They say it is tougher to change our habits as we get older.
They say it takes about 2 weeks to make or break a habit.
They say we pick up bad habits much easier than good ones.
Well I say they are wrong. I believe we can change anything we WANT and are READY to change, the problem is while we may say we want to change these habits, we aren’t always ready to. Finding that sweet spot when those two things are in sync is when we can effectively make long lasting changes to our behaviors.
The bad news is that synching want and ready doesn’t happen all that often for many of us. The good news is there are some easy ways I have found to trick myself into that sweet spot.
- Attending events or conferences. Giving us opportunities to hear methods of doing or being that we desire. Especially those that have inspirational, motivational and practical topics for life and business. Being in a constant mode of learning from every interaction has given me a new perspective from the speakers as well as the other attendees.
- When there is a specific habit you want to have, use the rule that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Find 5 people who have this habit solidly placed in their world and spend more time with them. This has been instrumental in my business success.
- Research and study. This can be done when trying to rid yourself of a habit or implement a new one. Learn everything there is on the topic whether it be about eliminating sugar in your diet or adding meditation to your daily routine to being better at follow up. The more heightened awareness you can create the easier it will become to absorb the philosophies around the behaviors.
A combination of these techniques have been instrumental in fostering change within myself and my clients who want to create change in them and those around them.
I remind myself often of the definition of insanity as we have come to understand it in business:
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”.
Start changing the way you do things today and get a different result.