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?
The Pig represents fun, good fortune, and wealth and has other strong defining characteristics in the Chinese zodiac. Therefore, it is advisable to adopt the positive characteristics of the Pig 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 Pig 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 twelfth and last sign of the Chinese zodiac represents carefree fun, good fortune, and wealth. The Pig years are 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2031.
Pig people are compassionate, generous, and diligent. Furthermore, the Pig sign is caring, honest, smart, outgoing, optimistic, and courageous.
Good habits to develop
The following are some good habits you can develop based on these distinctive Pig characteristics:
Compassion
Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
– Dalai Lama
Consider the words of a simple Buddhist monk and make compassion a habit.
Besides, compassion is beneficial to your overall health, both physically and mentally. Above all, it is a small way for you to make a difference in a world full of suffering.
How to develop compassion
So, to develop the habit of compassion, here are ways you can consider doing:
- Start being compassionate with yourself. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself.
- Be mindful of others. Ask how they are, what they’re going through. Know that it’s not always about you.
- Empathize. In relation to the above point, it’s always good practice to feel with and understand others.
- Listen. With intention, without judgment.
- Be generous. If not with material things, then with your time. Your attention, or your services.
- Be forgiving. With yourself and others.
- Be thankful for what you have. Always.
- Smile. Often. Even without cause.
Generosity
Generosity is a quality that should be developed into a habit. Because it is beneficial not only to the recipient but also to the giver.
Being generous with your time, talent, or resources without expecting anything in return improves your overall health.
In addition, you become more fulfilled, happy, and peaceful, not to mention more productive at home and at work.
How to develop generosity
Here are some practical ways you can develop generosity as a habit.
- Be kind. Always. It doesn’t take much to be nice. A smile, genuine appreciation, or running an errand for an elderly person all go a long way.
- Give a compliment to someone. It feels good to be complimented. So send out some positive vibes.
- Listen to others and avoid making it about yourself. Feel what they’re going through instead.
- Recognize and appreciate the abilities of others.
- Donate to your favorite charity or organization.
- Train or coach another person.
- Support a small business.
- Volunteer.
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.
Optimism
Optimism is a state of mind that firmly believes that the result of an action or an event is positive and favorable. The belief, that whatever trials you are facing will pass and that you will triumph because of your abilities.
Because of this mindset, optimistic people are happier overall.
Furthermore, researchers claim that developing the habit of optimism has numerous benefits. Among these advantages are:
- Better overall health
- Reduced stress
- Increased longevity
- Improved relationships
- Increased self-esteem
- Enhanced problem-solving abilities
- Becoming more persistent
How to develop optimism
Fortunately, optimism can be learned. But, it will not be easy. So it is best to keep repeating the process.
As in any habit formation, repetition is the key factor in making a habit stick. Eventually, you will find it easier to practice optimism.
Here are some ways that will help you develop an optimistic mindset as a habit.
Give yourself credit
Give yourself credit for the positive events in your life. Reflect on how you contributed, both directly and indirectly, to the achievement and success of a goal using all of your abilities.
Keep a journal
Make a list of all the good things that have happened to you. Describe how these events occurred and what happened as a result. Write down your contribution to its success, just as you did in the previous point.
This journal will serve as a record of all your accomplishments. As well as an inspiration to keep going in the face of challenges or setbacks in your life.
Attitude of gratitude
When you are grateful for all that you have, you’ll know that you are not lacking. With an attitude of gratitude, you will attract more positivity in your life including optimism.
Visualize
Use the power of visualization. Picture the positive outcome of a goal you want to achieve. Expect good things to happen.
Stop, challenge, and replace the negative
Stop negative thoughts in their tracks whenever they enter your mind. Take a moment to reflect on the thought and consider why it is implausible. Then, change your focus to a positive thought.
For example, you were called to your immediate superior’s office. Your initial thought is that you’re going to be fired. Stop right there and question why you’d be fired in the first place. You’re good at what you do, and you’re a valuable asset to the company.
Then consider a more practical reason for your summons. Your boss may want you to lead a critical project or simply discuss the specifics of a work proposal you submitted.
This thought process for optimism can also be applied in your daily life.
Courage
The mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, according to the dictionary. This description is consistent with Napoleon Bonaparte’s definition of courage:
“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte
It is therefore important to develop the habit of courage in our lives. As it enables us to take the first steps despite fear and trepidation.
How to develop courage
Again it is fortunate that researchers believe that courage is a skill. Because it is a skill, it can then be learned. It can also be applied repeatedly, through small actions, until it becomes a habit.
So, here are steps you can take to develop the habit of courage.
Identify your fear triggers
According to Kate Swoboda, author of the courage habit, fear manifests itself in our lives primarily through perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-sabotage. And pessimism in the form of behavioral patterns.
Fear is detrimental to health
Remind yourself that being paralyzed by fear can be detrimental to your overall health. So take a deep breath and relax. Calm down and figure out the smallest step you can take to get moving.
Take chances
Recognize that fear is a natural part of being human. So take it in stride and get started on that project, business, or venture you’ve been wanting to start.
Use fear to your advantage
You can use your fear to your advantage if you take it in stride. Allow a healthy dose of fear to motivate you and compel you to critically examine the quality of your output. Or consider the consequences of an action you are about to take.
Reframe your story
Reframe your narrative. Another point made by Kate Swoboda is that how you tell a story influences how you see yourself and the world. Whether you are a victim or a survivor. To counteract this, you must reframe your story.
There are, thankfully, ways to retell a limiting story. One approach is to question these negative perceptions of our abilities.
Another option is to look at a difficult situation through the eyes of an outsider. These things help us deal with the stress that fear and worry can cause.
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 Pig sign of the Chinese zodiac.
- Compassion
- Generosity
- Diligence
- Optimism, and
- Courage.
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, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, and Dog.
Outside references:
CHINESE ZODIAC – PIG
Using Learned Optimism in Your Life
5 Steps to Being More of an Optimist
Tapping the Power of Optimism
7 Effective Ways To Boost Your Courage
