There are 7 habits that have changed my life for the better, and they can do the exact same for you.
Habits are the decisions that you make and the actions that you carry out on a daily basis. According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day.
I’m a big believer that your habits are a powerful tool for shaping your behavior and inevitably determining your success in life. Your life is the sum of your habits.
Step back and ask yourself, “Am I where I want to be?” If the answer is no, it’s time to make a change.
Watch the video below where I talk about why it's important to challenge yourself:
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We all have bad habits, whether it's overeating, overspending, drinking, or gossiping. However, when bad habits prevent you from accomplishing your goals, negatively impact your relationships, or threaten your health, you know you've got a problem.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are held back in life because they fall into old, conditioned patterns of behavior. When they don’t feel good, they self-sabotage and engage in activities that make them feel worse.
Breaking bad habits can be difficult to do.
Everybody has bad habits. If we know that something is bad for us then why is it so hard to stop doing it? Simple… we are creatures of habit. A lot of our behaviors are unconscious and automatic. To our brains, it feels good to engage in them, despite the fact that it isn’t.
Our unconscious habits are what allow us to breathe, get ready for work, and feed ourselves. They are designed to make our lives a lot easier, except when we have the desire to eat doughnuts every day.
In a new study, Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists found that when people see something associated with a past reward, their brain flushes with dopamine — even if they don't realize that they are paying attention to it.
Despite these findings, I still believe that anyone can condition their brain to choose a healthier response. Where people get stuck is that they attempt to make huge changes to their routine off the get-go and then wonder why they can't stick with it.
You can't change your life overnight. Developing new habits requires discipline, patience, consistency, and commitment. However, when you take small steps every single day, new habits slowly integrate into your life.
In her book, Better Than Before: Mastering the Habit Of Our Everyday Lives, Gretchen Rubin says that, “A habit is a good servant but a bad master.”
Let's face it… if you don’t make the effort to break bad habits and learn good ones, everything in life becomes more challenging.
The question is, “How long does it take to develop a new habit?” Well, that is entirely up to you. The speed with which a habit becomes a part of your behavior is determined by how bad you want it. Sometimes people need to hit rock bottom in order to change their lives.
I've had one of these rock-bottom moments. Years ago, I was in a bad place. I had no choice but to face myself. I sat down and made a commitment that I was going to change my life, which started with breaking bad habits.
Rock bottom provided the foundation upon which I rebuilt my life. Did this change happen overnight? Absolutely not. However, I was willing to do whatever it took in order to create a more meaningful and purposeful life. That's exactly what I did.
I attribute my success to the habits that I have been practicing since I was 17 years old. Every new habit that I've adopted over the years has become a part of my identity. These habits have allowed me to transform every area of my life. In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”
The following 7 habits have changed my life.
1. I Build A Positive Mindset
Your mind is a powerful thing. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Did you know that you are the product of your thoughts? Where you are in life today has unfolded as a result of your thoughts.
I used to live my life in a bubble of negativity. I didn't know what it meant to be positive because I had a lot of limiting beliefs about myself and the world. Here's the thing… you don't wake up one day and magically have a positive attitude. This is something that you have to work at.
It all starts with mastering your mindset.
If positivity is something you struggle with, the first step is telling yourself that you are ready for a new chapter in life. It's about becoming aware of your negative self-talk and finding more empowering beliefs to replace the ones that don't serve your highest self.
If you want to become a more positive person, you need to build habits that reinforce positivity. Engaging in activities like journaling or listening to inspiring videos are great ways to increase positive feelings. A positive mindset is a magnet for miracles. When you change your thoughts, you change your life.
2. I Develop A Morning Ritual
Discipline is one of the biggest obstacles that prevent people from achieving success in life. If you want to build habits that stick, you need to be consistent with them. The best way to do this is by developing a morning ritual.
As many of you know, I've been religiously practicing my morning ritual since I was 17 years old. It sets the tone for my entire day. How do you start your mornings?
In my opinion, there’s no worse feeling in the morning than feeling like you are in a panic to get out the door. Unfortunately, so many operate this way. If you wake up, hit the snooze button, slam a coffee, and rush out the door to work, you will feel scattered, distracted, and unproductive for the rest of the day. If you don't believe me, try it.
The morning is your time to get grounded. This looks different for everyone. Maybe it means that you meditate, read a book, listen to music, recite affirmations, hit the gym or affirm your goals in writing.
