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

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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

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