Do IT!

In the previous post I shared the solution and today we will look at step to take in order to make more progress in your journey.

Habits are fun to create and often difficult to break. As long as you recognize that you have the ability to change, you can do it! You can change for the better instead of for the worse.

So, how do you eat and elephant? One bite at a time. The same thing with creating new habits. You should focus on one new habit at a time. You do not want to overwhelm yourself and use too much energy working on multiple things. Your mind can only process so much at a time. Since you are picking one thing, you can really focus in on that thing.

Once you pick your new habit, then you want it to be something you do daily. For example, something that fits into your life that you can do when you do not feel like it.

Now it is time to stay the course or commit to your new direction. There are various time limits that have been documented such as 21 days to form a new habit, 30 days, and up to 66 days. Each person varies and it depends on the habit being formed. The action is what matters so keep going.

With this action, it must not be a temporary desire. So in the weight loss journey, losing 10 lbs cannot be the only reason you are exercising, eating/drinking healthier items, sleeping, and de-stressing. A powerful action is to anchor the habit with something that you already do. For example, you get up and get ready for work. You pack your lunch. These are daily things so packing your exercise clothes along with your lunch and taking it with you, means that you can do exercise during your day at lunch, before lunch, after work, or before work since you have your items with you. You eat/drink daily so you can do some form of exercise daily. You have a habit you are consistent with and anchored it with a new behavior.

The way to turn a new habit into an automatic behavior is to also take small steps. By taking small steps you will gain momentum that will grow into something better. Have you ever watched a child in the phase of getting ready to walk? Once the child can stand, he/she may hold on to something, then let go and take a small step, only to hold again. It's fine to do this because at least you are getting out of your comfort zone. In the baby example, the child is comfortable crawling, then standing and holding on to something. The child is uncomfortable letting go and taking the step. This can be something like drinking 1 serving of coffee without any added sugar, walking 10 minutes during your 60 minute lunch break, eating half the candy bar, drinking 2 beers instead of the whole case, and smoking 1 cigarette instead of 3 during lunch. Focus on the small victories because they all add up.

Have a fantastic day while making better decisions in your life!

Reference: How to Form a New Habit,Developgoodhabits.com