In the beginning stages, it may feel like a chore to engage in these activities. However, if you stay committed to your ritual, over time you will find yourself looking forward to it. It will become a must-do part of your everyday life.
3. I Surround Myself With High Vibe People
People have a huge impact on our lives. You won't be able to create success in life if you surround yourself with negative people. Take a look at your circle of friends and ask yourself, “Do these people empower or disempower me?”
If it's the latter, it's time to find new friends. This starts with identifying and stepping away from relationships that are lowering your energy and making you feel bad about yourself.
“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” – Karl Marx
A great way to elevate your standards and level up your life is to find people who have already achieved the results in life that you desire. Once you find these people, study their behaviors.
How do they connect with people? What does their daily routine look like? Where do they hang out? Once you've got a solid understanding of their patterns, start to mimic similar ones in your life. You could even go so far as to ask these people if they would be open to mentoring you.
4. I Invest In Myself
The fastest way to achieve a better quality of life is to invest in yourself. A lot of people shy away from doing this because they think it's a waste of time and money. In my opinion, this is just an excuse.
There are two reasons why people don't invest in themselves – they either don't believe in themselves or they don't want it bad enough. When you have the courage to do the work that forces you to grow and improve yourself, the Universe responds by giving you epic results. I have followed this formula for success and it's paid off.
I believe that the best way to make money is to become more valuable.
The way you do this is by improving yourself. Committing to being a lifelong learner will empower you to become a better version of yourself. Attend seminars, seek out coaches or mentors, read inspirational books – anything that will expand your mind and ignite your curiosity.
As Warren Buffett once said, “Nobody can take away what you've got in yourself, and everybody has potential they haven't used yet.” There is no greater gift that you can give yourself, your clients, your audience and the world at large.
5. I Build Mental Toughness
All of us encounter challenges and setbacks in life that test our strength. The difference between people who succeed versus those who don't is rooted in their ability to keep moving forward, no matter what. In simplest terms, this is a measure of one's resilience under fire.
In order to develop this skill, you need to get out of your comfort zone. It isn't until you do the unthinkable, face your fears, and take risks that you realize your true strength.
Mental toughness is developed through repetition. This is why mentally tough people flex their mindset muscle on a daily basis. Just like you go to the gym and train your muscles, you need to do the exact same thing with your mind.
Doing so will allow you to weather life's storms with grace and ease, knowing that no matter what happens, you are capable of getting through difficult times.
6. I Contribute To Others
It is true what they say – happiness is found in helping others. Contributing has always been a huge part of my life. At my core is a drive to make a difference in the world. In the past, I always gave money to charitable causes, even when I had no money.
In the last few years, I've traveled to Nicaragua and Ethiopia and built homes and schools for impoverished families and their children. To this day, philanthropy is a core aspect of my business. I don't do it to feel better about myself. Rather, I do it to be of service.
That being said, trust me when I say that there is nothing more fulfilling than knowing that you have helped someone in need. Contributing is as much about making ourselves feel good as it is about helping others, and that is OK.
The beautiful thing about contribution is that it comes in many different forms. You could donate money to a cause that you are passionate about, or volunteer your time at schools, hospitals or shelters. All that matters is that you do something.
7. I Ask Myself Powerful Questions
When we are young, we are encouraged to ask a lot of questions. This is how we learned about ourselves and the world. However, somewhere along the way we lost sight of this habit and forgot about the value of being curious.
In the book, The Miniature Guide to the Art of Asking Essential Questions, Linda Elder and Richard Paul said that “The quality of our thinking, in turn, is determined by the quality of our questions, for questions are the engine, the driving force behind the thinking.”
By asking questions like, “What does happiness mean to me?” we begin to realize that we are the creators of our lives. Life doesn't happen to us. Rather, it happens for us.
It is our responsibility to go out into the world and make something of it. By thinking this way, we become more open to new opportunities and less biased in our decision-making process. In this place, the world becomes our oyster.
These 7 habits have changed my life.
If you want to be happier, healthier, and more productive, I encourage you to start building these simple habits into your daily life. Your future self is shaped by the small actions that you take every single day.
Which good habits are you going to start adopting today?
Are you ready to learn how you can start living every day with confidence, passion, and energy? CLICK HERE to join my Morning Ritual Mastery program!
Do you want to learn 5 ways to master self discipline? CLICK HERE to read the article that I wrote on Medium!
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