Tweet

Add One New Habit that Ignites Change

Guest post by: Beth Tabak

Article Overview: Developing one good habit after another gives birth to impressive new results. This article lays down the challenge and the steps to take to choose one new positive habit to commit to developing daily in order to boost results and ignite change.

Add One New Habit that Ignites Change

"First we make our habits, then our habits make us." Denis Waitley

Habits develop to serve us. There are good habits, and those that hold us back from our full abilities. Developing one good habit after another gives birth to impressive new results. This article lays down the challenge to choose one new positive habit to commit to developing daily in order to boost results and ignite change. Grab a pen and paper, and follow these simple steps:

1- Quick Exploration- Jot a list of sabotaging thoughts or behaviors that hold you back (*examples below). Consider personal life, home, work, family, health, money, spirituality, etc. A habit may be a thought pattern that needs to shift. Now, by each item on your list write a new positive habit that would create and support new results. Add to your list any new habit you would want that is not listed.

"99% of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." George Washington Carver



2- Pick a New Positive Habit You can be Excited about- Humans follow through on what they want. Review each item discerning what you have to gain. How will you grow by successfully developing this new behavior? Is there a habit that knocks out numerous obstacles? Instead of selecting what you should do, choose the one that gets you excited, the one you keep coming back to. Commitment is primary in creating a change. Deepen commitment by choosing the one you really want.

3- Ingrain into Your Mindset What You Want and Do Not Want- When planning vacation we create a vision of the trip, where we are going /what we are doing. The idea shifts into a belief to the point of anchoring the emotions of the experience, 'It's going to be fun, relaxing, romantic, adventurous, etc.' The more vivid and believable, the more it triggers action that gets us to the beach, golf course, ski slopes, lake house, etc., no matter what. We also get clear on what we do not want and act to avoid it.

In the same way, get clear on what you will gain by developing this habit. How does it feel to achieve this change? How will you be different? Experiencing the end result in a way that makes it real, achievable, and exciting raises motivation and deepens commitment to action. In contrast, remembering the pain and consequences of not following through can be a real kick in the pants.

Take a peak into the future. On your paper jot what you have to gain by building this life changing habit. Then write what will happen without following through. Write the feelings you experience under each circumstance. Now, add structure to ingrain the benefits and consequences into your mindset to activate action. For example, write the new habit along with the benefits and consequences on the top of your 'to do' list, on an index card, or put into your phone or computer as a daily reminder. Do you have your chosen structure? Review it daily. Focus more on the positive. Use the negative to spark positive action if a sabotaging stance sets in. Remember the pain of regret, but more importantly never lose site of the thrill of reaching the ideal end result.

"Habits are cobwebs at first, cables at last." Chinese Proverb

4- Set Yourself Up for Success- You know yourself best: when you are most energetic or tired, when you feel enthusiastic or overwhelmed, etc. Customize an action plan that strengthens the belief you can do this. Plan high energy tasks when you have energy. Block small time commitments to make it easier to follow through daily. Consistency is more important than duration at the start. Getting started is the hardest part so just begin. Block time in your schedule and make the commitment.

5- Measure Progress & Do Not Quit Over Slip Ups- When developing a new habit your brain is ingraining the new connection. Habits are shortcuts for the brain. So if we initially lose focus it is easy for the brain to fall back to established pathways until a new connection is strengthened. If you fall off course, jump back on track. It is damaging to beat yourself up. Continue carving the neural pathways that support the behavior you want. Track progress daily focusing one day at a time. Use whatever works for you or pick up a Rewarding Daily Habits tracking chart at the author's website. Just click on the'Change Behavior' tabonce there.Reward yourself for progress made!

"Bad habits are easier to abandon today than tomorrow." Yiddish Proverb

6- Determination- Remember, the discomfort you feel is a sign you are creating change. You are capable of much more than you realize. Persist daily with an attitude of resilient determination. You are on the brink of achievement. Stay determined!

7- Get Support- Connect with a partner and support each other in establishing new habits. Be encouraging and have accountability to each other. A coach can also work with you to stay on track.

"Good habits are worth being fanatical about." John Irving

Whether a new habit takes 21 or 66 days to develop the key is to begin and focus with commitment one day at a time. By saying 'no' to instant gratification you say 'yes' to a higher quality of life. Focus more on what you are developing than what you are leaving behind. Establishing one positive habit after another creates change that builds confidence and a successful track record. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can experience the rewards of change. Add one new habit and ignite change...Starting Now!

