“Successful people are simply those with successful Habits”
Brian Tracy
Why you do what you do? Have you ever stopped to think about it?
Our actions are mostly the result of what we’ve always thought and so we do what we’ve always done, and we don’t normally give them any more consideration than that.
How often do we stop and consider that what we are doing is a habit? In fact almost everything we do is a habit, first in our thinking and then in our actions. Often we don’t even think about the things we repeatedly do and would never even label them as habits, they’re just the things we do. Like brushing your teeth before you go to bed and always going back downstairs to check the doors are locked before getting in and pulling the covers up. Or is that just me?
I wasn’t thinking about my habits until last week when I was feeling unusually tired and lethargic. I couldn’t be bothered doing some of the things that I know I should have been doing and I’m okay about sharing this with you because I know we all have had times like that. Times when there’s a lot going on in our lives, and we feel that others want a bigger part of us than we want to give at that moment, or we’re simply tired and in need of a break.
Right now, my house is up for sale and this is a challenging time for me. My usual experience of moving has always been that I buy a property that I like and then I sell the one I was living in. But this time is different, my habit has been challenged, leaving me confused and unsettled.
The advice I’ve taken has been to sell first and my thoughts leaped to the fact that this could potentially make me homeless. And I was not at all happy with that prospect. I had images of a park bench that kept growing in my head and kept me awake at night.
Then came a point when I thought, ‘OK, back to reality, that’s not going to happen.’ As most of you know, this is not normal thinking for me, so when I became aware of how negative and unrealistic my thoughts were, I switched my attention to what I wanted to happen and started ‘working’ on myself.
I share with my clients what they need to do to be successful, what daily habits will help them get there and how we can shift our thoughts to change our actions. I realised my emotional turmoil was distracting me and it was time to change my internal thoughts from Park Bench thinking to Park Lane thinking.
I started with a look at my diet. I had been eating more chocolate and cheese than fruit and vegetables and was feeling that weighing heavy on my body. No wonder I was feeling lethargic. Next was movement, lazy people find it hard to move, and those that move find it hard to do nothing.
I went for a couple of long beach walks, this time of year is so fresh and revitalising, and the feeling of the wind from the sea against my body made me feel cleansed, scoured clean. I stood still, letting it blow away all the stagnant energy that had been surrounding me and the coolness of the fresh air re-awakened me as it blew in from the sea.
A podcast by one of my mentors, Brendon Buchard, said that we must ‘Take control of our morning’ suggesting we deal with our own agenda before we get caught up in the needs of others. I had been dreaming of going to the gym early each morning to start the day with a stretch and a swim. However to date it was just that, a dream that I hadn’t got round to, content with the intention that one day, soon I would. I became an afternoon swimmer, after I had dealt with the urgencies of others, prioritising their needs over my own.
My new energy and enthusiasm decided that tomorrow would be the day I finally put myself and my swim first. And I awakened at seven and got out of bed, put on the swimming costume I had left handy, dressed and headed for the car. I was in the pool before eight am and it felt great.
My other morning habit that I want to cultivate is writing, just emptying my head after waking up. I did that after my swim and things began to clear, I wrote about life on a Park Bench and the alternatives that are open to me, and there are many, I just hadn’t been open to seeing them.
After only a couple of days of writing, good food and movement I feel energised and ready for action again.
There are two points here that I want you to take in today:
1. When your world is changing, it’s ok to take a break, to realign. In fact, even if your world isn’t changing, it’s okay to take a break.
2. Know what gives you energy, what feeds your mind and soul and remind yourself to do it when you need a lift to get back up.
I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite soldier’s poems,
I am wounded, But I am not slain, I will lay me down and rest awhile, Then I will rise And fight again.
Adapted from Andrew Barton
It’s important that we recognise that we can only do what we can do in a day and some days that is less than usual, and that’s okay.
It’s equally important to recognise that life is all about balance and commitment to our well being as much as our success, otherwise the success will be at the cost of our happiness and health.
Are Your Daily Habits the Secret to Your Success?
