The Power of Positive Habits
We all know just how difficult it can be to form new habits or break old ones. Our daily routines often feel set in stone — whether it’s reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, snacking when you’re bored, or watching TV shows late into the night. These habits, ingrained over years and decades of repetition, can feel impossible to shake.
But what if I told you that with a little effort, awareness and perseverance, you have the power to not only form positive new habits, but to truly transform your lifestyle? The key is consistency and baby steps. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are our routines. By focusing on one new positive habit at a time and repeating it daily, it starts becoming automatic.
Let’s take morning routines for example. Perhaps right now, most mornings you end up snoozing your alarm a few times, rush through getting ready haphazardly, skip breakfast and find yourself stressed and scurrying out the door. Not the most pleasant or intentional way to begin your day, right? Instead, what if you decided you were going to wake up 30 minutes earlier, drink a glass of water, stretch for 5 minutes, eat a nourishing breakfast and listen to an uplifting podcast episode while getting ready?
If you implemented just 20 minutes of this routine each morning for a month straight, it would start becoming second nature. And how much better would you feel having a calm, energizing start to your day rather than chaos? This is just one small example of the power you have to create positive habits.
Another arena ripe for positive habit change is health and fitness. Now say you’ve noticed your energy lagging recently. You know eating more whole, plant foods could help but find it hard to break your pattern of grabbing fast food when tired and busy. Start by committing to just making one healthy meal to take to work tomorrow lunch — maybe a quinoa salad with veggies. Accomplished that? Great! Now try doing it again the next day. And the next. Before you know it, you have momentum behind this new habit and it takes the same effort as going through the drive-thru did.
The key with both of these examples is not expecting perfection or change overnight. Be compassionate with yourself if you slip up now and then. But never quit quitting. Each small effort makes a difference and several small efforts over time create major differences. Know that you have everything you need inside you right now in this moment to create healthier habits. And healthier habits create healthier, happier lives.
So take some time now to reflect on one or two habits you’d like to build or break — maybe creating a regular exercise practice, implementing tech curfews, keeping your space tidy or going to bed earlier. Commit to focusing on just one for the next few weeks and see what unfolds. Expect challenges but push past them gently. You’ve got this! And just imagine how amazing you’ll feel basking in your new positive lifestyle.
The power lies inside you. Design the habits and then let them design your life.
