Break the Procrastination – Start a New Habit
I talked about getting up and doing something now. I talked about the fact that success is hard work and only YOU can do it. To help you get motivated and create the best version of you, the number one way that I’ve found to sustain success is through habit. So let’s start a new one.
One Step at a Time
If you’re having trouble finding a way to get started or can’t motivate yourself to take a big leap, begin by building healthy career habits one tiny step at a time. Find a day and time that works for you and rather than continue your old non-value-add habit, spend that time ADDING VALUE. You know you do it. You know you waste time watching TV, playing video games, watching streaming video, or staring at the ceiling. You know you can find 30 minutes out of your day to add something valuable. Most people I know waste tons of their time. Those that don’t waste their time are some of the most successful people that I know.
Oh, No. I’m Overweight!
Several years ago I was working hard, long hours in the office and traveling and found myself overweight and out of shape. I knew my diet was one big culprit, so I decided to eat better. Well, I never ate breakfast. I knew a healthy diet consisted of SOME breakfast. I didn’t choose bland steel cut oats, tangy yogurt or dry eggs as my first meal. I decided something I knew I would eat every day: boxes of cereal. Captain Crunch, Life, sugar-covered Shredded Wheat! Yum! Nope, not exactly a healthy breakfast, but it was some breakfast.
Slowly over the weeks and months, I changed to sugar-rich packets of instant Quaker Oatmeal, then to regular oatmeal with my sugar and fruit added. Then finally to no-sugar oatmeal and yogurt and eggs. Now, EVERY DAY, I eat three eggs with a cup of my own custom “bullet-proof” coffee (I add my grass-fed butter and emulsified MCT oil.) I’ve been doing that for over three years now, including when I travel. It all started with one tiny, convenient step to create a good habit.
Change No-Value Habits Into High-Value Habits
Start easy. There’s a reason New Years’ Resolutions fail. You can’t bite off more than you can chew. So find something easy to do, in it’s most comfortable form. I previously discussed reading books. So maybe you don’t read many books. Perhaps you don’t want to commit money to buy books. So instead of browsing Facebook or Twitter, do some research and learn about AWS. Or keep reading this AMAZING blog!
Or use other amazing Blogs and Podcasts:
Expand Reading to Two Hours
It’s been a few weeks, you’ve been reading *something* for 30 minutes every day, right? Now get focused. Commit, and buy some books. You’ve built a habit of reading; now it’s time to read things that will add value to your life. You can expand your 30 minutes to one hour, maybe two hours. Now you’re Doing Something, and You’re Working Hard, and you’ve created a New Habit!
Change Reading Into Doing
It’s been a couple of months. You read every day. You learn something valuable every day. You feel your brain working, and you are improving your mind and body, because you FEEL better, right!? So let’s say you’ve been reading about AWS. You feel confident that you know the basics, so now it’s time to Try AWS. Keep reading, but apply your new knowledge to building a skillset.
What Have I Done?!
Here’s the thing. You didn’t only start a new positive habit. You broke out of your pattern of time wasting, no-value-add, lazy routines. I know how it feels. I fought these same feelings as I’ve launched this blog, website, and business. Laziness is an instant gratification feeling. It feels great when you decide to be lazy and immediately upon being lazy. But when you’re done being lazy, you look back, and it sucks. You ask yourself, what have I done… well, nothing. It doesn’t feel that great anymore.
Yes!!!
After you start a new positive habit, much like working out, you feel great even if it’s as simple as taking a walk every day. It is not instant gratification. In fact, while you’re “working” it may not even feel that great. Your muscles are burning; your feet are hurting, and you’re sweating. Your brain is working! When you finish, the effects are lasting. You KNOW you’ve improved yourself. Body workouts give you an endorphin high, well, so does brain activity. The more you work, the more you want to work, and after you finish and look back, you feel great!
A New, Better You
It’s been several months now, half a year. You’re feeling better, right? Even if you missed the promotion, haven’t landed that new job, your boss still sucks, your dog is sick, but… YOU are doing something positive. You have started a new habit, something you can control, and despite anything else, you are a better version of yourself.
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