“Successful people are simply those with successful Habits”
Brian Tracy
Why you do what you do? Have you ever stopped to think about it?
Our actions are mostly the result of what we’ve always thought and so we do what we’ve always done, and we don’t normally give them any more consideration than that.
How often do we stop and consider that what we are doing is a habit? In fact almost everything we do is a habit, first in our thinking and then in our actions. Often we don’t even think about the things we repeatedly do and would never even label them as habits, they’re just the things we do. Like brushing your teeth before you go to bed and always going back downstairs to check the doors are locked before getting in and pulling the covers up. Or is that just me?
I wasn’t thinking about my habits until last week when I was feeling unusually tired and lethargic. I couldn’t be bothered doing some of the things that I know I should have been doing and I’m okay about sharing this with you because I know we all have had times like that. Times when there’s a lot going on in our lives, and we feel that others want a bigger part of us than we want to give at that moment, or we’re simply tired and in need of a break.
Right now, my house is up for sale and this is a challenging time for me. My usual experience of moving has always been that I buy a property that I like and then I sell the one I was living in. But this time is different, my habit has been challenged, leaving me confused and unsettled.
The advice I’ve taken has been to sell first and my thoughts leaped to the fact that this could potentially make me homeless. And I was not at all happy with that prospect. I had images of a park bench that kept growing in my head and kept me awake at night.
Then came a point when I thought, ‘OK, back to reality, that’s not going to happen.’ As most of you know, this is not normal thinking for me, so when I became aware of how negative and unrealistic my thoughts were, I switched my attention to what I wanted to happen and started ‘working’ on myself.
I share with my clients what they need to do to be successful, what daily habits will help them get there and how we can shift our thoughts to change our actions. I realised my emotional turmoil was distracting me and it was time to change my internal thoughts from Park Bench thinking to Park Lane thinking.
I started with a look at my diet. I had been eating more chocolate and cheese than fruit and vegetables and was feeling that weighing heavy on my body. No wonder I was feeling lethargic. Next was movement, lazy people find it hard to move, and those that move find it hard to do nothing.
I went for a couple of long beach walks, this time of year is so fresh and revitalising, and the feeling of the wind from the sea against my body made me feel cleansed, scoured clean. I stood still, letting it blow away all the stagnant energy that had been surrounding me and the coolness of the fresh air re-awakened me as it blew in from the sea.
A podcast by one of my mentors, Brendon Buchard, said that we must ‘Take control of our morning’ suggesting we deal with our own agenda before we get caught up in the needs of others. I had been dreaming of going to the gym early each morning to start the day with a stretch and a swim. However to date it was just that, a dream that I hadn’t got round to, content with the intention that one day, soon I would. I became an afternoon swimmer, after I had dealt with the urgencies of others, prioritising their needs over my own.
My new energy and enthusiasm decided that tomorrow would be the day I finally put myself and my swim first. And I awakened at seven and got out of bed, put on the swimming costume I had left handy, dressed and headed for the car. I was in the pool before eight am and it felt great.
My other morning habit that I want to cultivate is writing, just emptying my head after waking up. I did that after my swim and things began to clear, I wrote about life on a Park Bench and the alternatives that are open to me, and there are many, I just hadn’t been open to seeing them.
After only a couple of days of writing, good food and movement I feel energised and ready for action again.
There are two points here that I want you to take in today:
1. When your world is changing, it’s ok to take a break, to realign. In fact, even if your world isn’t changing, it’s okay to take a break.
2. Know what gives you energy, what feeds your mind and soul and remind yourself to do it when you need a lift to get back up.
I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite soldier’s poems,
I am wounded,
But I am not slain,
I will lay me down and rest awhile,
Then I will rise
And fight again.
Adapted from Andrew Barton
It’s important that we recognise that we can only do what we can do in a day and some days that is less than usual, and that’s okay.
It’s equally important to recognise that life is all about balance and commitment to our well being as much as our success, otherwise the success will be at the cost of our happiness and health.
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