Habits: Making Them Work for Us

Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite subject, habits.

According to Merriam-Webster, a habit is, “An acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.”

What’s concerning about this definition is the part about “becoming nearly or completely involuntary.”

We get to a point where we don’t even think of the habit, we just do the habit.

Habits are the building blocks of the life you want or a life you’re not satisfied with, and they compound these results over time.

The good news, you can change your habits.

The bad news, it’s very difficult to get rid of bad habits.

Don’t get discouraged, bad habits can be broken.

Let’s get into it.

If you want to make changes in your life, you must take an inventory of both your good and bad habits.

You must become aware of what you’re doing every day before you can make a change.

Start by sitting down and listing out all the good and bad habits that come to mind.

Just list them out.

Don’t worry if they’re good or bad.

Next, make two columns: one for good habits and one for bad habits.

Put each one of the habits identified in the first step into one of these two columns.

A good habit is one that’s helping you and a bad habit is one that’s hurting you.

Keep it simple, don’t make it complicated.

Next, put a “K” next to each habit you want to keep, and put an “R” next to each habit you want to remove from your life.

It’s important to be intentional here and identify the habits that you want to keep and remove.

We must learn to be more intentional about our habits.

Obviously, we want to continue with the good habits, and we want to eliminate the bad habits from our lives.

Now, when it comes to bad habits, it’s not so easy to quit doing them.

We’ve probably been doing them for a while, and we don’t even think about them much.

We must replace a bad habit with a good habit.

This is the best way to change a bad habit, by replacing it with a good one.

Below are 10 ways to develop new and empowering habits that can replace your bad habits.

10 Ways to Develop New and Empowering Habits

1) Start Small: Begin with small, manageable changes that can easily fit into your daily routine to build momentum.

Momentum is a powerful force.

If you watch sports, you can identify when a momentum shift takes place in a game.

We must create these momentum shifts in our lives and the best way to do this is by starting small.

Small consistent actions will build momentum.

For example, if you want to start the day with a positive mindset, start the morning by writing three things you’re grateful for.

If this is too much, then start out with writing down one thing you’re grateful for.

I recommend writing these out in a journal.

Writing in a journal is intentional and build’s muscle memory.

2) Set Clear Goals: Define specific, measurable goals related to the habit you want to develop.

This clarity will keep you focused.

Setting clear goals creates the intention behind creating your new habit.

Clear goals keep you focused and on track.

If we use the example from above, the goal would be the following:

Goal: Wake up in the morning and write three things I’m grateful for.

Frequency: Daily

Time Period: One week

Make sure you identify the goal, frequency, and length of time.

Again, we want to start small and create momentum.

3) Create a Routine: Incorporate the new habit into an existing routine to make it easier to remember and sustain.

Routines are powerful.

After all, we incorporated both good and bad habits into our daily lives, creating a routine.

It’s important to establish a new routine with the new habit.

If we’re using the example above, writing three things we’re grateful for every morning, the morning routine may look something like this:

1) Wake up and take four deep breaths.

2) Drink a glass of water.

3) Sit at the table and write out three things I am grateful for.

Again, nothing complicated or fancy here.

The most powerful morning routines are simple and have a big impact.

4) Use Triggers: Identify triggers that remind you to practice your new habit, such as a specific time of day or an action you already do.

Triggers are a great way to remind you to perform the new habit.

One example is setting an alarm for certain times of the day to remind you to stop and list three things your grateful for.

A second example could be writing down three things you’re grateful for before you eat lunch.

Establish simple triggers that keep you on track with establishing your new habit.

5) Track Progress: Use a habit tracker or journal to monitor your progress and celebrate small wins along the way.

You must track progress to hold yourself accountable.

If the goal is to wake up every morning and write down three things you’re grateful for, at the end of each day, check off whether you did this or not.

Make sure you can see the entire week’s progress or lack of progress in your tracker.

Having a visual is a powerful way to hold yourself accountable.

Again, accountability is powerful.

6) Stay Accountable: Share your goals with a friend or join a support group to keep yourself accountable.

If you’re having trouble holding yourself accountable, ask a friend or family member to help hold you accountable.

Check in with them periodically to report progress.

If you want to take it to the next level, pay them a certain amount of money each day you don’t complete your task.

7) Visualize Success: Spend a few minutes each day visualizing yourself successfully incorporating the new habit into your life.

You must be able to see yourself performing this new habit before you’ll start doing it consistently.

Take the time to close your eyes each day and visualize yourself performing this new habit.

Picture it in great detail.

Picture what success will look like and how it will make you feel.

Visualization is a powerful way to reinforce our desire to establish new habits.

8) Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself if you slip up.

Recognize that building new habits takes time and effort.

You’re going to have days where you miss the mark.

You’re going to have bad days and that’s okay.

What’s not okay is beating yourself up over it and giving up.

You must get back at it tomorrow and get back on track.

Beating yourself up over it will only cause you to want to give up and revert to a victim mentality.

9) Reward Yourself: Create a reward system for reaching milestones, reinforcing positive behavior and motivation.

Celebrate all wins.

Celebrate daily when you do what you’re supposed to do.

There’s nothing more powerful than celebrating your wins and enjoying your progress.

10) Reflect and Adjust: Regularly reflect on your progress and adjust your strategies as needed to ensure the habit remains effective and enjoyable.

It’s important to consistently reflect and adjust when necessary.

Some of the good habits you build may not suit you anymore, and that’s okay.

You must set aside time on a regular basis to assess if new habits are needed.

Your habits should support your life’s goals and priorities.

Establish a routine for reflecting on your habits and make adjustments when necessary.

Habits are a powerful force in our lives.

They are going to either make us better or make us worse.

It’s important to recognize your habits and make changes where necessary.

Stay positive and take action!

Thank you for reading and I appreciate your support!

To learn more, visit my website at marktoner80.wixsite.com/survivor-to-thriver