“Old habits hinder new life.” — Pat Mesiti
Successful people share habits that distinguish them from those whose lives appear to be in a rut. Indeed, depending on what they are, your habits can make or break you.
Habits are your ways of thinking and acting which become automatic because of repetition. Habits can become so ingrained in your system that you end up doing them mindlessly. We are all creatures of habit, both good and bad. Oftentimes, bad habits prevent you from advancing and making rapid progress, so you must develop useful habits if you want to experience good changes in your life.
Your brain is responsible for developing habits. It is naturally equipped with a mechanism for recognizing patterns and associating these with stimuli. In time, your brain will send out automatic signals to your body every time it recognises specific stimuli. Not all behaviours become habits as psychologists maintain that it takes 21 days for you to learn a habit, but it may take more than 21 days for one to change a habit, if at all one is able to change.
Some healthy habits that can make you look and feel better include exercising regularly, making healthy food choices, quitting smoking, and getting enough sleep. You can also develop good habits for grooming, dressing, reading, giving and speaking. Other patterns of behaviour, however, may not be so easy to develop such as getting control of your life, thinking positively, overcoming addiction, and managing anger. Learn to recognize your limitations and seek help or advice at the earliest opportunity.
Here is my simple 3 step advice for changing habits;
1. Think of habits that you would like to change and write them down.
As habits are usually automatic, you may have to examine these patterns and determine which ones prevent you from improving your life. Putting them in writing can help you assess where you are and what needs to be done.
2. Start small and develop good habits gradually.
Older habits are usually more difficult to break and may take more time and effort to change. Start with habits that you think are easy for you to eliminate. The small changes that you make can produce good results which motivate you to work at changing other bad habits.
3. Begin a new habit and practice it for 21 days.
Improvements take time but they are not impossible to achieve if you start now. You may experience some resistance at the beginning of your 21-day habit. But having successfully coached others in changing their habits, Pat Mesiti assures you that it can only get easier as your brain and body gets used to the pattern after some time.
Tags: financial freedom, millionare, mindset, Pat Mesiti
