We all have habits in our lives, even if we don’t refer to them as that. They’re simply those activities and behaviors we do on a regular or daily basis that we don’t even have to think about when we’re doing them.
Things like showering, setting up the coffee machine in the morning, going for a run or even how we spend our time relaxing. Eventually, the compound effect takes over these habits become our lives. As F. Matthias Alexander has said,
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.”
So, the problem comes when our habits become an obstacle path rather than a path to our greater freedom.
However, we all get to decide how we want to fill our days. We can determine what we need in our lives in order to be more focused, productive, and energized. Our habits are simply a means to that end. So, we can adjust them as we need.
But where do we begin? If you want to ensure your habits are working for you this year, ask yourself these two questions:
1. Who do I want to be?
You get to decide the person you want to be and the life you want to lead. Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be empowered and inspired? Do you want to be a leader and an inspiration? If you know your end goal, it then ultimately comes down to building the habits that help you become who you want to be. Hence the second question;
2. Do my current habits contribute to the person I want to be?
It helps to start by writing down what you already do and then reassess each of your habits. Do they help you become who you want to be? If not, you can eliminate them. Or, adjust them to get the result you want. Maybe you’re slightly off track and need a whole slate of new habits. Don’t be afraid to change things around if you want different results.