‘People do not decide their futures; they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.’ F. M. Alexander.
Humans have an inbuilt desire to succeed. It doesn’t matter what age, race, gender or profession you fit in. At the core of every young child, or adult, is the desire to excel at something.
The successful people we admire as role models today all started with a dream and a desire to make something significant out of their lives, just like us.
The only difference between them and every other person who gave up on their dreams was their persistence and determination to succeed, despite all the hurdles they encountered.
Ask any of them how they fulfilled their destiny and they will give one common answer— developing habits for success.
‘Each habit on its own has very little impact. When all of our habits are combined, they can have enormous impact on our physical and mental health, inter-personal skills, behaviour and ultimately, our financial security and happiness.’ B. Davda.
Habits shape our lives. We cannot deny that fact because who we are now is a by-product of habits we picked up in different stages of our lives. Some people are always late because they made a habit of it from as early as childhood. Others express gratitude easily because they made a habit of it when they were on the receiving end of good deeds.
We can trace bits of our characters and personalities to habits we allowed ourselves to embrace in our younger years.
Our future can also be determined by our daily actions. Some may never collide with destiny because they are careless with their habits. We don't bother replacing old habits with new and more positive ones, even when we know they are bad.
We still expect positive change to happen in our circumstances and yet, our actions and our habits are contrary to that change.
The importance of habits.
‘You become the slave of whatever you choose to obey.’ Proverb.
We are what we repeatedly do.
That repetition of certain actions can steer us closer to who we want to be. On one hand, our habits can lead us to prominence, fortune and success. When we produce quality work or services consistently, we get rewarded.
On the other hand, our habits can also lead us to failure; causing disappointment and discouragement—and sometimes, feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.
Our habits are everything. Look at it from an athlete’s perspective. If you do not eat healthier and train consistently, you will never be at the top or win the game or race. So most people in the sports industry spend long, grueling hours practicing.
It’s also why some of them are on strict diets that do not allow them to have cheat days. Show me an athlete who is making waves in their discipline and I will show you an athlete who has embraced positive habits that bring the best out of them.
The pattern of your thoughts and emotions determines your happiness. How much money you make and save depends on your habits. Your health and the longevity of your life depends on your eating and exercising habits.
Even the success of your social relationships depends on the habits you adopt when you interact with others. Ultimately, everything you become is because of your habits.
It is therefore important to pay attention to your habits. You have a choice to make in order to shape the course of your life. You either develop new habits or stick to the ones that don’t increase your productivity.
Observe your routines and determine whether they bring any meaningful change to your life. Re-evaluate the habits you have formed and make adjustments and replacement of habits that no longer serve you well.
Habits that determine success.
Les Brown is one of the most prominent motivational speakers and authors of our time. Had he not developed certain habits to boost his confidence in himself, he would never have made it this far.
His destiny changed when he chose not to let people ridicule his dream. He even says he practiced speaking in front of plants and other inanimate objects just to fix his speech and deal with his fear of speaking in public.
That habit earned him a lot of shows and a spot as one of the best motivational speakers in the world.
There are several habits that successful people practice to reach their destiny.
Affirmation.
Make a habit of being your greatest cheerleader. Give yourself pep talks every day, reminding yourself of the destination. You have what it takes to change your destiny. Hype yourself up until it becomes easy to acknowledge your significance and your adequacy.
Set daily targets.
If you want to succeed, challenge yourself by setting targets. Doing this daily keeps you focused on the tasks at hand and motivates you to achieve the targets. Make it a habit to set timelines for specific goals. It works miraculously.
Adopt positivity.
Some failures can be avoided when we do not sabotage ourselves by being negative. Find the positive in all things. Let it become a habit to surround yourself with positive vibes. Check the people around you and disengage from those who stress you out.
Maintain physical fitness.
One habit that will shape your destination health-wise is maintaining good physical fitness. This entails developing habits that keep you healthy. Go to the gym if you fear that the environment at home may hinder your progress.
Our habits, together with our determination, persistence and consistency, result in a fresh course for our lives. We have the power to change our destiny by embracing new habits.
Which habits can you adopt to change your life today?
Go and talk to the plants!
‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’ Aristotle.
