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 Goat represents solidarity and has other strong defining characteristics in the Chinese zodiac. Therefore, it is advisable to adopt the positive characteristics of the Goat 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 Goat 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 Goat, the eighth sign of the Chinese zodiac, represents unity, harmony, and calmness. The Goat years are 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027.
Goat people are calm, gentle, easygoing, empathetic, creative, cheerful, and flexible. Furthermore, the Goat sign is diligent, mild-mannered, shy, imaginative, determined, and has good taste.
Good habits to develop
The following are some good habits you can develop based on these distinctive Goat characteristics:
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It enables us to relate and, as a result, respond appropriately to a situation.
Definitely, the practice of empathy has numerous advantages. To name a few:
- Improves your understanding and acceptance of others.
- Helps with your persuasion skills.
- Boosts your self-esteem.
- Improves social connection.
- And, improves your network connection.
How to develop empathy
After reading the benefits of empathy, here are ways for you to develop the habit.
- Interact with other people. Be mindful of how words are delivered, along with the body language.
- Listen more. Keep the conversation going by allowing the other person to express themselves.
- Stay curious.
- Make yourself relate to another person’s feelings or experiences.
- Do something, no matter how small, to make a difference in someone else.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
– Leo Buscaglia
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.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the willingness and ability to change in order to adapt to changing circumstances. It entails compromising rather than being stiff or rigid.
Being flexible is an important aspect of life. Because it prevents us from feeling frustrated and other negative emotions when things don’t go our way.
Furthermore, flexibility is essential for the following reasons:
- improves personal and professional relationships
- improves creativity
- less stress and anxiety over things over which you have no control
- enables learning
- results in a higher quality of life because you are not going against the grain
How to develop flexibility
Considering how we can improve our lives by being flexible, especially in light of the current events in our world. Check out the tips below to help you develop and maintain flexibility in all aspects of your life.
Be open to change
Keep in mind that things, ideas, and plans can and will change at any time. There may also be different outcomes and approaches to achieving a goal.
So let go of the notion that things should only come out one way. If you keep this attitude, you’ll be setting yourself up for a life of disappointment, rage, and frustration.
Step out of the box you confined yourself in and explore the many possibilities outside your comfort zone. Be open to new experiences and information.
You can change your mind
Allow yourself the freedom to change your mind. It doesn’t mean you’re fickle; it just means you’re willing to reconsider your position in light of new information. In this quote, John H. Patterson said it best:
“Only fools and dead men don’t change their minds. Fools won’t and dead men can’t.”
– John H. Patterson
Mistakes are opportunities for growth
Often, we put pressure on ourselves to always be correct. This compulsion with being right, due to fear of making mistakes, results in inaction. And hence, no opportunity for growth.
Remember that making mistakes is a normal part of life. So, take chances and try new things. Mistakes do not imply failure. On the contrary, they are opportunities for learning.
So be kind to yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn to take things in stride for a balanced, peaceful, and creative life.
Diligence
Diligence is the behavior of being hardworking, paying attention to detail, and persisting despite difficulty or delay. It is a trait required in all aspects of life because it is a necessary ingredient for success.
It not only helps you achieve your goals, but it also makes people take note of you. In addition, you can benefit from the many advantages of diligence, such as:
- Commitment to your career, relationships, faith, ventures, or ideas.
- Ability to quickly adapt to changing situations, revise techniques, or seek solutions.
- Being able to learn from and improve on mistakes.
- Increased confidence as a result of experience.
- Character improvement.
- Being accountable for your actions.
- Developing the ability to initiate projects or ideas with a clear goal in mind from start to finish.
How to develop diligence
And, because diligence is one of the Seven Capital Virtues, it is a good habit that we should all develop. Here are the steps we need to take to develop diligence.
Ditch motivation
We frequently use motivation as an excuse to avoid doing something. “I don’t feel like exercising today,” for example. or “I’m just not feeling inspired to write today; maybe tomorrow.”
Newsflash! Do not succumb to the devilish voice inside your head. Regardless of how you feel, get up and do what you need to do. Allow your actions to dictate the motivation you require.
Start small
Of course, developing diligence, like any other habit, is a gradual process. So make a plan to start small so that your mind and body do not resist.
Calendar your activities in such a way that they do not overburden you today. To the point where you will refuse to work on them again tomorrow.
Also, plan your tasks so that you can take breaks, have some entertainment. And get enough sleep.
Have a strategy to keep you going
As you go about your daily tasks, something will take longer, annoy you more. Or be more difficult than you anticipated. You’ll definitely be tempted to call it a day, but resist the urge.
For such situations, have a few lines to repeat to yourself. Telling yourself things like, “You’re doing great!” or “One more task, then I’ll take a short break.” should help keep you going.
Another way is to put on some good music to pump you up. To refresh yourself, drink some water. Alternatively, a few jumping jacks should suffice to get the blood flowing.
Work smart
Although one key ingredient to diligence is working hard, keep in mind to also work smart. Do away with multitasking. Consequently, group similar tasks. And prioritize your most important tasks for when you have more mental energy.
Again, do not overwork yourself. Remember to take small breaks.
Seek help or delegate
Diligence does not imply that you must do everything yourself. When you’re stuck on a problem, know when to ask for help.
Alternatively, learn how to delegate tasks that aren’t critical to your current project.
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 Goat sign of the Chinese zodiac.
- Empathy
- Creativity
- Flexibility
- Diligence, 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.
Additionally, you may like the habits you can develop from the other animal signs of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Outside references:
CHINESE ZODIAC- GOAT
How to Be Flexible at Work (With Tips and Examples)
The Importance of Flexibility… and Not Just in the Body!
How To Be Determined In 10 Ways