* Examples of common sabotaging thoughts and behaviors- negative self talk, overwhelm, procrastination, lack of focus, wasting time, unhealthy or bad habits, sleep deprived, comparing to others, playing the victim role, plus NOT: planning ahead, exercising, setting boundaries, listening, being authentic, tracking spending, saving, showing appreciation, being grateful, and oodles more.

Related Articles
  Habits, life choices, decision,health,personal growth,personal development,spirituality
  Create New Success Habits!
  The Art of Transforming Subconscious Habits Behaviors The 3Step Super Shift Process
  Create Habits That Will Serve You Well
  Guidelines To Success
  Powerful Ways to Break a Bad Habit For Good
  How to Develop Conscious Habits.
  Change the Trust Equation
  Make The Move From Bad to Good
  Are you a sparkenationist?
  Where Are Your Habits Leading You?
  Procrastination: Understanding the Root Causes to Bring About Productive Change
  "The New Deal"
  The Action Habit And How It Helped My Internet Business
  Quality is Not an Action, It is A Habit
  Good Marketing is Like a Bad Habit
  Give Change A Chance
  The Power of Habits
  Marketing strategies: Procrastination and the Fear of Failure
  Discipline Can Be Habit Forming

Article Tags: end result, good habit, good habits, habit, habits, new behavior, new habit, new habits, new positive habit, new results, positive habit, positive habits



Related Forum Posts
Re: Spellcheck? - [quote="TheAnonymousMan":2f894q6j]When discussing the majority of people I would definitely say that most people hit the "Change" or "Ignore" button without thinking too much about the correct spelling of a word. All bosses are concerned about is getting the report to the Directors meeting on time.[/quote:2f894q6j] That probably depends on what the "majority" are trying to accomplish. I have word set to alert me about misspellings and grammatical problems, so I fix most as I go. But I also add names etc to the dictionary because I get tired of seeing the red and green squiggles when I know the info is right. If you're only going to click "Change" or "Ignore" then why bother to take the time to use spell check????? Business people that I work for want the info compiled in a timely manner and they want it right - which is fine because that's the way I strive to do any project. Sending out a memo, letter, report etc with obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes makes the person and the company look bad as far as I'm concerned. Shri
Re: e-Commerce and e-Payment providers - Hi GT It is only fairly recently that people in South Africa have been able to get full use of Paypal as we were only able at one time to make payments but not receive them. Fortunately this has now changed. I have received money through Global X Change for one of the affiliate programs that I promote and have found them pretty good as the money is normally transferred directly into my bank account within 2-3 days and I have not had any problems with them. MichelleJ
Re: Obama Wants Social Security for Illegals - [quote="Alan Mater":3kaa8sg4] Obama WILL make changes... but they're not the changes we as a country need or should look forward to.[/quote:3kaa8sg4] Sad but this is exactly how I feel about it. Change is coming - but unless I'm really wrong, it is not a change this country needs. Amazing how much a good speaker with a good speech writer can do. If you paid attention to the things he said "off script" - much of it is frightening. Chris
Are you an Opportunity Addict? - 1) if you find yourself saying yes without thinking about how it will affect your other priorities 2) you have over 10 projects/inventions going on at the same time and this seems normal to you 3) you have spent hundreds and thousands of dollars on manufacturing, prototypes, etc. not to mention thousands of hours of your time....but you havent followed through on any of it 4) most of your projects are falling behind or have completely fallen off your radar....which is fueling your frustration The first step in recovery is to recognize this as a pattern of self sabotage. If you are clear in what your overall goals and objectives are, you should be able to create a lens through which you measure opportunities. You create your life, and your to do list. Change, Add, Remove, Adjust time-lines - whatever you like. But remember that every piece of unfinished business - stays that way J
You are too young - I don't really believe (I've been into web designing for 7 years now... I started in 2000) there is any web design laws. Besides the fact that you can't use copyrighted images on web design without permission from the original author. Also, any web designs you do you may want to have it copyrighted so other's can't steal your idea's or whatever... of course, you can offer a "Copyright Change" option for a bit more money that will allow you to be able to transfer the copyrights and give exclusive rights to the purchaser. All in all, don't worry about the laws... you should be fine, just remember that if your in the U.S. that if your making over $400 (or maybe its $600) in revenue, you'll have to pay taxes to the government... and please get a LLC, although its not a big thing with web designs, you could get into legal trouble somewhere in the business. Lastly, use contracts for when your selling or use agreements to clear the air so that you can have a safe business and you'll have some backing up if you ever are taken to court.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

International Employment Background Checks

If I Were Starting A Network Marketing Company...

The Basics Of A Home Based Internet Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.