Who we are, our personality, our traits, and our character is an amalgamation of all our past actions and decisions that due to time and regularity of practice have become a habit.
As such, it is prudent to remember the following quote from a famous leader:
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
– Mahatma Gandhi
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.
So before a habit forms, it is important to ensure that the practice will be of value to us. That it will free us and enable us to realize our full potential. And will contribute to our overall well-being as well as our success.
Importance of habits
As humans, we have a limited brain capacity for the day. When this resource gets used up, we tend to experience decision fatigue, which causes our willpower to wane and our decisions to worsen as the day goes on.
For this reason, our brain has a separate region dedicated to memory and habits. Our repeated thoughts, behaviors, and actions become etched in a memory pathway and become our habits.
When habits form, they will no longer require our active brain to be performed. They are carried out automatically.
Habits are thus essential for the brain to conserve energy so that it can be used in active decision-making functions.
Why are habits powerful?
Habits are powerful because they are automatic actions or behaviors. They have a strong influence on how we behave and thus, knowingly or unknowingly, form part of our character.
When it comes to habit, it is therefore critical to recognize this power. Because when we are presented with a cue or in an environment that encourages a habit, we end up doing it automatically without the need for active decision-making.
So when we develop the right kind of behavior, values, and traits into habits, they become our key foundation for achieving success.
Moreover, even if habits have already formed, they can still be replaced. Thus, the bad habits or behaviors we have that prevent us from reaching our full potential can be replaced with better ones. It may take some time, energy, and focus to replace the existing habits, but it is possible.
Do habits restrict us?
Routines and habits are frequently perceived as boring, restrictive, and suffocating. Just because habits are systematic and tedious, such as doing the same things daily, planning things out each day, or wearing the same color or style of clothing day in and day out.
Habits are seen as repetitive actions, which they technically are. This is the most common reason why people avoid developing good habits. And the mindset that prevents people from reaching their full potential by viewing habits as a hindrance to freedom and creativity.
On the contrary, habits pave the way for you to gain freedom.
Imagine if our brain has no way of remembering the things we do on a regular basis, each small action we take each day will need to be decided upon.
Upon waking up, for example, you already need to decide whether you should brush your teeth first or make your bed. Should you eat or skip breakfast? Should you prepare your own breakfast or just buy coffee and pastry on your way to work? What will you wear for work? Should you bring your own lunch or eat out?
With all these small things you need to think about, you will be exhausted by the time you arrive at work. And will lack the energy to attend to the more important tasks.
However, because our brain has a way of forming daily repetitive actions into habits, the smallest things can then be done automatically.
As such, you will have more time and freedom to decide where to use the energy conserved by your habits. You can use it to attend to significant decision-making or to be creative in thinking of ways to improve your personal or professional life.
Do habits determine your success?
When it comes to success, everyone is in agreement that it does not come easy nor does it happen overnight. Success is something that is achieved long-term, along with blood, sweat, and a river of tears.
And, because success is a long-term game, you must also develop actions and behaviors into habits that will help you along the way.
Simply put, if success is what you want, good habits are what you need.
To reach your full potential, you must chart your own course by developing daily habits that will help you achieve your objectives.
Even the smallest habits, such as eating healthy, getting enough rest, waking up early, getting regular exercise, keeping things neat and tidy, and keeping things simple, are all important.
Setting goals, being willing to keep learning, being able to adapt or change as needed, remaining curious, seizing opportunities as they arise, taking action, and doing the necessary work are all examples of effective habits you should cultivate because your habits determine your level of success in life.
5 Steps to build a habit
Once established, habits serve as your personal autopilot, taking over when motivation or inspiration fails. They can also help to strengthen your willpower, allowing you to resist the temptation to slouch, procrastinate, or give up on your goals.
With all of these advantages to having habits, how then do you harness their power and use it to your advantage? To reiterate, developing good habits necessitates thought and attention.
Fortunately, there are 5 simple steps you can adapt and use as a guide and strategy to get you started on your path from where you are to where you want to be.
1. Establish a specific goal
Having a goal is like having a north star that reminds you of what you need to strive for and achieve.
