Forming Habits is the fast track to success!It seems to me that the act of deliberately forming habits as part of your goal setting plan is a fast track to success. It appears that by setting a specially designed habit you assist the process of change! I’ve been struggling lately with this paradox! How do you keep a healthy balance? We need to have both habitual behaviour as well as the ability to deviate and think outside the box in order to succeed. To reach a desired goal requires discipline and persistence. By consciously forming habits of thoughts and actions they become automatic and so easier to realise. The solution I think is to control your habits rather than them controlling you. I’ve been experimenting with habit creation over the last few months and have been really surprised by the results! It’s easy to do! Forming habits especially new ones is easier to do than you might think. I started with just one, through necessity as I couldn’t find the time in the day to do all the things I wanted! So I decided to create more time! The only way I could see to do this was by setting the alarm an hour earlier than normal. This way I’d gain an extra valuable hour. I’m absolutely hopeless at getting up in the morning, so I’d be lying if I said I was not a little apprehensive! However I was so excited about the benefits of the extra time that this was overshadowed. I set the alarm and the first few mornings it was difficult to leave the lovely warn bed! The up-side though was I felt so darn virtuous! Before breakfast all the boring chores were done! (I decided to chose the mindless tasks for first thing as I thought I’d likely be half asleep! Correct decision.) After a week I started to enjoy the freedom this gave me. I was able to do what I wanted with that freed up hour. Bliss! With the boring tasks out the way I didn’t feel guilty and consequently my hour was much more focused and productive. Flushed with the success I have been gradually turning the alarm on just a little earlier. I love getting up early now. We do go to bed earlier but this is not a problem! Forming this habit had been so easy I decided to form another.
Weight-Loss Plot.
I looked at my commitments and made room in my day for 30 minutes exercise. For a habit to work best this needs to ideally occur at the same time and in the same place each day. I worked out the time when I could best achieve this. I thought it best to only begin with half an hour, as it was a realistically achievable time. I would also not end up shattered from my exercise routine and give myself the excuse not to work out the following day! At the same time I set myself to forming a healthy eating habit. It was simple. I would simply ask myself if what I was going to eat was healthy for me. If not I’d choose another option. No fancy diet no calorie counting. Like the exercise this was going to be a habit for life. I’ve been shocked by the speed of the results. It really works. After only a few weeks it would now feel strange not to wake up at 6.15. Not to do 30 minutes exercise every day and not to stick to a healthy eating plan! Controlled Habit forming. I confess that now I’m a bit addicted. I’m wondering how many habits you can start and set in motion? How many can you keep going at one time? Once they are formed of course they become simply part of your life and so require little maintenance, allowing you the space to start the next one in motion. The satisfaction it gives is wonderful. You feel in control and the desired results are much quicker and more easily attainable than you might at first think. Have a go. Create a good habit today and see for yourself.
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