Many times, we find ourselves wanting something more out of life. Perhaps it is a promotion at work, a new car, better relationships, or physical strength. Sometimes it seems that these things are out of reach. All of these things are attainable, but we must first begin creating positive habits.
Here is a simple example: I am sure that at one point or another, you have gone to the dentist and have been reminded to floss every day. If this has never happened to you, then nice work! I however, was reminded to floss for most of my life until I was about 16.
One day, after being told again that I needed to floss more, I drove myself right to the pharmacy and bought some dental floss. That night, I flossed during my evening routine and afterward I set my new floss right next to my toothbrush. When I woke up the next morning, it was there to remind me to floss again.
“Creating positive habits and incorporating them into your daily routine can produce exponential results.”
After about ten days or so, I no longer needed a reminder. Flossing just became a habit. Six months later when I went for another cleaning, my dentist praised me for changing my routine. This was over five years ago, and I now floss religiously.
I know that this is a bit of a silly example. It didn’t really require much work to develop habitual flossing. The underlying theme is that I was able to form a positive habit that led to long-term results.
Creating positive habits and incorporating them into your daily routine can produce exponential results. Perhaps you would like to lose ten pounds. Three easy habits that you could start forming now include eating only salads for lunch, running for 20 minutes a day, and giving up your favorite cookie. I’m no health expert, but I am sure that doing those three things consistently could produce great results.
For the first few days these tasks may be daunting. It could take almost two months to actually make a habit an automatic behavior. To me, the key is not overloading yourself on day one. Try to identify little “micro habits” that you can start doing right now that will lead you in the right direction.
“Try to identify little “micro habits” that you can start doing right now that will lead you in the right direction.”
It’s probably a bit drastic to completely cut-out sugar in one day, but maybe giving up soda is a good start. After you successfully cut-out soda, maybe giving up ice cream could be next. A gradual development of positive micro habits is much more manageable than trying to completely change your nature in one day.
Whatever it is that you may be trying to accomplish, understand that it will not happen overnight. It could take weeks, months, or even years to get there. You may not see results at first, but eventually you will notice the shift! Creating positive habits today and sticking to them will surely result in changes in your life.
Here is a short list of some other micro habits that you could start doing today to improve your life:
- Read ten pages of a book every night before bed.
- Do 20 push-ups every morning.
- Eat two eggs for breakfast instead of toaster pastries.
- Call your best friend after work.
- Go for a 30 minute walk every day.
- Spend an hour every night learning a new skill.