Rome wasn't built in a day.....
...& fortunately we have 365 of them in 2019 to make a difference! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
What could you achieve over the next 12 months if you developed some small but consistent changes?
What areas of your life could you make better with a few tweaks?
Marginal gain & continuous improvement works in businesses & the sports world & it works with our own personal development.
Habits are embedded over time, not overnight. In the business world, most 'overnight successes' have been the result of many years of continuos graft & belief.
It's powerful to have a big vision but also to be content with starting small & making incremental changes (ideally ones that are easily implemented & repeated).
As humans, we are junkies for instant gratification over the benefits of a long term plan but as Stephen Covey said:
"the only thing that endures over time is the Law of the Farm. You must prepare the ground, plant the seed, cultivate, and water it if you expect to reap the harvest.”
It's ideal to have a both short term and long term impact involved in your habit.
In coaching, when goal setting, we tend to encourage a big vision/the ultimate end goal in mind, to imagine how it will feel when you get there & what the benefits will be.
You need to know where you are going (& more importantly why) in order to break this journey down into manageable bite sized activities that are easy to tackle & don't overwhelm you to the point where you give up because it's just too hard/seems so far away!
We also need some quick wins! We love a nod to making progress, a reward that causes us to smile, feel positive, encouraged & have that 'yes I can do this, I am actually doing it' feeling (that's my favourite part)!
Give yourself the best chance of making long term sustainable change. Whatever your habit is, try this, it works for me:
Mindset & Approach:
Consider your habit a lifestyle change rather than a bid to get results fast, knowing that each small repeated (the consistency part is vital here) action is making an impact.
Think about all the areas of yourself or your life that this habit positively impacts.
eg my 30 minute. 5 day a week, 5.30am kickboxing routine (I have worked on building this into a habit for some time so I now do it automatically) impacts the following:
*my mental health (exercise burns off the excess adrenaline that anxiety can generate)
*reduces stress, increases resilience & positive thinking
*calorie burning capacity & weight loss
*body toning & physical health
* strengthens core which improves my horse riding
* general energy levels & stamina
* feel good factor of achievement first thing in the morning
Write it down!! Write it down!! Please please please write it down!
Record everything that happens that relates to your goal/new habbit as well as every aspect of progress (from mindset to tangible results) on a daily basis.
Record the obstacles, the challenges and the triumphs.
You can't realistically measure progress or identify roadblocks if you don't have material to reflect on. It also helps you focus, it keeps the mission present & acts as a reminder.
Use a format that makes it easy, accessible & readable & you will be more inclined to do it.
Celebrate all progress & realise what a positive impact you are having with even the tiniest change. Half the battle is simply in sustaining a new habit. Be pleased with yourself for not giving up!
Know yourself.
Be honest and observe your behaviour and habits with curiosity.
I can identify when I am genuinely flagging & when I am just making excuses. Sometimes I need to have a word with myself, other times, I need to be kind to myself.
For example, take my earlier mentioned exercise habit......I found myself pondering about the Christmas holidays & suggesting to myself that I could have some mornings off but I knew I was thinking lazy & the impact of this would not make me happy (especially with the lovely food & drinks I would be consuming)!!
Fair enough on Christmas day as my children will be up at the crack of dawn, bursting with excitement about opening presents. I can definitely give the workout a miss (and how fab that I have the choice)!
However, I will not allow myself to jib out on other days & just bloody well get on with it because I have no excuse (unless I come down with the the flu)! I might even imagine someone kickboxing me up the backside to get it done!
I have been reading a phenomenal book called ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear and this really is a fantastic resource for breaking bad habits and creating new ones. His website provides extensive research & readings.
Look no further....your answers are here https://jamesclear.com/habit-guide