From the desk of Kelsey Buell,
Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, and your habits become your destiny.- Lao Tzu
One topic I’d love to learn more about is habits.
What about you?
The definition of a habit is “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.”
As I’ve surveyed a number of our clients, the #1 professional development topic people are craving is learning about how to have better habits.
Thoughts on why that is?
Here’s my hunch…
We all have positive intentions to implement better habits.
I think of New Year’s resolutions as examples…
If you think of them, most of them have to do with having better habits.
Exercise more…
Eat more healthy…
Be more organized in my work…
And so forth…
Now remember, I said, we all have positive intentions to implement better habits…
Unfortunately, how often do people actually stick to their new habits?
I would venture to say, very rarely…
Likely, because they pick habits they aren’t fully committed to.
I used to hear that it takes 21 days to form a new habit.
That said, researchers from University College London have now debunked that theory.
They examined the new habits of 96 people over the space of 12 weeks, and found that the average time it takes for a new habit to stick is actually 66 days; furthermore, individual times varied from 18 to a whopping 254 days.
Wow.
So it could take a long time to really solidify that new habit you’re trying to build.
A habit I implemented…
I used to absolutely despise drinking water in the morning.
Growing up, I thought it tasted gross.
One day, after college, I listened to a motivational speaker who talked about the importance of starting your day with a tall glass of water.
“Okay, you have my attention…” I thought to myself.
He explained that this one habit could be a catalyst for many additional positive morning habits, and that it would leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
Hmmmmm…..
I wasn’t sold, but I decided to give it a try.
Day 1….ick!
Day 2…okay I can do it.
Day 3…not so bad.
Day 4…Hey! I’m starting to feel good energy.
Now, to this day, I always start my day off with a tall glass of water.
Why? Because I love how it makes me feel.
Because it aligns with the future that I want…which is a healthy future with a positive, healthy lifestyle.
Also, I’ve discovered the power of “front-loading my day”…meaning, if there are important elements of my day I want to make sure happen, I should do them in the morning.
What habit are you trying to implement?
Notice I said “habit” not “habits”.
The biggest tip I’ve ever received about habits is to build one habit at a time. It’s easy to try to start 10 new habits all at once, but studies recommend just doing one at a time in order to achieve optimal results.
Write down a list of the top 10 habits you’d like to consider.
After brainstorming this list, circle the top 3 that are your favorites.
Now, star the top 1.
That is the one I want you to start with.
Ask yourself – how committed am I to this habit? If you’re not sure, maybe relook at the other 2 you circled…
Decide on a habit, commit to it, and go!
And remember…”Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, and your habits become your destiny..”- Lao Tzu
And you know what the best habit to commit to is…. Setting yearly goals!!
Grab your ticket now for our 2023 Women’s Goal Setting Summit on January 13th!