Nisha Kohli

If you are someone who is struggling hard to develop a new habit but couldn’t make it. Then this post is for you.

Happy Reading!

Habits play a crucial role in one’s life. They have the power to make or break you. Good habits lead you to greatness and bad habits lead you to nothing. Everyone knows it. But… 

Every time you think about developing a habit of reading or exercising or cycling or whatever it may be; you find yourself doing nothing but quitting. 

Have you ever noticed? Where do you even get these ideas from? The most common new habit ideas come from one of two places: the first being our own desires, and the second being other people’s habits. For example, someone might decide to run a mile every day because a friend told them it would be good for their health. Or, they might decide to go running in the morning because their coworker started running in the mornings and saw the benefits.

This is what we are. This is what human behavior is. We only get the motivation to do something if someone close to us tells us to do so or if they are doing the same thing and got great results. There’s nothing wrong with that, actually. It’s always nice to do something good, regardless of its origin. 

But the motivation and excitement we feel at first, doesn’t actually last for more than a couple of days. Do you know why? 

Because it takes 21 days to make or break a habit and 90 days to bring it into your lifestyle. Developing a new habit isn’t easy. It takes time, patience, and a lot of hard work. But it can be done. 

Here are 5 ways that you can follow to develop a new habit that you have wanted for so long. These practices are very easy to implement in your day-to-day life. And if you practice them sincerely, not only you get a good habit that you have developed but also you will notice how small and slight changes can make a huge difference in your lifestyle. 

1. Set a goal

If you want to develop a habit, start with setting a goal of what you want to achieve or accomplish. 

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

– Tony Robbins

Setting a goal is like defining your aim. And without an aim, you can’t prepare your brain to do something. This isn’t as hard as it sounds. Say you want to develop a habit of writing. And to set a goal for that, you only have to tell your brain that you want to write. It’s as simple as that.

When you set a goal, always start small. Make a small commitment first, and then gradually level it up. For example, if you want to develop a morning walking or jogging habit. Start with 5-10 minutes of the walk for the first few days then gradually increase the timings. This practice will make you stay there for a longer time. 

2. Be Consistent

Without commitment you’ll never start, without consistency, you’ll never finish.

– Denzel Washington

Consistency is the key to success. You can master anything you want when you do it consistently. It makes you better and better and improves your skillset which leads you to become a master of anything. 

Now, the definition of success is different for everyone. It can be earning an X amount of money for you but it can be making a pack of abs for someone else. But consistency works in every field. You have to be consistent if you want to develop a habit, without that you won’t make it.

When you consistently do something, you create a relationship with that thing. There is an invisible string attached to it. You are in a flow; you are in motion; it’s a cycle. 

But sometimes you miss the goal. Yeah, we do it. It’s life, it happens to everyone. But make sure you cover for that and try to never miss again. 

When you are consistent with something, you actually submit yourself to it. It’s your duty now so don’t let the cycle break because if it happens, you have to start from the beginning, not actually but emotionally. 

Your brain only remembers the pains and the pleasures of what you did the latest. So, if you miss, again and again, your brain will be like- “Okay, I can miss again. You know what, let’s just do it”. And it starts to find excuses to miss the goal, Again. So don’t let it.

3. Develop a pattern

The Human brain is just awesome, in every sense. Although, every individual is different; the basic functionality of the brain and the pattern it follows are quite similar. This is how we learn, think and remember the things around us.

Now, before developing a new habit, you must consider developing a pattern first. A pattern can be anything like observing your surroundings and picking anything from that and memorizing it every time you practice your routine.

For example, if you want to develop a habit of meditating. What you have to do is when you sit to meditate next time, try to observe things in your surroundings like the potted plant at the corner of your room or the pattern of the curtain, or anything else. Pick one thing and try to relate it with your mediation and connect them in one string. Now, what actually will happen is that every time you see that plant in your room or that curtain, your mind will automatically start to picture yourself meditating and you are more likely to become focused and determined towards your goal i.e. developing this habit.

It works with everything. You need to figure out what works best for you.

4. Reward yourself

Everyone has cravings. You might not admit it but yeah, you do. So why not just take advantage of that.

Reward yourself with something you love when you achieve the desired goal. If you want to develop a habit and make it last longer then try rewarding yourself when you accomplish something you fix your mind to.

Craving = Work Done

Let’s say you want to develop a habit of cycling in the morning. Reward yourself with something like a movie night every weekend or an ice cream cone or a sweet dessert or anything else; but only if you go cycling for the whole week. By doing so, you are more likely not to miss a single day because there is a surprise waiting for you on weekend. It’s a win-win. 

It’s like bribing yourself with a thing you love for the thing you hate (or don’t love that much). This strategy works every time. Craving soothes us and can help us do everything we don’t want to. So, make the most of them.

5. Change your environment

Have you ever noticed that when you keep a water bottle with you, you are more likely to drink water from that bottle than without it? And if you keep the book that you want to read right on the corner table, you are more likely to read it when you go to bed?

That’s how the environment around us affects our behavior. Environment makes a huge impact on personal growth. It affects the mood, the energy, and the vibes around you. 

When you are in the process of developing a new habit, try and create an environment that will help you achieve your goal. Keep everything that inspires and motivates you and avoid things that distract you. It’s that simple. 

For example, If you want to learn how to play guitar, you need to practice it daily. Whether it’s just for 10 minutes but the focus should be on ‘daily’. So, instead of keeping your guitar in and out of the case every time you play it, Place it in the corner of your room where you can see it from everywhere. You can just grab it anytime you want and play it. Using this simple practice, you will be more likely to practice daily and master it. You will also notice that you start to spend more time with your guitar than before.

