Daily Habits- Get the Exciting New Results You Want

"First we make our habits, then our habits make us." Charles C. Noble



"Up to 90 percent of our normal behavior is based on habits," an excerpt from 'The Power of Focus' by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. According to www.Dictionary.com a habit is "an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary." So the question becomes, how are these habits on autopilot affecting your opportunities, choices, results, and quality of life? Benjamin Franklin said, "Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones." So stop, take a look, and see what works and what does not; then make a shift. Here are 5 A’s to produce exciting new results.



Attention- Pay attention to your thoughts and behaviors. Thoughts produce and prevent actions. Make two columns on a piece of paper. Column #1- Write habitual thought patterns and behaviors that serve you well. Column #2- Write down habits that hold you back from your greatest abilities. Examples- Behaviors, such as disorganization, staying up late, or hanging with negative people. Thought patterns may include a voice from the past or an ingrained statement such as ‘I will do it later’, ‘you are wasting your time’, ‘I am not good enough’, ‘I don’t want to’, etc. Inaction is a habit, too. So look for procrastination, fear, and non-actions such as not communicating, building skills, or continuing education to be habits to shift. We can develop habits that serve us short term but damage us long term. So it is critical to check on them.



Adjust- Keeping in mind Aristotle’s statement, "We are what we repeatedly do." Which habit in Column #2 would have the greatest positive influence in your life if you shifted to the opposite behavior? Consider how making a change will impact relationships, work, health, self confidence, finances, etc. Which habit are you ready to focus on and commit to over the next 28 days. Choose the one you can be excited about.



Activate- Shift into motion by knowing what motivates you. Write down what you will you gain while incorporating this new daily ritual. What positive results do you anticipate short and long term? How will you feel as this new habit becomes part of every day life? Now write a mantra to review daily that will help you remember why you are doing the work to instill the habit, such as: 'As an organized person I save time and earn more money.' 'Reading daily sets me up to be an expert in my field.' 'When I face networking fears I meet fascinating people and find opportunities that create a high quality life.'



Accountability- Review your mantra frequently each day. Choose a structure to keep your new habit in front of you such as scheduling it at the same time or first thing in the morning daily, keep it at the top of your 'to do' list, or set daily reminders. Tell the world your goal, get a coach, or connect with a support and accountability partner regularly. You are welcome to pick up a complimentary Rewarding Daily Habits Chart for tracking progress at the author’s website.



Action- Create new impressions in the brain until a new pattern/ habit forms. Author Dr. Joseph Murphy says in the book 'The Power of Your Subconscious Mind', "You form habit patterns in your subconscious mind by repeating a thought or act over and over until it establishes tracks in the subconscious mind and becomes automatic." Be ready to cast aside the old habit when it shows up. Allow your mantra to help you make choices that support your goals. Mentally commit to the new daily action. Persevere. Be diligent about seeing this through to better results. You can do it!



Embrace the initial discomfort that comes with change. Hold your motivation, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Jim Rohn says, "Motivation is what gets you started. Habits is what keeps you going." Begin creating positive habits that build the relationship, business, career, high quality life that you see for yourself … one habit at a time… Starting Now.



Beth Tabak of www.StartingNowCoaching.com is a Business & Life Coach, speaker, columnist, & owner of Starting Now. She coaches big thinkers to be unlimited, stand out in the crowd, and experience the vastness of their capabilities. Stop by to see all that’s available to you and say "hello".