Habits
Habits are the eventual things that help to build character. Most probably they are the things that people do 80% of their time. But how to develop them and most importantly how to get rid of the bad ones?
Watch your thoughts they turn into words. Watch your words they turn into action. Watch your action they turn into habits. Watch your habits they turn into character. Watch your character they turn into destiny. After all it just starts from a thought. What is it required to engage yourself to make it a habit?
What effect do habits have on us ? Habits are the things we always try to change and always try to build. So how actually habit affects your life? Well, habits help you to progress or degrade your life's graph. And the speculation about it is, it has the power of creating a character. Habits will give a direction to your initial step towards the change you want to make. But the only thing is you have to be consistent and the only way to become consistent is self-realization and discipline. You cannot take the help of the ''motivation'' as it is just a myth factor. When you require motivation to perform the task it will not last long and you will break your habit you are trying to create and also you will have to start from the initial position. This will make you fall in a loop and you will never make it a habit. So the only thing you need is discipline.
How to build a habit Habit formation requires quite of time but once you get the path you will be off with it. So you have to repeat the task for at least 21 days to make it a habit. Even if you start from small things those small things will get compounded at some particular time and you would have made progress from your initial point. Even if you make 1% progress every day at the end of the year that you will be 37% better from where you had started. Habits are like ayurvedic medicine you won't see the change in yourself instantly but the change will come at a particular time that also long-lasting. Well, that was something idiotic example. Even if you don't see the improvement, stick to it and keep practicing it you will achieve the zenith point. If you want to stick to a habit or build it visualize yourself at that particular position where you will see yourself totally changed or you would have enhanced your lifestyle with that habit. Eg. If I want to build a habit of regular exercise and I am struggling to stick to it then I will visualize myself having a fit and toned body with those big biceps and abs or influencing people with my identity. This will give me an insight into how my life would change if I make it to the very end.
Methods to stick to habit formation
1] The cross method- I follow the cross method which I learned from the book ''Deep work''. This method is pretty simple. Eg. If I promise myself that I would do regular exercise then I would track my progress by pulling out a cross on the day of the calendar when I finish my workout to mark my win. The next day I will do the same thing after some days you will see a chain forming on the days which you marked up with the crosses you will get that inner feeling to not break the chain and keep it going. You can perform this thing in a book also. You get ''addicted'' to that chain formation and would not miss a single day of workout.
2] Bring money on the line- This method is an extreme level of habit formation. Eg. If I tell my friend that I will give you 2000rs if I don't do my work out. Nobody likes to lose money it's NHT [Natural Human Tendency]. If you bring money in between your habit formation you
will have a reason to go and workout because if you avoid your workout you will lose your money and that will be a loss. Even if you are not willing to do it on some days you will have to workout or else you will lose your money. You will have to be true to yourself that's it. This method was known to me by Ali Abdaal's Skillshare class. [ Well refer to his class it's absolutely worth it also check out his Youtube channel]
How to stick to a habit without getting bored This thing is really important because if you are not enjoying the process you will fail to form a habit. You should firstly enjoy the process rather than just thinking about the goal. Let's take the workout example itself because it resembles with me. If you want to make daily exercise your habit and you are struggling with the amount of work you will put in then you should try different methods to find that interesting thing or the fun factor in working out. It can be listening to music while working out or challenging your own-self to do more 10 push-ups so that you will feel like a competition with yourself. Never think that you aren't reaching the perfect level. No one is perfect and always remember ''It's all about progress not perfection''. Analyse yourself everyday and compare with your past I bet you would have made some progress. Only if you are doing it seriously.
How to get rid of bad habits? Bad habits can be anything like mass procrastination or getting rid of some addiction. The way to get rid of the bad ones is to inculcate good habits in your life. Just like to get rid of one addiction you should have another addiction to cut through. You are actively choosing yourself to do the wrong thing. Like, say I have to get rid of the habit of eating junk food I would instead substitute it with some healthy salad or fruits whenever I will feel hungry. But if I choose the chips instead of something healthy then I am actively choosing myself to grab the chips. You can also avoid bad habits by openly talking out to someone. It might be your parents, your friends anyone who would give you the right advice. Always ask for help no one is going to help you unless you ask for it. If it is something too bad like alcoholism or anything like that seek help from any doctor or a councillor. TIP- If you are trying the bring money on the line thing make sure it's your earned money because if you haven't earned it you will not have any respect or guilt about losing it.
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