Habits are actions that arise from some kind of internal or external trigger (Robbins & Costa, 2017). In other words, they’re things that we do regularly. Some might say that life itself is the sum of our habits. The things we do regularly make us the person we are and our habits are largely responsible for helping us manifest our dreams
What are the most beneficial habits? Well, here’s what some of the habit-experts suggest.
1. Be proactive
According to the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, one of the most important habits involves taking the initiative to improve your situation. Don't sit and wait for things to happen. Instead, seek to solve problems, make things happen, and bring your dreams to life
2. Start with the end and work backward
Another tip from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to start with the end in mind and work backward. This habit is all about thinking and planning before acting so that you actually end up where you want to be.
3. Use habit-building strategies
The book Atomic Habits suggests that whatever habits we want to build, we can use some tactics to make sure we build them effectively. The goal is to make the habit easy, fun, satisfying, and obvious—or supported by our environment. If we use these strategies, we can build new habits over time.
4. Make Habits Tiny
BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, suggests that the best way to build new habits is to make them tiny... I mean minuscule. For example, rather than saying you're goal is to meditate for 5 minutes per day, start with a goal of taking 1 deep breath per day. Fogg says smaller habits are easier to stick to.
5. Reward good habits
Rewarding good habits makes them stronger. So when you’re starting to build a new habit, it can be helpful to celebrate a bit. Now, I’m not saying to reward yourself with ice cream after working out. That would defeat the purpose. Rather, I’m suggesting you give yourself a little pat on the back or mentally tell yourself how awesome you are when you do the thing you told yourself you’d do.
In Sum
Habits are key for helping us reach our goals, manifest our dreams, and get what we want in life. Hopefully, these habit-building tips help you build good habits a little easier.
References
● Robbins, T. W., & Costa, R. M. (2017). Habits. Current biology, 27(22), R1200-R1206.
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