Our Habits Determine Our Success

People by their very nature are creatures of habits. We all have heard this and fundamentally know it to be true. However, have you ever really truly taken the time to ponder this idea. At its core, this idea states that all the success we want can be attained if we adopt the proper habits.

Is life really this simple? Could something as basic as habits create all the outcomes we desire? In a word, 'yes'. Anything you want to attain is a matter of only determining what habitual activities are necessary for its attainment. Once that is completed, repetition is added by doing the tasks over and over until it becomes a habit. This is the ultimate model for success.

I will use Ernest Hemingway as an example. Here was a man who is noted as one of the most successful writers in the 20th century. His works have been read by millions worldwide. He had a writing style that was unique which accounted for a large portion of his success. However, nothing would be achieved unless he sat down and wrote.

When Hemingway was working on a book, he was in the habit of writing. His routine was to start about 8 am after he ate his breakfast and write until 2 in the afternoon. He did this everyday. There was not a thought as to what he was doing the next day or at what time. From 8-2 he wrote. During that time he was able to produce between 500-700 words (this was before computers). This daily habit enabled him to complete works which were between 90,000-150,000 words.

Take the Olympic athlete as an example. This is a person who works at his/her craft everyday, 7 days a week. He or she is in the habit of getting into the gym or pool and practicing. It is not something that is questioned or thought about. The habit of getting up and working out is ingrained. The odds are great that there is little thought required. Working out is a habit.

The flip side is all the poor habits we have which prevent us from reaching our goals. How many people habitually turn the television on when they get home from work. They prefer to 'lose' themselves in sitcoms. This might not be an effective option if one is seeking to advance his or her career.

Exercising follows the same pattern. One who flops on the sofa drinking a few beers will not attain advanced health. It is only by developing the habit of exercise and proper eating will one lose weight. Yet most fail because of their habits.

As you can see, the idea is to get the mind thinking as little as possible. Given an opportunity, the mind will create many reasons for not doing something productive. Developing a habit is what allows us to bypass this. We suddenly realize that we are working out without thinking about it. The conscious thought arises after we are already at the gym. This is where our success becomes automatic.

Most people are on autopilot to failure. They habitually do the things that create adverse results in their life. Without thinking, they spend hours in front of the television. Nutritionally empty foods that are high in fat are consumed without regard for the long term effects. Relationships are sabotaged because of a lack of emotional mastery which results in things being said that are later regretted. Laziness is allowed to creep into all aspects of life unnoticed. In short, our habits are our enemy.

Begin today by looking at some of your habits. What are the things that you do which hurt you? Make a list and begin to replace them with empowering activities. Focus on them for a few weeks and you will see how they become a habit. Only then will you know what it is like to be on autopilot towards success.
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The Written Plan

Having a list of goals combined with a list of corresponding actions to take each day is a powerful combination. With these two items, you are almost guaranteed success. The only remaining component is to ingrain these actions into your daily routine. Repetition creates a habit which puts our success on autopilot.

We created the list that requires our daily attention. Now it is time to start utilizing this concept. We start by putting a couple of the actions into our daily plan. Do you not have a daily plan? Then it is time to start writing one down each day.

Before going any further, you have the freedom to get as sophisticated or simple as you like with this. Personally, I prefer simple. The idea is to have a list of activities along with the times that you are going to do them. It is your daily schedule. Writing each task down enables you to control the direction of your day. Time is used effectively when you do this.

Therefore, start with a piece of paper (or a notebook). Draw lines across in breaking the day into hourly segments. Do this for the hours that you are typically awake. For example, if you arise at 6 AM and retire at 10 PM, mark those times off. Now, list the activities which occur each day. Start by putting "Create plan for day" 15-30 minutes before you go to sleep. This will start to create this as a habit.

For most, work consumes a fair portion of the day. Therefore, block off the work hours. If there are things you regularly do like attending luncheons, put that down. After filling the work time, take the activities which move us towards our goal and assign them to a specific time. Try to do the hardest activities when you have the most energy. Some prefer to workout in the morning while others like the evening. Decide what is best for you.

