Twinkle twinkle little habit

I am not one to easily make assumptions (we all know assumptions, more often than not, they can turn out to be a bit of a problem starter), but I am going to assume that most of you have seen one of these before:

So, I view New Year's resolutions a bit like one of these sparklers; it starts all exciting and bright, but more often than not, it loses some steam fairly quickly, and in the end, all that remains is a burned-out memory of what was.? So, I try and avoid setting New Year's resolutions but instead ask what new habit I can start this year or if there is an existing one I can aim to improve.? You see habits become second nature once they form part of your daily life and if you stick to your initial commitment to make it part of your daily being.? It is an add-on rather than a resolution, which, for me, feels like many of them may have a definitive start and end date.? There are a lot of great reads out there on creating life-altering habits, so I will not aim to give a lesson on habits here.

Instead, the focus is on the following, and bringing another important element into play.? Focus on what you can control.? Choosing a "habit project" does not have to be daunting; you don't have to try and form ten new ones; try and focus on one at least.? That is much more manageable, and the chance of success is much higher.? And try to make it one that adds value to your life, whatever that may be or whatever gap it may fill.? Realising that you can only actively drive and pursue what you can control is also very helpful psychologically.? And we can all use some purposeful feel-good vibes right now.

Currently, the world is not in a great spot, and so many people are going through unimaginable hardships. There is so much uncertainty about what you may wake up to the following day, and the sense of "Can everyone just take a deep breath?" fills my mind often.? And all of this can take a toll on you if that becomes all you focus on and consume daily.? We cannot directly control what is going to happen in the current wars, ongoing food security issues in many parts of the world, who becomes the president, load shedding (the persistent power cuts we have here in South Africa) and so on and so on.? You cannot ignore or wish it away but do not allow it to consume you for one second.

One of my favourite quotes on this topic comes from the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse?by?Charlie Mackesy, which you can read below:

Always remember that you can only manage today.? You will never be able to repeat yesterday, and tomorrow is still just a thought.? Make decisions and take actions based on what is in front of you, and don't let the unknown or the uncontrollable become a factor that is causing you not to reach your true potential.?

You may have heard or read the following before: "A wise man was asked what surprises him most about humankind.? He answered that they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.? That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.? By thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present such that they live in neither the present nor the future.? That they live as if they will never die and die as though they had never lived".?

We are at the start of February, and if you did not have the greatest new habit-building January, then that is all ok.? You still have close to 8,000 hours left this year to make a change, and it all starts by focusing on the next 24.? When today is finished, and you are Blessed to wake up tomorrow, then you focus on making the absolute most of that day.?? And it all comes back to having the right habits and channelling your energy towards what truly matters.? Life is what you make of it; your future you need you, your past you don't!? So go out there and be the best version of yourself that you can be!