A habit is a choice, it is a behavior that over time becomes routine. Habits are incredibly powerful. When you are in a place that supports a habit, you end up carrying out that habit without thinking. These behaviors are mindless, happening without us being aware of them or thinking about them.
And that is why a habit is so powerful, because it saves us energy. Researchers at Duke University estimate that a full 40% of our daily activities are the result of habit.
Habits are repetition of actions that begin without conscious thoughts and run to the end without us directly thinking about them. In other words, habits give us the power to operate on auto-pilot.
Tip 23: Be Habit Minded.
How many times have you said, “I wasn’t even thinking about it”? Maybe it was related to a bad habit such as biting your nails. It was not a conscious thought but rather something that we do in our less conscious while going about our day. Habits function in such a way to direct our behaviors even when we are not actively thinking about them.
We can harness this energy by creating healthy habits that help us reach our goals. When a behavior becomes a habit, then our minds are freed up to think about other things thereby giving us more capacity and energy. We don’t have to expend energy directing our will toward the things we want because our habits do it for us.
Many of us developed a habit of making the bed first thing in the morning. It wasn’t easy at first and, most likely, a parent had to work hard to help us develop that habit. But now we don’t think about it anymore—we get up, make the bed, and move on to start the day. It doesn’t take much energy or thought at all. But it creates order and a sense of accomplishment that we get to enjoy the rest of the day!
This is the power of habits. Be mindful of your habits. Create an awareness that 40% of your day that is governed by habits. Once we understand our habits, then we begin to shape them and craft them to help us reach our goals.
Please send me your questions, challenges, and suggestions as we continue in the 90-Day Goal Together. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing the journey with you.
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