The actions we want to make into habits are written in everyday. Once you complete your plan, your next task is simply to follow what you wrote down. Of course, situations will arise which requires some flexibility. However, having a written plan will increase the likelihood that you achieve the results your desire.
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Our Habits Determine Our Success

The successful have better habits than those who fail to achieve what they truly desire. Much of life is spent on autopilot with each day being a repeat of the one that preceded it. A great deal of time is spent doing the repetitive acts that requires little thought. Thus, anything that we achieve is because we are conditioned to act in a particular manner.

Have you ever considered how you brush your teeth? Few ever think about how they go about completing this task. However, we all have a routine that we go through to complete this action. Some of us put the brush under water, then put toothpaste on, and finally start brushing. Others will put the brush under water a second time. And, some will just put the toothpaste on the brush without water and begin the process. Regardless of how it is done, we do not think about how we accomplish this activity. It is at the subconscious level.

This is a simplistic example used to show how the concept operates in our life. The bottom line is a true life change will only occur when you change your habits. There are certain actions you undertake which are preventing your success. At the same time, there are other habits which will lead to our desired results. It is important to identify both.

Let us look at the weight loss example we used a few days ago. Going to the extreme, it is safe to say that an Olympic athlete has a different set of habits than a couch potato. These people are conditioned to work out. A day ceases to pass without them engaging in their training. Contrast this with the couch potato. His or her habits are drastically different. Instead of exercising, the habit here is to turn on the television when getting home from work and eating food high in fat content. People who do this often do so without much conscious thought.

Each person's habits brings about results. For the Olympic athlete, the outcome is incredible physical conditioning. At the same time, the couch potato achieves the state of obesity and poor health. A changing of the habits would alter each one's outcome.

How does all this apply to you? We mentioned in another article the importance of creating an action list to achieve our goals. When we go through this process, we are first operating at the conscious level. It takes mental thought to drive ourselves to act. The conditioning is not present at this initial stage. We need to develop the habit which will make our success a guarantee.

For something to become a habit, we need to engage in that activity each day. Repetition is what drives an activity to a subconscious level. Years ago, you had to think about a lot of tasks when learning to drive. Now, you can get from your home to your place of employment without even thinking about the trip at all. It is something that is completely at the subconscious level.

Success habits operate the same way. The action becomes a habit if we do it each day. It is estimated that the time is roughly three weeks. After that time period, you will be conditioned to take the action. Doing something different will require another conscious thought at the time. Here, we are in the habit of succeeding while having to actually think in order to fail. This is a magical state to achieve.

Success is not a mystery. Those who achieved the greatest of heights did so because of certain habits. Look at your life to uncover those actions you subconsciously take which hinder your success. Reverse the trend by identifying and implementing activities that move you forward. You will quickly realize the power that is contained within this simple concept.
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Get Moving

This is the easiest way to change your life instantly. Whatever it is that ails you, movement will automatically alter everything. This is something that is applicable in this moment as well as your long term outcomes.

People feel certain things in the present moment. Joy, happiness, and elation are all emotions recognized in the "now. The same is true for depression, boredom, and anger. Obviously, experiencing the former is beneficial while we want to try to avoid the later.

There are times when we are going to feel down. The easiest way to alter those negative feelings is to get moving. Stand up and go do something. Tony Robbins says that "emotion is created by motion". You have a different physiology when you are active as opposed to sitting on the sofa eating potato chips. In that moment, you can overcome the depression, as an example, by going for a walk. It is not a long term fix but will improve your life in that moment.

Our long term successes are improved when we get moving. The difference between a plan and an outcome is action. This is the bridge which gets an idea from you head and produces in a tangible way. All success is the result of some type of physical activity. The same is true for you life.

So, you want to change your life? Well, get busy doing something. Pick up a book. Write down some goals. Begin working out. Enroll in a course at a local college. Whatever it is, begin by taking some action. This is the best way to set your life on a different path.

