How to build habits for success in business and life. Here, I share my thoughts and experiences about habits.
It’s human nature to want to be successful at everything we do in business and life. Even though you may have some setbacks along the way, if you incorporate good habits for success, prepare yourself for the road ahead, and visualize what you want to accomplish, you are the only person standing in your way of success.
There’s no magic or secret formula for success. Even people or celebrities who seem to be overnight sensations worked hard for many years before reaching their success. How you select your goals and the processes you implement to make those goals a reality are two huge parts of this puzzle.
Work through the process for success in business and life.
Create goals. Even though this sounds like a lofty task, ask yourself, “What do you want out of life/business?” Creating these goals – no matter how big or small – sets you in the right direction so you’re not floundering or wondering about your purpose in life.
Some goals need to be broken down into smaller goals, and that’s alright; if you’re starting a business, you probably won’t make multimillions of dollars your first year. Instead, break that multimillion-dollar goal into something smaller that is more realistic. Your goals shouldn’t dampen your spirit; they should guide you toward your next action steps.
Decide who you want to be. Much like identifying your ideal client, put into words the type of person YOU want to be, then identify what that type of person does differently than you. For instance, if you want to run a multimillion-dollar business, what habits do other multimillion-dollar CEOs use to grow their business?
If you want to be a bodybuilder, what do other bodybuilders do that you can also implement? You certainly don’t need to copy these people exactly, but you’ll need to add some behaviors to your routine that will put you on the path to being your ideal self.
Create processes that you'll do consistently to reach those goals. The processes you create to reach your goals are much more important than the goal itself. While the goal keeps you focused on a direction, the process is all the action necessary to achieve said goal.
Consider following a checklist for your daily tasks with a time limit for each task. For instance, allow yourself 10 minutes to check and respond to emails, then sign out of email for a few hours. Time blocking also works to focus on one task or client for a long time.
If your processes have stalled, focus on improving them instead of changing the goals. Maybe you need to add or subtract a step or two or add more time to specific tasks. Your goal can be a static thought, but your processes are meant to be more fluid and open to change.
Every living, breathing person can create the life of their dreams with these simple steps. Still, with focus, good habits, and a desire to succeed, you’ll soon see opportunities to bring you toward your ultimate goals.
You may be wondering how to change a bad habit.
5 Ways to Turn a Bad Habit into a Good One
We all have bad habits; it’s a fact of life because we’re human and imperfect. The good news is that bad habits can be changed with some discipline and work. Changing bad habits doesn’t happen overnight; simply acknowledging the bad behavior is the first step toward change.
Here are some tips for changing bad habits into good habits:
Keep the temptation out of sight.
For example, if you have a problem with overeating junk food, keep those tempting foods out of your home. Avoid those particular aisles at the grocery store.
Step away from the snack table when you’re a guest at someone’s house. If your temptation isn’t visible, you’ll get used to not having that temptation in your life.
Reward yourself.
If you want to stop biting your nails, schedule a manicure or a day at the spa after 6-8 weeks as a reward. You enjoy your reward, provided you stay faithful and avoid biting your nails. Use this reward to keep your bare nails (temptation) out of sight, eliminating the biting behavior.
Also, consider rewarding yourself for incorporating a good habit into your life and choosing small, simple rewards that fit your budget.
Give yourself a consequence for the bad habit.
If you have a habit of swearing, try charging yourself for every swear word you say. Collect that money in a jar or bank; when you haven’t contributed to it in a month, take it and reward yourself.
Tell your friends and family, too, so they can help keep you accountable. Sometimes, we’re so used to doing bad habits that we don’t even notice when it happens. Giving yourself a consequence forces you to be more aware of your behavior and eventually eliminates that bad behavior.
Track your daily habits.
Whether you choose good old paper and pen or a sophisticated app on your phone, tracking your habits puts them at the forefront of your mind, and you’ll also feel accomplished at the end of the week. For instance, if you’re exercising daily, mark down what you did and for how long.
If you’re stopping your procrastination, mark what time you started work. If you’re unplugging more, use a paper calendar to write down when you turned your phone or computer off and how long that lasted. Visual cues that you’re succeeding in busting these bad habits can go a long way to make you feel proud and accomplished, which will positively reinforce this new behavior.
Ask for an accountability partner.
Do you have a personal trainer or friend who enjoys fitness who can help monitor your success? Do you have a nutritionist who can help create healthy meals? Or do you have a business partner or friend who can help resolve your business struggles?
Or do you feel comfortable posting specific struggles or challenges on social media so your followers become accountability partners? Keeping your struggles to yourself often makes cheating easier. If you tell other people what you’re trying to accomplish, you’ll focus more on the new behavior, eventually overtaking the bad behavior.
One quick tip: Don’t try to change multiple bad habits simultaneously. Choose one behavior to focus on and work on that first. When you feel that bad habit has been changed for good, work on changing another bad habit – or incorporate good habits into your daily life.
My Inner Peace 10-Day Challenge may be helpful for you.
Nancy Dadami is an Inner Peace Strategist, Medicine Painting Mentor, and Feng Shui Specialist. She helps empower leaders, visionaries, creators, and entrepreneurs called to growth, learning, service, and freedom. She allows them to thrive by living the best version of themselves, creating a life of abundance, self-awareness, purpose, and inner peace. Linktr.ee/nancydadami
