The ability to start and make your new habits stick is paramount. Habits make up almost half of our daily behavior. That means about half our lives are spent in auto-pilot. If your auto-pilot is set to the wrong destination you’ll probably get lost or worst have a horrible crash. Ok, enough morbidity. But really, if you have bad habits like not exercising, constantly eating unhealthy foods or smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. You, my friend, are in auto-crash mode. Well, what is one supposed to do? Get better habits, obviously!
Below are 9 tips on how to make your new habits stick. Those tips are, start small, make it easy, track, set up accountability, know your reasons, use visualizations & affirmations, prove it by following through, persist to make it automatic and reward yourself. Let’s get the details!
They say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and neither will your new habit formations. In the beginning, because the behavior is new, you will have to rely on will power to get started. The lower the initial bar, the easier it will be to get going. So if you never exercise but you want to start. Go for a walk. Then, the next day, go for a longer walk. Before you know it you’ll be running marathons. The important thing is to get started!
Make your environment more friendly to your goal. For example, if you want to stop eating junk food, don’t keep any in the home. Leave the unhealthy stuff at the market and stock you shelves with more nutritional options. Give yourself reminders. If you’ve made it a goal to practice the guitar, set an alarm reminder on your phone. You could even write notes on paper and place them on the walls of your dwelling. Change is hard. Make it easier.
Make sure to keep quantitative & qualitative track of your progress. That way you can see what is working or isn’t and the possible reasons why. If your goal is to lose weight, take before, during and after photos. You could even start a blog or youtube channel to document your journey and perhaps inspire those with similar goals but that’s by no means required. Journaling is another great way to track your progress. If you want to know more about journaling, read How to Start Enjoying the Benefits of Journaling. Whatever you do, track it. You’ll find the act of recording small wins rewarding.
Go public. Tell your family & friends about your goal. You can even use social media, if you feel like it. Whether you keep the circle large or small make sure to find the proper support and feedback. The social pressure can be a good source for external motivation.
Always keep your reasons for taking on the challenge of self improvement in the forefront of your mind. It will get hard. There will be times where you won’t want to do it. In those times, remember why you started and all the work that you’ve already put in. Then get back to it!
It has been documented that visualization is a huge key in determining the achievement of goals. If for any other reason, when visualizing, you have a specific idea of what you are striving for. Create a mental picture of yourself having already accomplished your transformation. For example, if you want to start a running routine, see yourself as already a runner. You are the type of person who jumps out of bed in the morning to get that runner’s high. Imagine the brisk wind and the sun and the sweat. See a clear picture. The more detailed the better. Then, through positive affirmations, tell yourself you are a runner. Then go run! To get more information on Visualization & Affirmations, read Autosuggestion: What It Is & 4 Steps On How To Start Using It.
Having a vision of what you want and using positive affirmations to remind & encourage yourself on your journey is great, but none of it matters unless you back it up with action. By using the previously mentioned tips you’ll be able to get through the beginning, which is the toughest part, and you’ll become supremely confident in your effort. Do the work. Prove yourself right.
It gets easier as you go. Don’t give up too early. At some point your new habit will take on a life of itself and you’ll look forward to performing the behavior. For example, if you successfully turned a ‘diet’ into a healthy lifestyle you won’t even feel the need to deviate at all. You’ll have become the type of person who just doesn’t want to over indulge on junk food. You’ll crave the taste of the food that you replaced them with instead. This is when you’ll know, you are a different person now.
Remember to reward yourself. These habit changes are for life, so create a situation that you can live with. For example, every healthy eating lifestyle, for the sake of sanity, allows for a cheat meal every once in a while. Indulge a little if you want. Just don’t forget it’s a reward for the permanent changes that you’ve made.
Well there they are. 9 tips to help you ingrain new habits into your daily program so you can fly through clear skies. They were, start small, make it easy, track, set up accountability, know your reasons, use visualizations & affirmations, prove it to yourself by following through, persist to make it automatic and reward yourself. Safe Travels!
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