When you have a goal, you have a purpose and something to work on. No matter how long, challenging, and full of obstacles your path may be, your goal will serve as a beacon that will give you direction.
With a goal, even if you are blindfolded, you will still go in the general direction of your objective. Whereas without a goal, you will end up just coasting, easily swayed from one direction to another. Questioning whether you matter or not because you have no purpose in life.
Setting a goal is thus essential for success.
However, in order to be effective, a goal must also be specific. So, instead of vague statements like “I will read more,” say “I will read 50 books by the end of the year.”
2. Create a detailed plan
Once you have a goal set, you will then need to have a road map toward your goal. And that road map is in the form of a plan.
And, to make your goal a little less daunting, plan and divide your activities into small, manageable chunks that can be easily implemented.
In addition, your plan should detail when, where, and how your activities will take place. The less friction you experience in implementing the habit, the more likely you are to stick with it.
For example, to make an exercise habit stick, schedule at least 5 minutes of exercise after you drink a glass of water each morning when you wake up from Monday to Saturday.
Plan out your exercise routines for each day as well. For example, cardio on M-W-F. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, do strength training exercises, and on Saturdays, do simple stretching exercises.
You can also track your habits to hold yourself accountable. Simple tracking, such as scratching off a day in your calendar when a habit is completed, can be effective. When you see a series of Xs in your calendar, it can also serve as a motivator, boosting your self-esteem and sense of pride.
3. Create a reward system
The habits you are trying to develop are more likely to stick when you include a reward system in your plan.
When you give yourself a reward, say for completing a set of activities for a certain period. You are giving yourself a dopamine hit. With a reward, you give yourself small doses of feel-good energy, which reinforces the continued performance of the habit.
The rewards you give yourself don’t have to be extravagant or expensive. They can be small, but they must be something you truly like or enjoy and are aligned with your goals.
For example, if you complete a week of taking a 20-minute walk before breakfast, you can plan to reward yourself with an extra episode of your favorite Netflix series. You could also reward yourself with a slice of cake for writing a paragraph a day for 15 days or reading 4 books in a month.
4. Prepare for setbacks
Any endeavor is bound to have setbacks or challenges along the way. And developing habits is no exception. As a result, you must prepare for events that will prevent you from performing an activity related to habit formation.
For example, if you are unable to go to the gym after work for a one-hour workout session. You can incorporate short workout sessions that you can do at work. While on the phone, walk around the office. When going to or from another floor in your building, take the stairs. Stretching, jumping jacks, and other exercises can be substituted for a full gym workout.
Alternatively, if you are going out to eat with friends while on a diet, look up some diet-friendly options beforehand. So you know what to order that won’t throw you off your diet.
You should not miss an activity two days in a row, according to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. This is due to the fact that habits exist to serve you until you miss one and let it slide, allowing a new pattern to emerge as a habit.
However, it is important to be kind to yourself when you are unable to perform the habit. Remember that you are doing your best, so whenever you miss, simply dust yourself off and get back on.
Continue to push yourself and look for ways to form and maintain good habits.
5. Have a support system
Finally, having a strong support system is essential for making a habit stick and easier to maintain. Although the motivation for developing a good habit should come from within, it is also beneficial to have external motivation from others.
People who share your goals can help and guide you along the way. Because the people we spend our time with have a powerful influence on us, whether we realize it or not.
So, go find your people, your tribe. Socialize with and learn from those who have already accomplished what you want to achieve; it can make all the difference.
Conclusion
To summarize, who we are is the sum of all our previous thoughts, actions, and behaviors that have become our habits and character.
That being said, good habits are important to cultivate because they serve as our primary foundation for achieving success.
Contrary to popular belief, habits do not limit your freedom and creativity. In fact, the energy you save as a result of your habits will allow you to have more time and freedom. It can be used to make important decisions or to be creative in thinking of ways to improve your personal or professional life.
And, in order to reach your full potential, you must chart your own course by developing daily habits that will help you achieve success in life.
Finally, developing habits takes time, effort, and the following 5 simple steps. These steps can help you get started on your journey from where you are to where you want to be.
- Set a specific goal.
- Create a detailed plan.
- Create a reward system.
- Prepare for setbacks. And,
- have a support system.