3 Things Needed to Form a Good Habit

Have you noticed how, at the beginning of a New Year, you have made some New Year resolutions? These are often in the area of improving certain habits in order to lead a better life. Unfortunately, most of us do not pursue our resolve and we give up too soon. Here are three things you could pursue that will ensure that you actually turn those resolutions into good habits.

Make Sure Your Life Is In Order

We love to pursue the idea of “no better time than now”. However when it comes to forming good habits, the willpower does not hold firm. Experts at Psychology Today suggest waiting to develop new habits until your life is somewhat in order.

Developing a good habit, any habit for that matter, takes 21 days of concerted attention. This is not possible when you are already stressed and are working on some other form of personal development.

Focus on a Single Good Habit at a Time

It is not easy to form good habits – it is challenging. Ones that are deeply ingrained in our behavior. No wonder it is so challenging to chuck a bad habit. If chucking a bad habit is difficult, starting a good habit can be equally so. It will require concerted effort, and conditioning before it becomes an involuntary automatic behavior. Trying to change too many things at the same time is a sure shot recipe for failure. It is best to tackle one challenge at a time – in this case one good habit at a time. The others can follow by and by.

Gradually Work Yourself into It

While you may wish to do something every day, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to pursue this goal immediately. It takes willpower, time and effort to do this. Conditioning yourself to do this is not easy, so you might as well relax and take it one step at a time. Remember, it needs willpower and time, so don’t get disheartened if you miss a day or so, in the beginning. You need to work on the habit gradually, ramping it up gradually.

As mentioned earlier, you need to set goals for yourself if you want to form a good habit. Set up a different goal each week to keep you motivated. This way you won’t feel overwhelmed. The more consistently you can stick with your new habit, the more you’ll want to keep at it. And before you know it, you would have changed your life for the better!

#GoodHabits

#musings of ajoy vakil