Small Steps to Success
Habits are what make us who we are. Positive routines, efficiency, and order are the product of good habits. Bad habits, on the other hand, lead us in the opposite way and lock us into rigid, negative behavior patterns.
Our enjoyment, success, and even our health and fitness levels are all linked to and influenced by our everyday behaviors.
The harsh reality is that even if we know how to eat healthily, exercise, and get in shape, we are no closer to achieving our goals than we were months ago. We may have the greatest of intentions to better ourselves, but we still find ourselves "wallowing" and engaging in the same detrimental behaviors.
What's going on?
Even with the best of intentions to improve, it is difficult to create new, healthy, "permanent" habits. There is, however, a technique to get over these apparent "stumbling blocks" of resistance that try to keep us stuck in harmful, unhealthy habits.
What is the secret recipe for making these blocks neutral that we may use?
Believe it or not, there is a lot of science underlying habit development, and there is a "habit-forming" formula that genuinely works that anyone can follow.
Here's how it works:
"Start small and dream big."
To put it another way, choose one habit that you want to improve. Keep it small and attainable, and focus your concentration on that small/tiny habit for 21 to 30 days. You reduce the temptation to say "no" by making things short and uncomplicated, and you're more likely to keep going.
This new "small habit" must be - to be successful.
A habit you can engage in at least once a day
Something that can be completed in less than 30 seconds
Little effort is required, but it is important to the overall behavior.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew," as the saying goes. Literally. Get rid of the delusory notion that your life goals must be large, ambitious things that can only be accomplished when the moment is right, you have more finances, or you finally land that "big break."
Waiting for your "big break" before moving forward is akin to Charlie Brown waiting for the "Great Pumpkin" to come in the pumpkin patch. It will not take place. In fact, it's the modest moves... the baby steps that you take on purpose that "move energy" in the physical realm, which attracts your "big break."
Remember that lighting a large fire requires first stoking it and then feeding it kindling. Consider your life goals as small, daily activities (sparks) that need to be repeated until they become a successful habit.
What matters is that you "do it," and you'll be much more likely to "do it" if you keep things simple and realistic.
What seeds of change would you like to see sprout this week in your life that could mature into a positive character trait or habit?
Do you want to start exercising? That is commendable. For one week, aim for five minutes per day. That's all there is to it. You've got this!
Cooking from the ground up? It's no problem. To begin, set a goal of making one meal from scratch every day or week. Make it fit into your schedule without adding to your stress.
Do you want to be debt-free? Begin by setting aside an additional "specified amount of money" each week. Alternatively, start making that much more money on a weekly basis.
Don't strive to get everything at once.
When you decide to start a new habit in a "little" way, you'll be able to tap into the power of your subconscious mind, which will make it easier to maintain once it's established.
Examine and choose one simple habit that can assist you improve your life status that you may start today.
Take small measures toward changing this negative behavior into a positive one, and create strategies to hold yourself accountable. Piggyback your new healthy behavior onto an older, well-established habit or something you do on a regular basis, and watch as it gets ingrained in your daily routine. It's that simple!
Gradually extend your goals and efforts as your little chores get easier to do, while gaining greater momentum with successive triumphs. Getting such "little successes" under your belt, especially when you're first starting out, makes it simpler to keep enjoying additional "small victories."