Most of the things we do on a daily basis are automatic like brushing our teeth. We don't even have to think about it to really do it. In fact, our thoughts are often times elsewhere, though we are still able to perform the act of brushing out teeth. This is an example of a habit. To be successful in life, we have to strike a balance between having more good habits than bad ones. Habits have a ripple effect in our lives that get compounded over time. A one percent move in the right direction can be the difference maker between overall health and wellbeing. It is absolutely never too late to start moving in the right direction and get some wellness habits going. Here are 6 habits to change your life and reclaim your wellbeing.
Habit #1 - Treat Failure as Feedback
Some people give up after trying something once. A few others may be gracious enough to fail at it a week or two. After that, it's a wrap. Then there are others out there that are so afraid of failure, they won't even try at all. Whether it's trying to start a business, reaching out for a new job, trying out a new investment, or changing exercises or eating habits, if it doesn't work out, it is not because you suck. It is because something about your approach needs to be tweaked. We have to fail sometimes and then reflect so that we can figure out what went wrong and ultimately do better. Don't be afraid to journal your own journey or get feedback from other friends, family, or professionals; in fact, make it your habit to do so. Failure isn't an anomaly and it certainly doesn't mean anything bad or lacking about you or in you. It is just part of our process in growth and healing.
Habit #2 - Set Goals
Here is the part where most others will tell you to wake up earlier than everyone else. I know, I know. Don't eye roll me yet. Hear me out. I get it. Each of us have our own internal biological clocks, health concerns, life circumstances, etc. Lord knows I am not a morning person and would not start my day until 10am if I had my way. The truth is, to have a leg up, we may have to shift our timelines just a little. But whether you are up at 4am daily or just rolling out of bed at 8am, you need to have a plan for your day.
"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." ~Benjamin Franklin
Do make sure that each day, no matter how late you wake up, you have made plans that will advance your goals. You cannot advance goals you have never set. Each year, each month, each quarter, you should have a goal for yourself and your life. If these aren't written down, then it is a wish and not a goal. This is not something we have to go overboard with. Two to three goals per quarter (every 3 months) is more than sufficient. Place them somewhere that you can see them daily; each day make it your habit to prioritize the tasks that get you closer to your goals.
Habit #3 - School May End, Your Education Should Never
I did it again huh? Please don't roll your eyes. Bear with me. I honestly believe for an oppositional defiant like myself, that school ruined my appetite for learning. I absolutely hated being told what to study or what to read or spending so little time on the subjects that actually fascinated me and too much time on the subjects that tortured me. Formal education is exhausting for sure. However, we cannot allow schooling to kill our appetite to learn.
Whether we read books, take courses, or seeking out a mentor, we should always be taking in new knowledge. This feeds our intellectual wellness. More than just regurgitating facts and figures, intellectual wellness is our ability to engage in creative, mentally stimulating activities, building our knowledge, and sharing this knowledge with other people. The right information, the right training, and the right mentorship is priceless. Make it your habit to never stop seeking and never stop learning because you never know what new piece of information or nugget could change your life.
Habit #4 - You are Your Own Luck, Own This
I'd be remiss to not acknowledge that some people are just plain lucky. Luck can play a role in our success and wellness. When designing the life we desire, we have to sometimes have an inner awareness that life isn't always just happening to us. We have to be willing to shift from finding reasons why things can't happen for us to finding all the ways we can make something happen for us. Don't settle in the traps of taking no for an answer, or making excuses, or blaming the economy, or blaming your boss, or blaming your family of origin, or blaming the government. Take inventory of the things in life that you can control. Don't like something, see what is in your control to change. You can't change the family you came from or the people in your family; but you can take control of the emotions, habits, thoughts that no longer serve you. You may not be able to force your boss to give you that raise you so desperately need; but you can invest time in learning skills that make you invaluable to that boss or perhaps to a new boss (or better yet you become the boss). We can't control everything around us. However, we can look for the little slices in life that are 100% in our control. Make it to your habit to recognize that you are the CEO of your own life.
Habit #5 - No. Yes, It is a Complete Sentence
Do you struggle with saying no? I know I have. I am still being delivered and am a work in progress here. Your time, your energy and your money are limited resources. Everything has a tradeoff. At the end of our lives, we will reflect back and see firsthand the results of everything we said yes to, all the tradeoffs that we have made. Those last-minute trips to Miami or to the Bahamas vs. saving, paying debt, and investing. Those wild drinking binges in our 20s and 30s vs. the health problems (physical and mental) that come knocking in our 50s and 60s if not sooner. Staying in unhealthy, unfulfilling relationships (love interests or friendships) out of fear of being alone vs. emotional breakdowns and poor mental health and wellbeing. Give yourself what you need to thrive. Always ask yourself: "Does ____ support the life that I am trying to create?" If not, it is a hard no; make it your habit to say no. And no is a complete sentence.
Habit #6 - Health is Wealth
We cannot do anything without our health and no matter how much money we have, we cannot enjoy it if we are dead. When I neglect my health (not eating fruits and veggies, not drinking water, not getting adequate sleep) my productivity plummets and I am not a pleasant person to be around. Yikes I hate admitting that. But it is true.
Do small daily things for your health. Because of my genetics, I will never be perfectly healthy. However, I have made small lifestyle changes to help maintain my physcal health and wellbeing; hopefully maybe some of my changes can benefit you too. I personally started with taking a multi-vitamin every day. From there, I added in walking (transparent moment here I have slacked on this recently). I started journaling my gratitude every night. I began eliminating meats from several times a day every day with very little vegetables to only eating meat one day a week (yes, I give myself a cheat day don't judge me). I make sure to make all semiannual appointments with my primary care and dentist and quarterly appointments with my specialists. The cherry on top is AFLAC rewards me for my efforts. Make it your habit to do daily things for your health.
To create a life of health and wellbeing requires you to shift and become a whole new you. We have to overcome our insecurities and self-doubt. We have to rise above our circumstances; perhaps the family we come from or area we lived. We have to unlearn much of our secular education of facts, figures, and Pythagorean theorems and incorporate new knowledge of this ever-changing world. We have to overcome our old habits and replace them with new, healthful ones in order to build our lives our own way-lives that we can be proud of. So what about you? Have you thought of any goals or habits you'd like to implement with the incoming new month? Please feel free to share in the comments below. With the right habits and knowledge, we can accomplish great things. Habits don't form overnight. So please remember, wherever you are on this wellness journey, do not worry about getting it perfect; just get it going. Until next time. Happy reading!
"The more things you do, the more things you can do." ~Lucille Ball
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