15 Dec Lifebook’s Principle of Habitual Behavior
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
-Jim Ryun
This principle is simple and straightforward.
Habits are what shape our lives – for better or worse – and ultimately define us as human beings. We ARE what we continuously DO.
What are your behaviors adding up to?
Confucius said, “The Nature of men is always the same; it is their habits that carry them far apart.”
And the great Roman poet Ovid said, “Habits change into character.”
If we look at the areas of our life where we do really well consistently, we’ll find that it’s because of the things we do habitually. Sure, we’ll have our peaks and valleys, but if we have good habits, we’ll stay above average.
If we look at the weak or unsuccessful areas of our life, we’ll also find that it’s because of the things we do habitually. Again, some months will be better than others, but if we’re weak in a category on a consistent basis, it’s probably because of a few recurring negative habits that seem to have stuck.
It’s simple, really. Being in good physical shape is the result of eating healthy and exercising regularly. Obesity is caused by the habitual behavior of putting too much food into our mouth, and living a sedentary lifestyle.
A stellar love relationship is the result of great communication habits, and continuous actions that create more love. A poor love relationship is the result of continuously fighting over petty things, demonstrating poor communication, lack of trust, and defensiveness.
Financial success is also a result of certain positive, productive habitual behaviors, and financial lack is a result of habitually performing below our potential, spending more than we make, and being financially disorganized.
We are what we continuously do, for better or for worse.
This week’s challenge is to create ONE GOOD HABIT that will change your life.
What one habit could you adopt that would be a game-changer for you?
The truth is, we can move the needle faster in the Character category than just about any other Lifebook category.
As we all know, transforming our Health and Fitness takes TIME (even with unrelenting dedication). It’s tough to vastly change our relationship with our spouse or our kids in just an hour. Our Financial Life is a category that’s incredibly difficult to change overnight…
But we can change our Character almost instantly, just by making a simple commitment, and sticking to it.
Louis L’Amour said, “Everyone has it within his power to say, ‘This I am today, that I shall be tomorrow.’”
So RAISE THE BAR, and use the incredible power of habits to turbo-charge your Character!