Making a slight change in the environment you live in, makes a huge impact on the way you behave; and further, it affects your habits. 

So, mind it. If you want to develop a habit, make it a part of your living and it will become a part of your lifestyle. It will take time but it will happen. 

Conclusion

Take an example of a bud you planted someday, but you never water it, you don’t put it into the sunlight, and you don’t take proper care of it.

Do you expect that tiny little bud to grow to become a plant one day? No, you don’t. Right? Because what it takes for a bud to grow and become a plant is the basic needs that are water, sunlight, love, and proper care. 

Habits are just like that bud, if you’ve planted them you have to nourish them every day; if you want to get the fruit out of it. So, it’s actually very simple, take good care of your habits, and then let your habits take care of you.

Here’s what you should read next.

• How to lift yourself up when you feel low
• 7 ways to stop feeling overwhelmed
• 6 ways to find inspiration when you are lost
• What to do when you are confused

Love the post? Save the pin now.

Everyone knows how it feels when we are feeling low and down. The heaviness in the chest is unbearable. Isn’t it? There can be several reasons such as having a bad day at work, anxiety, confusion, stress, feeling overwhelmed, or even lack of inspiration. 

Feeling low can be frustrating, especially when you know that there’s nothing actually wrong with you. Sometimes things are out of your control and what you can do is actually nothing.

When you’re feeling down, it can be hard to get out of bed in the morning. You feel like you have no reason to live, and that life is worse than it’s ever been. Relationships and work can all seem like too much to bear, and you just want to hide away. But hiding away won’t make anything better. Instead, you should just get up and face the problem. 

When you are feeling low, you just need someone to be there with you, listen to you, talk to you, and can lighten your mood. But sometimes there is just you. So, it’s your responsibility to take charge of yourself and lift yourself up, no matter what.

If it’s just about having a bad day at work, then you can lighten your mood by going for a walk, listening to good music, playing with your pets, or doing something you like. But if feeling low is something that happens to you regularly, then you should definitely do something about it. 

Here are some tips that you can follow to lift and cheer yourself up.

1. Talk to yourself

Talking to yourself is the best exercise you should do when you feel low. By talking to yourself, what I mean is actually talking out loud to yourself, and not talking to yourself in your head. 

Talk to yourself about your feelings, the things you want to do, the things you want, the things that are bothering you, etc. When you start talking to yourself, it will lighten up your soul and energy. It also gives you the feeling of being heard.

Self-talk has other benefits too like it boosts your problem-solving skills, it also improves your planning and reasoning skills.

2. Always be positive

When you are feeling low, the aura and energy around you also become negative. But instead of letting yourself be taken over by the negative emotions, try to be positive.

Though, it’s not very easy to stay happy and positive when you are feeling low. Focus on the positive things in your life, the achievements you have made, or think about the people you love.

It will help you lighten your mood and give you positive vibes.

 3. Smile 

The next way to tackle the lowness is smiling and laughing. When you are feeling low, just smile; a lot of laughs and smiles. It will help you forget all the odds you are going through and will lift you up. It will also change the vibes around you to positive. Smiling and laughing will tell your brain that there is nothing wrong and worry about. 

Smiling for no reason is a great way to be happy, not only when you are feeling low but also in general. There is nothing odd to smile for no reason. If you think people will call you crazy, then let it be. Who cares, right?

So keep smiling and spread happiness all around you. 

4. Change your physiology

Have you ever observed what’s your physiology when you are feeling low? If yes, then you must know how your back and shoulders slouch, you feel heaviness in your stomach, and your body is telling you to give up. On contrary, when you feel good, your body is high in energy and you feel joyful.

When you are feeling low, it’s hard to get and cheer up. But it’s worth giving it a try. 

Stand up (if you are sitting) and move your body. Put some music on and shake your body up to the beats. By doing so, you feel a sudden change in your mood, energy, and soul. It will help you forget all your problems and give you the power to get going ahead.

Exercise is another good way to change the state of your body. Exercise for about 20-30 minutes daily will give you a daily boost to your body and make to feel energized all day long.

5. Write

Writing down what’s going on in your mind is a great way to put the burden down from your head to the paper. 

When you think it, ink it.

BRIAN TRACY

Grab a pen/pencil and paper and start writing down. It doesn’t matter what you write, just write everything that’s in your mind. By writing your thoughts what you’ve actually done is, you have put everything that was in your mind on paper, and now it’s finished. It’s gone from your mind and now you can make decisions based on what you have written.

When you are done writing, you will find your mind is not bothering about the stuff anymore, which is quite cool.

Studies have shown that writing not only lightens your burden but you are more likely to find the solutions to the problem you are facing.

6. Meditate

Meditation is the best exercise you can do to get your energy and soul back to life. Practice meditating for about 15-20 minutes daily to see the best results. Meditating soothes your mind and soul. 

It also helps you to find inner peace. When you feel low, meditation can help you get all the negativity out of your mind and makes you feel better. 

When you meditate daily, your mind becomes used to it. And it will automatically filter your thoughts and doesn’t let negativity bother you ever again. Even if negative thoughts come to your mind, they won’t make you any low.

Conclusion

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it

CHARLES R. SWINDOLL

It really doesn’t matter how big the problem is, there is always a solution to that. You just need to keep calm and find it. Not every day is a good day, but you should never stop making efforts to make that day count. Live your life to the fullest and don’t let any problem take your charm away from yourself.

Here’s what you should read next.

• What to do when you are confused?
• 6 ways to find inspiration when you are lost.
• How to overcome negativity to live life to the fullest?

Like the post? Save the pin Now!