02 – Be Mindful About Your Habits
Are you aware of how many habits you actually have? Probably not, because a habit is something that begins in your subconscious. It’s only when you are trying to form or break a habit that you become aware of your actions.
Habits can be seen as both good and bad things. This will depend on how they are affecting your life.
Here are some of the habits you already have. These include all your daily routines such as:
- Taking a shower
- Getting dressed
- Brushing your teeth
- Knowing exactly how to get to and from work
- Washing the dishes
- Doing the laundry
- Making your bed… and the list goes on
You don’t even have to think about these things as your mind has become accustomed to your routine. Can you imagine the effort needed to actively remember how to do each step of those chores? You would end up completely exhausted at the end of every day.
Problems arise when you are trying to form a new habit. You may wish that your kitchen counters would be less cluttered. To keep those counters clear you would need to form a habit of finding homes for those items. This might include filing your bills, getting the kids to not leave their homework there. Or having everyone put their dishes into the dishwasher each night.
These are all small things, but you need to set up a routine so you can keep your kitchen clean and tidy. Research indicates that it takes approximately 3 to 4 weeks to form a good habit. This means for one month you need to make a huge effort into performing these tasks. After this time the effort will seem like less, just because your mind is becoming accustomed to your new actions.
If you are trying to form a good habit it can be extremely helpful to have reminders around your home. If exercising is your new habit, perhaps you could put your running gear on as soon as you wake up. Then head right out the door for your run. Shower and dress for work when you get home.
Or you could remind yourself during the day that when you get home you are going to enjoy a walk. View the task as something enjoyable, not something that has to be done. This way you will look forward to getting home and walking after dinner. Remember that the more you repeat this process the quicker the habit will form.
The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny. – James Allen
