Creating great habits (and keeping them!)

Turn self-loathing into self-loving in just 63 days!

"I can't help myself, bad habits.."

Who remembers this song? While it's a catchy tune (sorry if it's stuck in your head now), it does capture that nonchalant feeling of the oh-well-this-is-just-who-I-am attitude. But if you're truly not happy with some of those daily little things you do or deep down you know they're not serving you, then it's time to kick those bad habits out and replace them with new ones that will make you love your life!

But it's so hard!!!

Yes it is. In the beginning anyway. Like when you had to learn to walk when you were a baby, you fell down many times before you actually got the hang of this walking thing. Now, of course, it's just easy! Creating new habits is the same. It will take work, dedication and the willingness to get up and try again each time you fail. And you will fail. It's part of the process. Failing is how we learn what not to do!

Where do I start??!!

The tip I have is to start one new habit at a time. It can seem like a great idea - like when we make a New Years Resolution - to start a new exercise program & eat healthier & wake up earlier & be more organised & start meditating and and and...!!!! And all of these are great but you're overwhelmed before you've even started. You first need to take into consideration where you're at now and where you want to be. If these are all things you want then write them all down. Then break that list down starting with one thing and putting that into baby steps. For example, if you're overweight and you want to be fit, deciding to go to the gym 5 days a weeks starting tomorrow is probably not going to work. However, if you set your goal to start walking for 10min every day, then slowly increase that, you will have established an exercise habit pretty soon and a gym plan will be easier to stick to. And as you start reaping the benefits of your new exercise habit, you can (and it will be easier to) introduce the next goal/habit with a healthier diet.

So what next?

The first thing to do is plan. Write out what you want and then work back from there. Next, accept that it takes some time. That it only takes 21 days is a myth and derives from a misinterpretation of Dr Maltz's study on self-image (this Forbes article explains it nicely).

One of my favourite speakers, Keith Abraham, explains that it is actually a 63 day process. It takes 21 days to introduce a new habit, 21 days for the new habit to co-exist with the old habit while you adjust and 21 days for your new habit to be solidified. That's 63 days in total. Not that long really when you think about it and the impact it will have on your life.

Thirdly, you need accountability. There are plenty of online habit tracker templates you can use or just create your own little system. The main thing is you want to have someway of being accountable and ticking off that new habit every day.

Lastly, accept that failure and set backs are part of the process. Just keep going. No-one is perfect and every success comes with ups and downs. As long as you get back on track, you haven't lost.

One more thing - you want to make it positive to feed your mind the right information. For example, if your goal is to stop smoking, then the habit you want to create is healthy, clean lungs, not quitting smoking. Each time you say the word smoke, your mind/body wants to reach for one! Instead, positively promote your new healthier habit internally and externally by affirming that each day you are having more deep, clean breaths.

Once you get into making new habits, you can literally create the life you want, one day at a time :)

Good Luck!