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Do you struggle to build good habits? Have you lost track of your goals? Did you expect more to be happening in your life by now? If you struggle to reach your goals, then you might need to reevaluate your habits and routines. Life can get very busy. It’s easy to get off track. If we lack persistence, then life can get very messy. We have to learn to make discipline and forming good habits a much bigger priority in order to stay on track with our life goals. Often it’s not due to will power, but a lack of direction and goals that don’t inspire us. See how to build good habits and crush your goals!
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1) CREATE CLEAR GOALS
The key to setting clear life goals is having clear outcomes. This means being focused and specific. It’s not enough to say I want a better career. It’s not enough to say I want to be happier. It’s not enough to say I want more money. When you focus on lack, you’re only going to get more of lack. It’s time to create solutions instead of focusing solely on the problems.
Good goals are specific, measurable, and time-bound. Instead of saying I want to lose weight, you say I’m going to lose 30 pounds in the next 6 months by eating a clean green diet and working out 3 days a week for 30 minutes. You were specific and gave it an end date. Instead of saying I want to be happier, say I’m going to be happier by removing negativity from my life, meditate 5 days a week, and reconnect with old friends over the next 30 days. It offered a solution to increase your happiness and has a timestamp. This makes it more attainable.
2) CREATE GOOD HABITS THAT YOU VALUE
Creating good habits can be challenging. Nearly 50% of people give up on new habits and goals within the first week. In order to create good habits, let’s start by defining what they are so we can better understand them.
Positive habits are regularly repeated patterns such as thoughts, actions, and behaviors that increase our quality of life. A positive habit consistently and repetitively makes us better. Examples of good habits are things like exercising, eating healthy and abstaining from smoking. These habits make us live healthier and happier lives. In order to maintain these things, we have to understand our values. If we value health, then these habits make it easier to maintain. When you don’t place a value on good positive habits, you're only setting yourself up for disaster.
To create good positive habits we must truly value it, and then execute on it.
3) REMOVE NEGATIVE HABITS AND TEMPTATIONS
Temptations are like roadside bombs on your path to a better life. Staying clear of them is vital to your success. Temptations are associated with the old you and old habits. If you want to move into a new place in your life you must learn how
to fight temptation. Temptations are anything that moves you further away from your goals. This could be food, people, television. It could be playing too many video games, spending
too much time on social media, and even waking up late.
Rather than making this a mental exercise, do yourself a favor and journal down all of your worst temptations. Give them a numerical value in the order of least to worst. 1 being the worst and least being 5.
4) PRACTICE SELF-LOVE
Self-care is self-love. This is not selfish. If we want to set ourselves up for success then we need to focus on our overall well-being. Our brains take in a lot of information every day and if you keep doing things for everybody else and not yourself, you’re not going to have any brainpower left. You need to build a self-care plan. To increase your willpower for this it is helpful to remind yourself of the importance of taking care of yourself.
When we take care of our mental, physical, and emotional well being, we move into a deeper state of calm and focus. Because we feel better in ourselves, we are more prepared to take on larger tasks. Our mind is clear, our energy is abundant. We’re more vibrant and happy. Remember to also get lots of sleep and drink plenty of water. This naturally creates those “happy feelings” and clears our body of bad toxins.
5) SEEK HELP OF OTHERS
When we get into the habit of self-discipline, many of us try to “take on the world” without really questioning our actions or plan to get there. We think we can just smash our way through with sheer willpower. It’s a bit like quitting smoking cold - turkey. It’s an all or nothing mindset. However, this could have a devastating effect on your overall goals. Do not be a perfectionist in this process. It is the quickest way for you to completely give up. It creates a quick feeling of shame when you set unrealistic expectations for yourself.
To compound the effects of your results you want to make it realistic and somewhat enjoyable. Start small. Small results turn into big results. When you start experiencing smaller wins, it will also increase willpower. Willpower is like a well of water from which you take from every once in a while. If you take it all at once, you’ll soon be left with nothing. It’s important to pace yourself. It’s also helpful to get others involved.
Holding yourself accountable is one thing, but having other people also hold you accountable increases the effectiveness of your goals and self-discipline. This is because you not only let yourself down, but you let down others as well. So, talk about it with your spouse, your friends, and colleagues.
6) ACCEPT YOURSELF
When we want to achieve anything of significance in life, it’s important to take an honest and objective look at our present situation. Self-discipline training is about being truthful with yourself, whether good or bad. If it’s very bad, then people can tend to judge themselves too harshly and end up being their own worst enemy. They feel bad and end up quitting.
Nobody is perfect. Changes don’t happen overnight. Millions of people are most likely experiencing the same emotions and difficulties that you’re going through. You’re not alone in this. So, learn to love your weaknesses as well as your strengths. When we learn to accept ourselves for who we are, are honest and truthful, then we can push forward more realistically and objectively. Progress is measured accurately because you know how far you have to go and don’t get into unrealistic thinking.
7) REWARD YOURSELF
Rewarding yourself is a great way to use positive reinforcement. It's something to look forward to as you progress and continue to work toward your goals. It takes a lot of hard work to make a continuous change. Goals can also move slowly, so instant gratification can keep you motivated. Depending on the goal will change the reward. Below are a few ways to incentivize yourself.
You could simply take a day off. Letting yourself relax is a good way to recharge your batteries. Give yourself the gift of time.
Have a cheat day. If you’re exercising and eating right all week, reward yourself by ordering your favorite takeout meal or buying your favorite flavor of ice cream.
Buy yourself something. If you did really well during the week, reward yourself with something you can buy online. Something you could wear, read, or watch.
About the Author
Matt Jones is a writer and entrepreneur with multiple businesses who loves inspiring others to reach their full potential. He is also a musician, educator, and world traveler whom has been to over 40 different countries on all 7 continents.
His personal mission is to create and inspire. He is from Los Angeles, but is now based in greater London where he lives with his wife and son.
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