This is going to be a good challenge day. I'm a thinker. Okay, actually I'm an OVER thinker. I think how Bill Cosby summed up people like me is perfect: I'm an intellectual. "Intellectuals study what most people do naturally." So what happens when I study my daily habits?
First, I'd like to distinguish this from the Day 6 challenge to follow a morning routine. A routine is doing things in a similar manner, in a similar order, on a regular schedule. Daily habits are behaviors, the way we do things, and the why we do them like that. Habits can include things like putting things off vs doing them as soon as possible to get them out of the way. Always being late for things for some reason vs always being 15 minutes early for everything. Hitting a drive through on the way home vs cooking a healthy dinner from real ingredients. Spending days off doing physical things like going for a walk or hike or swimming vs watching television from the time you get home until bedtime every night.
My habits have their seasons, some good, and some bad. My bad habits tend to be putting off things like working on learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone when I'm having a stressful week, waking up so tired I just don't feel like I have the energy to do a workout, or running an out of the way errand I know can wait. Some people's habits may include drinking too often/much, smoking, eating unhealthy junk food, swearing, gossiping, being lazy, too much television, breaking commitments, letting people down, lying, cheating, etc. I think at one point in my life I've lived through each of these, some for a long season, some for a very short season, and others I still work on today.
My good habits include always (and I mean always) being early, not speaking my mind all the time and offending people, caring for others, being organized, eating healthy (I've been sugar and gluten free for a long time now and only on rare occasions like celebrations do I go completely "off plan"), and I love to learn, read, teach, and encourage others. There are many other good habits others have that I admire, like working hard at something until they've succeeded, travelling the world, run a successful Women's Ministry, volunteer to help strangers in need whether it's on the street, or in a shelter, or in a soup kitchen, and so many more.
After examining both the good and the bad habits, and staying focused on one of the minimalism goals to live simply, I've come to a conclusion many others have: If I really hate doing something, I'm not going to struggle with it on a daily basis. I will drop that which makes me unhappy. Instead I will focus on doing a better job or more of a better habit - like reading, studying, handling my household responsibilities, being a better friend, wife, Mom, etc. I want to be the best version of me so I need to take charge of my behaviors/habits. If I want to be well-informed so I have information to help and share with others, then reading and studying is a habit to keep. If living longer in better health means I'm around to enjoy my grandchildren and great grandchildren someday, then I will choose to eat better foods, exercise on a regular basis, and avoid excessive drinking, smoking, and taking drugs. If doing my best during the day requires a good night's sleep, and I know I don't usually have that, then I will make a habit to go to bed early so I have more opportunity to sleep.
Our habits and behaviors determine our future. Put in the time today because you're building your future. You don't want to look back 5, 10, or 20 years from now wishing you'd put better behaviors into practice years ago. The best time to begin a new good habit is 5 years ago. The second best time is now. What can you do better today to have a better tomorrow?
No comments:
Post a Comment