Creating Good Habits

“Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as are bad habits” ~Robert Puller

It’s hard for us to break our bad habits. We’re under stress at work and at home, which can lead to overeating, having one too many glasses of wine at night, yelling at our kids and not exercising because there’s no time. We can help reduce stress and increase our happiness by adding a good habit or two to our lives. But so many good habits are not so fun. Mixing some pleasurable habits in with not so pleasurable ones (or downright painful ones like training for a marathon!) will give us a balance so we are more likely to stick to them. Life Coach Talane Miedaner in her bestselling book, Coach Yourself to Success, says that the ideal scenario is to replace a bad habit with a good habit, one that gives you energy rather than depletes your energy. She says, instead of adding a new habit that is something you think you “should” do, think of a habit you’d love to do.

What habit or habits can you think of today that you’d love to make part of your life? For example, if your dream is to become a writer, then you may want to create a weekly writing schedule to help hone your skills. You can make it more fun by creating an inviting writing space or adding a ritual at the beginning of your writing session. Here are some small good habits that can potentially have a big impact on your life:

• Write down three to five things you are grateful for every day.
• Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet (or make smoothies).
• Get a massage once a month (or weekly, if you can afford it).
• Take a walk in nature once a week.
• Read a good book instead of watching TV.
• Stretch every morning and each night before bed.
• Create positive affirmations about yourself and read them daily.
• Do a random act of kindness on a regular basis.
• Arrive 10-15 minutes for every meeting and appointment.
• Meditate and/or pray as part of your daily routine.
• Devote some time each day (even 20 minutes) to get closer to a goal.

Good habits can inspire and motivate us. With good choices in actions that energize and support our wellbeing, we can redefine the direction of our lives, accomplish more of what we want and feel better about ourselves.

What good habit will you add to your life? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!