Good Habits To Enrich Your Life
Posted on 1 March 2009
21 Days
Did you know it usually takes about 21 days for our mind to enforce a good habit. So all the things you do out of habit are just that and while bad habits cannot be changed within hours they can be replaced with developing new habits to replace them, these new habits must be done for at least 21 days so that they become enforced. Ideally at a similar time everyday, and ideally either first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. ~Jim Ryun
So what good habits can you implemet in the next 21 days? well anything you like, its the 1st of March today so if you stick with it by the 22nd you could have a variety of new and positive habits enriching your life. Lets start with a few suggestions.
1 -- Meditation and Visualizations
This is a really cool one and something that pays off big time. If you can set aside just 10 minutes twice a day to Meditate and Visualize I guarantee you your life and world will become a richer place.
Here is a PDF I created on Meditation it gives a good outline of why and how to get started with meditation. I would also recommend you listen to this podcast “An Into to Buddhism” provided by the ZenCast.org. I would recommend starting your meditation for 5 minutes in the evening, you will find as you continue to meditate it will be easier and easier for you to do and reap the benefits. You will also probably find that you will want to mediate and relax for more than 5 minutes. This is fine take as much time as you like, meditating in the evening is a perfect way to unwind after a days hard work and clear the mind before sleeping….
As for Visualizations these are something I would recommend doing in the morning as they can allow you to focus on what you want to achieve for the day. Remember we attract our thoughts, therefore it is very important that you take a bit of time each day to think your day through and visualize things going well. See yourself doing all the things you want to achieve with comfort and ease. Its a great way to start the day and setup for a good mood.
2 -- Read Everyday
Reading everyday for 20-30 minutes should be compulsory, by reading I don’t mean the papers or gossip column rather books that could enrich your life. Remember there has always been someone before us who has experienced the same problems we encounter and has written about them.
Every problem or question you can ever have has been dealt with by people before us. What kind of stuff should you read? well let’s have a look. Biographies are a great place to start I recently read Haruki Murakami’s and loved it. I got so much out of seeing how someone has dealt with problems in their life and experienced so many things. Other reccomended books would be things like “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “Pshyco-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz both are self development classics and can have a rpofound effect on your life. Another great and inspiring read is “The Greatest Salesman in The World” by Og Mandino which is a timesless story which led many to success since ebing written in 1968. All of these books allow you to learn from great men and women who have preceded us and you can draw on their wisdom simply by getting in the habit of reading everyday!
3 -- Exercise
Our bodies were made to move. The third habit I suggest is to do some form of exersise everyday. Whether that be some stretching and pushups or a 40 minutes weight session it doesn’t matter. What is important is that you get your blood flowing and heart pumping most days of the week. Too many people are stuck in sedentary jobs which means no movement apart from getting up to grab a coffee or unhealthy snack, this is not the way we were meant to be.
Try the One Hundred Pushup Challenge, go for a 30 minute walk before breakfast, start Yoga or try a form of Martial Arts. Movement and exercise should be fun and easily intergrated to your daily life, it should never be a chore.
I myself only do intense Exercise a few times a week but I will always try to sneak in a long walk or something outside. I feel terrible on the days that I am stuck behind a desk all day and the only movement I get is to grab some food. One thing you will find though is that once you develop a habit time finds you instead of you needing to find the time, its pretty amazing.
Keep It Up
You can develop new habits with anything you like whether it be something as small as stopping your nail biting habit or something huge like quitting smoking. Just remember the first 21 days will be the hardest, after that our brain re-programs and things become easier. Allow a slot each day for your habits to be implemented and practice them religiously. Watch your life grow…….
Comment by David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com
1 March 2009
Thanks a lot for the great article and the PDF on meditation. The books you recommend are also excellent. I’ve read two of them, but I may have to pick up “The Greatest Salesman in the World”. I also completely agree on the value in exercising everyday. Even doing a little bit is better than doing nothing. On those rare days that I don’t exercise, I know that I just don’t feel as good. Our bodies need to move. When we don’t, we are actually harming ourselves on some level.
Best,
Dave
Comment by gus
2 March 2009
awesome, i didn’t realise murakami had a biography. really enjoy his novels.
agree on the habit making, over the past year i have slowly added in various habits: exercise, nutrition…
“first we make our habits, then our habits make us”
@ Gus: Murakami’s book I linked is a semi auto-biography but more about what he learnt as a Marathon runner, although it gives a great perspective on his life. I read it without ever reading any of his novels and loved it. Definitely a must have for everyone’s collection its a very inspiring piece of work! Keep up the good habits…..
Comment by Son of Grok
2 March 2009
I have #2 and #3 going for me. I have a hard time with #1 though.
The SoG
Comment by fitness-siren
3 March 2009
Hi Chris, I agree with this post a lot! I know that when I started making changes to my lifestyle (in terms of health and nutrition), it didn’t happen overnight. Slow baby steps lately added up to big results! I also found that the more I replace the bad stuff with good stuff more often (and repeatedly), I end up acquiring the new, good habits in my life which makes sticking to anything much easier. Never undestimate the power of habits!
Thanks for a great post!
Anna
Comment by Trish (girlatgym)
4 March 2009
I struggle to get myself to stop and slow down and meditate. But I do know it makes a world of difference when I do it. It’s tough to keep up the practice even when I see the benefits.
Comment by Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips
29 March 2009
Never seen that Will Smith clip before but he may be on to something. If I’m being honest with myself I really don’t read enough unless you count blog posts
. I really need to start making more time for it.
@ Tom: Its a great video short and sweet. As for reading get into it, build the habit and you will be rewarded. Books have been filled with infinite wisdom, anything you want to achieve can be done with guidance from a good library. Try and read for 30 minutes per day……