The Power of Habits
The start of a new year often puts unnecessary pressure on us to achieve more and be our best selves. You see successful people getting up at 5 a.m. earning millions, running companies and still finding time to have a happy family life. We don’t need to take on dozens of habits to see change. Here’s how you can improve your life without taking on dozens of new habits and the anxiety that may come with them:
It’s what you don’t do not what you do. Forming new habits can be overwhelming as we have to challenge our belief system and paradigms formed since our birth. You see, our behavior is habitual and we adapt these behaviors from our relatives. We grow up eating what our parents perceive to be tasty, we drink what our peers think is nice and we do activities our friends enjoy to do. Oftentimes we’re acting out of habits formed by our ancestors which have been passed down through the generations.
To make change easier strat by saying no. Words have a powerful impact on our thoughts and our thoughts create feelings, which generate actions. Start by saying no to situations and it will help you grow without unnecessary anxiety. Here’s an example, let’s say you want to be healthier in 2020. There’s a lot to this, you need to drink more water, have a regular sleep routine, meditate daily, find at least 30 minutes in your day to exercise, join a gym, plan your week ahead, choose salad over fries and start eating organically. It’s perfectly normal to feel exhausted thinking about it but let’s try this instead. Say no to partying on the weekend, say no to binge-watching Netflix, say no to takeout. By doing this we’re telling ourselves that we don’t need to take on all of these tasks and we’re putting ourselves first. We’re taking the same mental action as getting rid of tasks because we’re saying no. Elimination of to-do lists can relieve a lot of stress, especially living in this fast-paced world.
Here’s another tip, start using different words/sentences throughout your day. For example, instead of saying ‘problem’ say ‘challenge’. This will tell your brain that it needs to be solved whereas the word problem can evoke negativity. Instead of saying that you ‘have to do something’ say you’re ‘blessed’ to do it and give a reason. The words we speak are what we act on, replace negativity with positivity and see your perspective change on life. Our actions cause reactions and this is how we get our results. Thought-Feelings-Actions-Results.