#habits #GoodHabits #BadHabits

“Excellence … is not an act, but a habit.”
That Aristotle quote leads off a book called “Habits Die Hard: 10 Steps to Building Successful Habits,” by Mac Anderson and John J. Murphy.
The authors talk about ways not only to build good habits, but to break bad ones.
We think of most habits as bad, such as smoking, overeating, drinking too much etc.
We also think of habits as things we cannot help, or change. The authors disagree.
“Experts worldwide agree that one of the most essential characteristics among successful people is the ability to visualize where they want to be in the future,” the authors write.
“This powerful practice elicits passion and conviction, and if the vision is shared, … it inspires teamwork,” they write.
They apply that success principle to habits – replacing bad ones with good ones. “There are always options. We just have to let go of one to allow another,” they write.
Changing one’s belief changes one’s thinking. And changing one’s thinking can change one’s life, the book says.
Since we can all visualize bad habits, let’s see whether we can do the same with good ones.
Living above one’s means is a bad habit. Saving money out of every paycheck for one’s retirement is the corresponding good habit.
Overeating is a bad habit. It usually happens when one continues eating when he is full, or eats when he’s not hungry. Eating in moderation at mealtime, or until one is full, is a good habit. We can break it down further on what the best foods are, but if you are, say, a choco-holic, indulge your habit selectively and lightly.
Let’s go back to that quote from the book about success. Success is built on good habits. It’s also built on being able to visualize where one wants to be in the future.
In other words, if you’ve been taught not to dream, to accept your life the way it is, etc., it may be time to change your thinking.
When you visualize where you want to be, you are dreaming. That’s not only OK, it’s encouraged by experts on success.
If where you are now is not where you want to be in the future, and you are willing to look at something that may get you closer to where you want to be, there are many such vehicles out there to help you get to that place. To check out one of the best, message me.
In summary, you may have to adopt better habits to be successful. You may have to learn to visualize where you want to be and look for a way to get you there.
The book offers exercises in writing down bad habits, or a habit you have that you want to break. Habits are NOT permanent, not engrained, not carved into one’s brain.
But they may require one to change his way of thinking, if they are keeping him from succeeding. Only you know what you need to change to make you better.
Don’t let those who would urge you to settle for mediocrity influence your habits. The power to visualize is the power to change.
Peter