes to timing and execution, for one mold doesn’t fit all, we are simply too diverse and unique for that claim.
For example, many experts claim you should exercise early in the morning, say at 5 am or 6 am, and they swear by it.?Not true!?At least not for me personally, and others I have trained. I have worked out at almost every hour of the day to experiment and find the optimum time that personally fits me and my goals.?For 4 months I worked out at 5 am and it was the worse experience of training I had ever felt. No matter how much sleep, how much fuel I took into my body, I could not exert as much strength and endurance at weight training and cardio at 5 am as I could at 2 pm, or even later at 6 pm in the day.?In fact, I could lift up to 30% more weight and push myself up to 40% harder in cardio activities later in the day.?I also tried 6 am and 8 am, with noticeably better results, but still not as effective (again for me personally) as the late afternoon to early evening timeframes.?Others swear by the early morning routines, but it is an individual preference based on goals and a person’s lifestyle.
So, whether it’s my list of habits you incorporate, or habits you have read in books or online, remember we are all unique and all different, so tailor the habits for incorporation into your daily, weekly and monthly schedule to best fit your goals, vision, schedule and lifestyle, else they will not stick.?I probably would have given up working out if 5 am was my only option.
1.??????Exercise, lots.?We spend too much time being still in our lives, we are meant to move.
2.??????Meditate, traditionally and by utilizing non-traditional methods.
3.??????Spend time on fun hobbies you really enjoy.
4.??????Read, read, and read some more.
5.??????Stretch regularly in intense 20–30-minute sessions. Trust me it is 100% better than a quick 2–3-minute stretch I often see people engaging in. After 30 years of martial arts stretching, I can still do the splits and touch my hands flat on the floor in front of my toes without bending my knees, in my fifties! My grandmother lived to be 89 and could also do this at age 89!
6.??????Limit time on social media and internet in general. See number 4!
7.??????Spend time in silence (different than meditating).
8.??????Eat well, but cheat sometimes.
9.??????Drink lots of water.
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10.??Prepare a “not to do” list, the “to do” list has long overshadowed what we shouldn’t be doing.?Spend time focused on what you shouldn’t be doing and the “to do” will get done.
11.??Engage positivity in thoughts, words, and actions.
12.??Learn to say no, life’s too short to try and please everyone by doing stuff we don’t want to!
13.??Avoid negative people, situations, and environments.
14.??Talk to yourself in a positive, successful, motivational way.?What you think you shall believe and do.
15.??Practice regularly, intently and focused on whatever you want to get better at.?One will never think their way to mastery, one must practice.
16.??Learn to be in the present moment, intently focused on the 4 types of awareness, personal, situational, environmental and aftermath.
17.??Listen twice as much as you speak, even better a 1 to 4 ratio should be exercised.
18.??Learn to find comfort in discomfort, stillness during chaos. Immerse yourself in difficult situations regularly.
19.??Breathe, correctly and intently.
20.??Be kind and empathetic to others, always.
There are many others I like to work on personally and with others, but my top 20 list is just that, a list, not all inclusive.?Hope you find some takeaways to incorporate into your lives.?Stay well!