FOLLOWING THESE 2 HABITS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

After studying more than hundreds of habits deemed healthy and productive, I have been able to determine 2 habits that separate successful people from the average population. Adopting these 2 little habits can change your life. So, today we will discuss what these habits are? And how do you incorporate them into your routine? Let’s explore them one by one.

Habits often become slowly ingrained into our lives without us even realizing they have. And as explained in some of my previous blogs, you can choose which habits to incorporate into your lives. You also have a say in how you do that. But it is still burdensome to pick habits.

There are hundreds of habits, said to be life-changing, on the internet. All of them have tens of variations. The question which arises now is how to decide & pick only the ones which will be beneficial to you, as you cannot try all of them because of time constraints. There is also always some FOMO associated with picking the wrong ones. It is quite an anxiety-inducing task. It’s like how do you even begin to sort through the internet chatter. To make this task easier for you, here I list 5 habits, whose value I have understood only after studying various successful people who have incorporated them in their lives and then incorporating those habits in my own life.

Habit #1: Visualization – The Habit of Visualizing your Goals

Every single person on this planet has some goal or the other. Be it a personal goal of losing 10 kgs, which is relatively small in the scheme of things; or a larger goal of disrupting one whole sector with a new product/service. But what differentiates the people who succeed in accomplishing their goals from the unsuccessful ones is their habit of visualizing what they want to achieve. Every. Single. Day.

This is one of the first things I work on with my clients. Why? Well, there are numerous benefits of visualization, such as:

  1. The major purpose visualization serves is that it reminds people what it is they are striving for. Remind them what they are progressing towards. If you want to achieve something, then make it into a goal. And keep that goal always present in your thoughts, never out of your mind.
  2. Daily visualization serves as a guiding star so that your actions align with your goals. Knowing what it is you are progressing towards; your every action is aimed towards reaching your goal.
  3. When looking at your goals every day, you might stumble upon various courses of action you previously might have missed. This gives a wider point of view while giving you a chance to flex your imagination muscles by considering the various paths and the intricacies within those, to be used to achieve your goals.

Besides these, visualization has actually been proven to build strength and character in real life. All through visualizing what you are doing in your mind. So, hop on the visualization express from the Mind station, and practice your own adventures. [1]

Habit #2: Journaling – The habit of Evaluating your day & Planning ahead

Keeping a journal is a curious habit. Many people start practicing this habit without ever realizing the benefits of doing so. But then again, the methodology most people use while journaling does not exactly help much. You might have kept, or might still be keeping, a diary in which you pen down your daily thoughts and experiences. These types of journals are called expressive writings. The method I suggest is just that, but a little more meticulous. The best way to journal is to reflect on the day you had and then plan for the next day. It has many added benefits. The two biggest benefits I have noticed:

  1. The practice of journaling helps in being more mindful. Mindfulness is a topic I will elaborate more on later, so make sure you follow me on Instagram to know when I do. But until then, remember that being mindful improves the clarity of thought, which is reflected in the planning for your goals, and subsequent action you take to reach those goals.
  2. Journaling has been proven to be therapeutic. It helps in reducing anxiety as well as signs of depression, and it also relieves stress. This is because while journaling, one actually unplugs from the world. The act of writing things down is expressive in nature, becoming a channel of release for stress and pent-up emotions.

Try to incorporate this habit into your routine just before you go to bed, and see the positive and motivating effect it has on you. [2]

It’s all up to you

Though both the above habits have been highly beneficial for me, and have been adopted by many of my clients who now swear by these, it is ultimately you should decide what works for you.

You can always try to funk it up by adding tiny changes and twists in your method of journaling, discovering your ‘own’ method. And you can also massage your imagination muscles after intense visualization sessions by practicing creative visualization techniques. Well, others call it wishful thinking, but it is fun. Just don’t do too often of it too much.

And lastly, these habits are guaranteed to help you further your progress in achieving your goals. Stick with them.

References:

[1] Body-Mind-Spirit: The benefits of Visualization by Marita B Hoffart, Elizabeth Pross Keene (AJN The American Journal of Nursing 98 (12), 44-47, 1998)

[2] The health benefits of journaling by Maud Purcell (Psych Central, 2006)

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