Habits define our personalities. And the Chinese zodiac says that our personalities reflect the traits of the animal sign we were born in. So why not combine these two and develop good habits based on the positive characteristics of the Chinese zodiac?
Accordingly, the rat represents wisdom and has strong defining characteristics in the Chinese zodiac. It is thus advisable to adopt the positive characteristics of the rat sign and make them a habit.
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What are habits
Habits are the thoughts and actions you perform on a daily basis without much thought. And experts say habits account for 40% of your daily actions.
With this fact, it is important to note that habits play an essential role in your life. Because your habits can make or break you.
The Rat personality
The Chinese zodiac is based on animals chosen for their unique traits. And their significance in terms of a person’s personality, fortune, and birth year.
The rat is the first sign of the Chinese zodiac and represents wisdom.
People born under the sign of the rat are intelligent, likable, perceptive, practical, and thrifty. They are also resourceful, adaptable, kind, creative, and determined.
Good habits to develop
The following are some good habits you can develop based on these rat characteristics:
Resourcefulness
Of course, being resourceful is a great habit to develop as it allows you to look for alternative solutions. Moreover, it is advantageous to have a resourceful trait because it allows you to look into yourself. And your abilities in order to thrive.
It is quite frankly, the attitude of survivors.
How to develop resourcefulness
So, how to develop a resourceful habit? Here are some practical ways to try.
Keep an open mind
Understand that solutions or ideas do not follow a straight line. So keep an open mind to solutions from seemingly unrelated sources.
Keep your mind open to detect opportunities that people, events, or circumstances may present.
Be proactive
Have the initiative to find solutions. Certainly, don’t wait for solutions to come to you.
Take advantage of all the resources that are available online. Read books or listen to audiobooks. Attend a course. Network and seek out experts who can help.
Have confidence
Have faith in yourself and your abilities. Recognize that you have what it takes to find a solution or an opportunity that will catapult you to new heights.
Get creative
As in our first point, there are various ways to get from point A to point B. It’s not always a straight line.
So, if the path to your goal is obstructed by difficulties, take a different route. Or devise a plan to get through the impediment.
Be persistent
If one move didn’t work, try another. Don’t give up. Learn from Thomas Edison, who failed 10,000 times before perfecting the light bulb.
Pick yourself up and keep going no matter how many times you fail. Also, learning from your mistakes is a great way to grow and improve.
Adaptability
The ability to thrive in a variety of situations is referred to as adaptability. It is a skill that you should cultivate in order to adapt to changes or new environments.
How to develop adaptability
Adaptability is an important skill to hone. Because it is one of the skills required in a constantly changing world. Here are a few key pointers to help you improve your adaptability in the workplace and in life:
Keep an open mind
Recognize that there are things you don’t know. And that these things may have an effect on you, either in your knowledge or in your behavior.
So keep your mind open to new ideas, information, or opportunities that may arise from other people, events, or situations.
Keep improving
In addition to keeping an open mind, you should always strive to improve and learn something new.
When confronted with problems or difficulties, concentrate on what you can learn rather than on failure. Listen more, ask more questions, and solicit and reflect on feedback.
Take time to reflect
When changes or problems occur, refrain from reacting immediately. Instead, take the time to think things through, reflect, and look at things from a different angle.
Taking the time to think and reflect allows you to become more aware and in tune with changes, take deliberate actions, and be more creative with ideas and information.
Kindness
One of the best habits we should all develop. Among the many benefits of kindness include the following:
- Improves your overall wellbeing
- Reduces your stress levels
- Boosts your self-esteem
- Improves your social connection
- Attracts more kindness
How to develop kindness
To cultivate the habit of kindness, here are things that you can do:
Be sincere
Sincerity is an essential value that helps foster trust. Also, because being sincere is free of affectations, pretense, or deception. Surely, you will not suffer from the effect that these negative feelings will provide.
Start small
An act of kindness, no matter how small, can have a ripple effect. So don’t hesitate to show kindness. A smile, a compliment, or sharing extra food certainly helps to brighten someone else’s day.
