LEVERAGING THE POWER OF SMALL HABITS IN CREATING BIG DIFFERENCES IN LIFE
Habits are an integral component of the path that leads to success and personal transformations. The compounding effects of the actions we take daily and their influence on the various facets of life define one’s life’s trajectory and outcomes. However, often people find more truth in awaiting that one life-changing event that will steer them in the desired direction, instead of believing in the importance of their involvement in writing their destiny.
Habits can mean something different for every person depending on their routines and situations, but it bears the same fruit for all if given the time, patience, discipline and determination they deserve. Moreover, any change might begin with a broader goal in mind after answering questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’ but is only sustained and corroborated by the influence of smaller yet recurring impact of one’s daily habits. Thus, the importance of smaller yet consistent efforts becomes apparent in attaining one’s larger vision.
Consistency is key
The relevance of habits in bettering one’s life might seem negligent to some, but people witness real-life gains from it on a daily basis. For example, When you make a choice of eating healthy for your lunch and become persistent about it for the longer term, the benefits come in the form of good health and boosted energy levels. Herein, one might not even have a bigger goal in mind, but the consolidation of this small change, when turned into a habit, presents unexpected results. The same principle applies to other facets of life, whether it be personal development, business, relationships and more.
Rather than falling prey to instant gratification, making consistency a core value of life can often make someone achieve heights they envision for themselves. Just like how reading daily might not make someone a genius today, but doing it repeatedly for weeks, months, years, and decades would turn them into a knowledgeable person heard, acknowledged and respected for their insights and wisdom.
Setting yourself up for success.
There is no doubt that habits foster opportunities for improvement while being low risk and sustainable for life. They are like an investment wherein your biggest capital is your time and determination, and the returns are whatever you envision. However, the key to turning your choices into habits is by exercising them for a longer duration, through processes that are not doomed to fail from the beginning. Following are some ways that can help one create achievable habits.
- Set up your surroundings in a way that is conducive for you to follow through with your habits. Assess whether your environment is compelling you to take the necessary action or is it hindering your efforts and needs rectification.
- Find encouragement from other things to make your habits enjoyable and something you look forward to. Pair your habits with actions that excite you so that you are rewarded for completing them. For example, listening to a podcast while running or finding a partner to help with the same.
- Reduce the friction that might cause a hindrance to your habits by reducing the number of steps or difficulties of completing them. For example, waking up early becomes easier when one starts following an optimal sleeping schedule rather than sleeping at 3:00 am and then waking up at 6:oo am.
- Find guidance from a mentor who can push you in the right direction and make the self-elevating process more enjoyable and less lonely for yourself. Become a part of a community that will keep you accountable for the habits you want to create while getting a glimpse into other people’s journeys. The feeling of togetherness, reassuring words, testimonials and support from like-minded people will help you keep afloat with the goals you have set for yourself while also creating meaningful relationships in life.
The Totally Fit community, which is one of my endeavours, reflects the importance of mentorship and unity in attaining life goals and milestones. Through the strength of a collective purpose bringing many people together on a platform, it keeps them engaged with their fellow counterparts while helping them move in the right direction through the guidance of expert coaches to help them attain their health goals.
When creating the right habits, one has to analyse what works for them, what they like and what they want to attain in the long run, which might be a little challenging in the beginning, owing to the commitment it requires. However, leveraging habits is the biggest tool at one’s disposal helpful in bringing revolutionary yet steady transformation. The best thing about creating life-long positive habits is that they are controllable and enable you to diverge from the crowd and lay a solid foundation for a better future one step at a time.
