Cultivating better habits

Cultivating better habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

Habits are small decisions and actions that we follow every day.Your life is essentially a sum of habits and they shape your life more than you might think. How is your body? The result of habits. How happy or unhappy are you? The result of habits. How did you succeed? The result of habits.

Studies show that more than 40% of daily activities are habits, not actual decisions. But not all of these habits are beneficial to our lives. Some of them can be very harmful in their own way and can actually become stronger and more automatic over time. With this in mind,it is important to establish the right habits,as implementing better habits can change your lifestyle in a number of ways. So here are some tips for cultivating better habits.

Knowing why you want to cultivate this habit and how it will benefit you

If you don't have a specific reason, it won't happen.Identify why you want to cultivate this habit and think about what you will achieve by making it a part of your life. It will boost your motivation towards forming the habits when you are aware about the benefits.

Start Simple

Instead of trying to do something right at the start, just start and improve gradually.Understand where you are now and set realistic goals that you can actually accomplish.Trust the process and timing of your life by focusing on the lessons you need to learn during this time.

Identifying Reinforcing habits

Most habits are connected to each other, so check other habits to maintain new habits.For example, going to bed early and getting up early is clearly relevant. Therefore,to maintain a new habit,identify other closely related habits and remove the useless habits. 


 Be Patience

Stick to the pace you can keep up. For something to become ingrained in our memory,it takes 7-11 times of successful repetition,and if it's not something you do every day,it takes about three to four weeks.It takes an average of 21 days to develop a habit.

When you slip back,get back on track quickly

Change can be exceptionally hard and it is very common to slip back.In the beginning,your healthy habits might take two steps forward and one step back. Anticipating setbacks can make all the difference in the world.But always try to develop a plan for getting back on track and get back to your routine as quickly as possible.

Whatever new habit you plan to cultivate into your life, take the time to determine exactly why you want to change it.Once you have clarity and direction, be patient with yourself and know that this habit will become a part of your life, like so many others have become with time and constant effort.

As you know,it all depends on making conscious decisions on a daily basis.