Daily act of kindness
Repetition is the key to developing a habit. So consciously make an effort to do at least one act of kindness each day.
Simple acts such as preparing breakfast for your family. Acknowledging the guard’s greetings as you enter an establishment. Recognizing an officemate’s input. Or praising your staff for their efforts. All of these count on the kindness radar.
And they don’t cost you a dime.
Be kind to yourself
You should also be kind to yourself. Stop your negative self-talk. Attempt to find the learning in negative experiences and then let go of the memories.
Being kind to yourself allows you to be kind as well to others.
Creativity
Creativity is not only about being artistic. Rather, creativity is also about being able to see opportunities or find solutions to a problem. Additionally, it’s about coming up with useful ideas for yourself, your business, or your job.
Indeed, this positive habit has numerous advantages, including the following:
- Improves problem-solving skills.
- Enhances the ability to quickly recognize a link between seemingly unrelated words, thoughts, things, or events.
- Boosts productivity.
- Enhances communication.
- Provides a sense of accomplishment.
- Increased self-confidence.
How to develop creativity
Because of these benefits, you should therefore start building a creative habit. Here are practical ways you can start getting creative:
- Go out for long walks and observe your surroundings.
- Schedule breaks in your daily schedule. It will allow the brain to relax and become more perceptive to new ideas.
- Exercise. Body movement, according to studies, improves your memory as well as creative thinking.
- Allow for different points of view. It might spark something in you.
- Know that there are various roads to the same destination. Hence, find them.
- Take it from Albert Einstein- Never lose a holy curiosity.
- Practice mind mapping.
Determination
Determination is the trait in which you are decided to do something. And are willing to go to any length to achieve it.
Having determination is essential for achieving goals because it allows you to overcome obstacles. It provides you with the strength and tenacity to hang on and keep moving. It also allows you to be more creative in your actions.
How to develop determination
Here are some strategies you can use to develop determination as a habit.
Examine your situation and your intentions
Your determination may be influenced by your situation as well as your conscious desire to achieve something. Therefore, it is critical that you identify the source of your determination. And keep it within you as fuel in your quest to achieve your goal.
Commit
Define your goals, create a plan, and list the steps you need to take. Attend to them on a daily basis. All of this is part of your commitment to success.
It may become difficult, tedious, or simply boring at times, but you must resolve to persevere.
Do not depend on luck
Your success depends upon your ability to develop and improve the necessary skills, not on chance. So practice every day. Do the small things each day that allow you to become a step closer to your goals.
Eliminate distractions
Do not allow for distraction to hinder your progress. There will surely be a lot of activities that will call your attention away from important tasks.
A chat with a coworker can take several minutes of your time. Social media browsing can easily consume several hours. Attending meetings without an agenda or reading emails will also divert your attention away from the tasks at hand.
If these distractions cannot be avoided entirely, devise a strategy for limiting the amount of time spent on them.
Take stock
Take some time to reflect and assess whether you are on track to meet your objectives. Alternatively, whether the steps or actions are bringing you closer to your goals.
Otherwise, look for another way to achieve your goals.
Eyes on the prize
Despite setbacks, keep your eyes on the prize. Remember the reasons what your goals mean to you.
Indeed, the road to success is fraught with setbacks and distractions. But, no matter how dire the situation appears to be, know that obtaining the prize will be worthwhile.
Summary
According to the Chinese zodiac, your animal sign can have an impact on your personality. And, as the New Year approaches, here are some good habits to develop from the rat sign of the Chinese zodiac.
- Resourcefulness
- Adaptability
- Kindness
- Creativity, and
- Determination.
Please share your thoughts about this article in the comments below. You can also read 12 Good Habits From The Animal Signs (Chinese Zodiac), 12 Good Habits From The Zodiac, and Building Good Habits For Your To Be.
You may also like the habits you can develop from Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Outside reference:
CHINESE ZODIAC – RAT
6 Characteristics of Resourceful People That Bring Them Success
Be Resourceful — One Of The Most Important Skills To Succeed In Data Science
How adaptability skills can help to tackle novel problems
