The Power of Positive Habits

Do you think of yourself as a creature of habit? Do you prefer to do things in the same way rather than look for new and unfamiliar approaches? Do you perform lots of tasks in automatic pilot mode?

If your answer was ‘yes’, don’t worry. The fact is - we are all creatures of habit.

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.

-??????Colin Powell

It’s been estimated by behavioural psychologist that our daily routines and habits account for how we carry out around 95% to 99% of our activities. Does that surprise you? Perhaps that’s why some cynics say that most of the world is sleepwalking through life without much real awareness of what’s going on around them.

But let’s not treat habits too harshly. They can play a very useful role in our lives. They enable us to take care of routine activities without having to engage all of our focus and attention. In many ways, they’re one of the very useful evolutionary mechanisms that help us to be more efficient. They provide shortcuts to results that save us time, effort and energy.

The potential problem with any habit lies in the possibility that it could be a good habit – or it could be a bad one. Habits are double-edged swords. They can work very much for our benefit and advantage. But they can also work against our interests.

Take stubbornness as a simple example. It’s often been said that when you’re stubborn and right, you’re probably on the pathway to becoming a saint. But if you’re stubborn and wrong, you’re just a pain in the derrière!

Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits.

-??????Twyla Tharp

Since habits are such a natural part of the human experience, the key to much of our future success can be found in developing the right kind of habits and behaviours.

This might require a measure of introspection and a healthy dose of honesty.

The best way to evaluate your habits is to take a long, hard look at the results you’ve achieved in any important area of your life. Clearly, if 95% of your activities are governed by your habits, this is where you’ll uncover their real influence in your life.

The area that might be giving you cause for concern could apply to any aspect of your life. It might be something as basic as following a fitness or weight-loss programme. It might be a question of considering the quality of your relationships. You might realise that your personal life deserves some much-needed attention. Your work goals might not be delivering on their full promise and potential. Sometimes, we wake up and realise that we’re not living a life that’s happy, healthy or fulfilling. Time’s passing and things have not worked out the way we would have wanted. So, what went wrong?

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

-??????Will Durant

If habits are the foundation of many of the outcomes in our life, then we need to assess whether our current range of behaviours are working for us. Or against us.

So, if you’re looking for significant change and improvements in any sphere of interest, you might be surprised to discover that simple, minor modifications can achieve major results. At first glance, that might seem counter-intuitive. But, sometimes, the answer is so simple, that we overlook its power and significance.

Minor shifts in behaviour, when applied on a daily basis, become the foundation for new outcomes. They form the basis of new habits and behaviours. We don’t have to become someone else to fulfil our potential. We just need the right kind of behaviours and a daily application of the new way of thinking, feeling or behaving, and we can transform our lives at every level.

We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves.

And we'll also have a lot more joy in living.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

This delightful principle of adopting minor changes can also be applied to increasing the level of happiness and enjoyment that you experience in your daily life. Creating space to appreciate all the great things in your life and taking a moment to feel a profound sense of gratitude for all the benefits that you probably take for granted can give you a renewed sense of being alive.

These minor behavioural shifts will accumulate and coalesce to form a much more positive basis for everything you do. It’s a superb way of taking greater control of your life. You feel empowered. You experience the force of positive change at the tips of your fingers because you now possess the means to determine your future and how you pan to get there.

Your habits will pave the way to your chosen destination, whatever goals you choose to set for yourself. Whether they involve health and fitness issues, how you relax, how you sleep, how you choose your key tasks for the day, how you maintain your focus and energy in alignment with your aspirations, how you communicate with family, colleagues, loved ones or strangers – the list of possible areas for improvement is seemingly endless. And since habits form the greater part of much of your life, make a conscious decision right now to adopt the kind of habits that will make your life a truly worthwhile adventure for yourself as well as for the people around you.

Research has shown that it takes 31 days of conscious effort to make or break a habit. That means, if one practices something consistently for 31 days, on the 32nd day it does in fact become a habit. Information has been internalised into behavioural change, which is called transformation.

-??????Shiv Khera

Get in touch with us today to arrange a free session to discover how the growing global movement for personal growth, success, change and empowerment can enhance your life!

Greg Parry and his team of specialists created The Wellness Foundation and the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.

If you enjoy these blogs, you can imagine how much fun it is to have Greg in the room or online as an inspirational and highly perceptive speaker. If you’d like to invite Greg to talk to your company or organisation or event, feel free to get in touch. We’re here to make a real difference to your life.

You can contact Greg and explore our websites at:

www.thewellnessfoundation.eu

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