We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not an act, but a
habit. - Aristotle
A habit is a routine that is performed regularly. Habits are important because they can make or break our chances of gaining and sustaining our lifestyle. A change in habit can change the overall trajectory of your life. They are essential to our overall well being.
When I began analyzing my own habits, I found that they weren’t necessarily positive. I wasn’t going to bed on time, I didn’t express my emotions in an effective way, I was a big stress eater, I wasn’t consistent with my diet & exercise, I would often engage in negative self talk, I wasn’t priorizting my relationship with God, selfcare was non-existent, and I was doing a lot of frivolous spending. As a result, my life was in shambles. I felt depressed, anxious, and just lost. I always felt like I was playing catch up and I could never catch up. After I began to figure out the things that I wanted to change, I began making those changes, however, I wasn’t always successful because I was trying to do too much at one time. I was overwhelmed and I would ultimate resort back to those same bad habits that I was trying to forget about. Once I started breaking my goals into smaller goals, I was able to get so much more accomplished and I began to see a positive change in my overall outlook on life and quality of life because habits are the foundation of life.
The benefits of developing a habit is as follows:
- increase overall well being
- increase productivity
- increase willpower
Everyone has those day where they just don’t feel like exercising, working, or eating well. However, when you can develop these activities into habits, they will become second nature, and you’ll do them instinctively. Developing a foundation for positive habits will benefit you for the rest of your life. Developing good habits isn’t an impossible task, and with the right determination and practice, you can make the process easier.
Here are some tips that I used to create positive habits :
Start simple
Gradually increase frequency
Commit to 21 days
Be patient
Get an accountability partner
Reward myself
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and be balanced!
Recommended Reading
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
