- One Habit at a Time
- By Deborah Taylor-Hough
I've been told it takes four
to six weeks for any action to become a habit. So, keeping that
in mind, one way I'm going to insure my success at keeping my
New Year's resolutions this year is by working on only one new
habit at a time each month. Then, every time I turn a calendar
page, I'll work on developing a different new habit.
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At the end of the year, I could
easily have twelve new positive habits in my life. Once something's
become a habit, it's simply a part of my life and not something
I'll even have to think about anymore.
Here are some sample goals and
habits I'm planning to implement throughout the coming year (in
no particular order -- taken one at time, one per month):
--Use both an aerobic video and my exercise equipment 3-4
times per week
--Spend 20-30 minutes reading
aloud to my children everyday
--Get up at 5am for personal
prayer, and Bible study |
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--Work on my new book for half
an hour everyday
--Spend ten minutes each day
decluttering
If I had started the New Year
off by attempting to do every one of these things at the same
time, I know I would've become overwhelmed, and then given up
long before any of these activities became habitual and second-nature.
What's the area of life you're
most concerned about? Exercise? Weight loss? Healthy eating?
Getting organized? Saving money? Spending more time with your
kids? Break your goal down into simple steps that you can easily
manage, and then start working your way to your goal, one small
step at a time.
As the old cliche' says: How
do you eat an elephant? ...
One bite at a time. By making small and consistent changes, it's
possible to change your health, your body, and your life.
Copyright 2003 Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/ |