In working with others, I find it easiest to turn people who have challenges but are busy into success stories. The reason is they have the key to achieving anything they want. The solution is a to get them onto the proper path for what they want to attain. On the other hand, those who are continually omitting taking action are more of a challenge. Until they get moving, little will help them. Any new knowledge gained is wasted.

Therefore, get busy to change your life. Regardless of where you are at in this moment, get off your duff and go do something. Taking action is a necessary habit for success. It is created one action at a time.
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The Power of Habits

Habits comprise a large percentage of the results we get in life. If you want to improve your life, take a look at your daily habits. They hold the key to making a difference.

An example that epitomizes this is physical fitness. What is the main difference between an Olympic athlete and one who is a "couch potato" (leaving aside the natural talent the Olympian has). Obviously, it is the dedication and effort each puts into his/her body.

The Olympian is in the habit of eating properly while practicing for hours each day on his or her sport. That person gets out of bed early without thinking. While the idea of rolling over and going back to sleep enters into the mind, the habit of getting up overrides this. A good habit will give the needed "push" when there is resistance.

Contrast that with the "couch potato". That person developed the habit of reaching for a beer and the remote after work. Hours are spent in front of the television being entertained. Sadly, even with 140 channels, we all know there is rarely anything on. Yet, it is a distraction. When dinner rolls around, it is usually a nutritionally poor meal that is high in sugar and fat. The result is excess weight and poor health.

We could go on with examples. The successful salesperson is in the habit of making the calls while the unsuccessful one is in the habit of wasting sales hours. If one wants to excel as a writer, it is helpful to be in the habit of writing each day. A haphazard approach will not lead to that end. The habits determine a great deal of our success.

So, how do you go about making these changes? Start by listing a major result that you want in your life. Then, list the habits which you need to develop to achieve this end. Since most of our day is spent on "autopilot", it is necessary to ingrain those habits which move us towards our end. You start by choosing one of the activities and doing it each day. After approximately three weeks, this activity will become a habit. At that point, that action will be effortless. Success in that area will become automatic.
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9 Ways To Improve Your Life

1. Give more than anyone asks or expects. Become a person who goes the extra mile in all that you do. Look at each situation and determine what extra you will provide. Give without expecting anything in return, including acknowledgment from others.

2. Ease up. The old saying “someday we will laugh about this” epitomizes how unimportant many things are in the grand scheme of things. Reduce the stress by remembering that everything will work out alright. Look at each situation as an opportunity to learn and grow while remembering to laugh.

3. Master you habits. Your habits are either empowering or disempowering. Determine the habits that adversely affect you then begin the process of eliminating them.

4. Examine your closest influences. We are all products of our environment. Everyone around us has input into our personalities, beliefs, and ideals. Make sure that those who are closest to you are assisting in moving you forward rather than prohibiting your progress.

5. Entertain the child within. Remember to take time to do that which you love. Too often we get focused on the drive to move ahead that we forget to engage the child within. Recharge you batteries by spending regular time doing what you are passionate about.

6. Resolve your unfinished business. Activities left unresolved have the ability to drain a great deal of energy out of us. Reclaim this energy by cleaning up all the old business and putting it to rest. Pay the old debts, discard old things, and tie up all other loose ends.

7. Focus. Focus. Focus. Get rid of the sloppiness in life by placing extra focus upon all that you do. Develop the habit of doing one thing at a time until it is completed. Pay attention to the details that make a difference.

8. Spend time creating your life. Most people allow circumstances to dictate the type of life they lead. Set aside each day to ponder what type of life that you want to live. Consider your dreams, traits that you want, and what you would like to contribute. Become proactive in the creation of your own life.

9. Invest in the most valuable computer in the world-your mind. Read books and listen to cds that expand your knowledge base. Learn new skills that will enhance you financially, mentally, and physically. Garner and utilize the knowledge available to better your life.
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