Ideas Bank for Rewarding Long Term Daily Habits Here are some ideas for daily habits listed below. When choosing habits customize them to fit you and make them specific. Do what you want to do, not what you think you "should" do or what someone else wants for you. Skim through the list and see what chooses you! Pay attention to those that aren't on the list. The ones that just pop up unexpectedly.   Making Good First Impressions Confident posture Confident handshake Smile at everyone you see Listen fully What you say when you meet someone Remembering names How you answer the phone Eye contact when talking with someone How you greet a stranger Being interested in others Self Care Slide under the bed covers earlier and get a full night's sleep Take 10 minutes breaks every 90 minutes for peak performance Energize your body with healthier foods or add vitamins Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water Exercise to honor the gift of each day Regular extreme Self Care time (capitalized for importance) Meditate, have spiritual time, or journal Improve your grocery list Look and be your best Do something you absolutely love regularly Professional/ Personal Development Actions Develop a skill Watch less tv Save money Stop charging, pay cash Declutter Plan the day ahead Market your business Handle items that need to be handled Focus on tasks that make the biggest difference Read in your most comfortable place Give to Others Give something to someone Thank someone Let go of control, anger, jealousy, or resentment Give a compliment or add value in another way Respond vs. react to situations Listen without interjecting (especially with family) Tell someone you appreciate them Share your message with 1, 5, 100, or 500+ people Look at how people are similar vs different Spend 30 minutes+ daily listening to your children Tell someone that you thank God for them More Personal Development Habits Develop self discipline Take educated risks Face a fear Get support Be courageous Set boundaries Leverage your strengths Improve communication skills Shift negative thoughts to productive thoughts Orient your life around your values Become Your Own Best Coach thru Positive Self Communication Feel good about who you are and who you are becoming! ADD TO THE LIST HERE to the top Daily Habits- Are They Expanding or Diminishing Your Life Experience and Business Success? “Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” Benjamin Franklin "Up to 90 percent of our normal behavior is based on habits," an excerpt from The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. One-by-one daily habits generate a full life. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” In the past, habits formed that served you in some way…the time you go to sleep, how you react in situations, how you communicate, what you eat, how you focus your time, etc. Because habits run on autopilot we forget they are a major influence in the results we experience. Are your daily habits serving you? When was the last time you checked? Here are 5 A’s to support you to move beyond limits and make a long-term positive impact one habit at a time. Attention- First, pay attention to your daily actions. Are there any to improve, add, or eliminate? One positive, new, long term habit a month results in 12 rewarding habits in place by the end of a year, 60 after 5 years. Wow, imagine how your life might be different then! Secondly, pay attention to new possibilities.Take a look at the Ideas Bank above. Adjust- Make a list of the habits to develop over the rest of the year. What habits do you want to add or eliminate? Instead of eliminating a bad habit you may add a good habit. For example, instead  of choosing to stop snacking you may opt to drink more water. The water fills you and automatically reduces snacking. Consider habits with long term results. Then set your plan for each month. You may choose easier habits to incorporate in the beginning. The clearer your focus the better so 1 or 2 a month is sufficient. If you choose more, select one as your primary habit. Tip: Choose what you want, not what someone else wants for you. Activate- Get in motion by knowing your motivation. What will you gain by incorporating this daily ritual? How will you be different? How will you feel different? What results may you experience long term? Review your motivation daily while instilling the habit. Accountability- Choose a structure to keep your new habit in front of you daily. It may be helpful to schedule it at the same time daily, add it at the top of your “to do” list, or do it first thing in the morning. Tell the world what you are doing, find a friend to connect with weekly for support, or get a coach. You are welcome to pick up a complimentary Rewarding Daily Habits Chart for tracking purposes at www.StartingNowCoaching.com which includes your motivation and support structure at a glance. Action- Make a commitment and take consistent, persistent daily action. Don’t just try it… do it! When you miss a day because life gets in the way, don’t quit. You can do this. Jim Rohn says, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habits is what keeps you going.” Begin creating habits that lead to extraordinary results… one habit at a time… StartingNow! COMMENT to the top 10 Ways Life Gets Easier When You Build Good Habits “Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as are bad habits” Robert Puller Habits add enough structure to change life drastically long term. Picking up one new good habit a month leads to 12 improved habits over a year and 60 in 5 years. Even half of that could change behavior that leads to significant results. What kind of impact would that have on your career, business, goals, relationships, health, finances, etc.? How would your quality of life be different? Aristotle explained, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Here are 10 ways life gets easier when you change habits in a positive direction. Sharpening Focus- Setting up small habits to help you stay clear on priorities, plan ahead, or be organized can increase and sharpen your focus. This results in achieving more, faster; and saving time. Happier Relationships- Setting boundaries, daily gratitude and affection, etc. can lead to upgraded relationships. I once met a man who started his day turning to his wife and thanking God for her every  morning when they awoke. Imagine what this small habit could do for a relationship? Healthful Lifestyle- Exercise, deep breathing, yoga, drinking more water, increasing healthy foods intake, etc. can reduce trips to the doctor and hospital while allowing more time for feeling good, having fun, and getting things done. Begin with just one small addition at a time. More Energy- With some habits you can pick up bonus benefits. Developing habits above that sharpen focus and improve health can also give you more energy. Getting the right amount of sleep each night helps, too. Higher Education- Good habits that make time for reading, education, developing a skill, etc. can lead to developing expertise and a well rounded education that improves communication with others, opens more doors, and helps you make educated decisions. Steadfast Confidence- Naturally, all of the areas above can help build a stronger sense of self when you feel good about who you are, have focus and purpose, and the support of good relationships. More Opportunities- More doors open when you are feeling great about yourself, you are continuously developing your education and skills, and you have a network of great relationships around you. Better Choices- Good habits can add structure to save time and remove you from chaos. Then you can get out of your head and into your heart to connect with intuition and make great choices. Intuition is rarely wrong. In addition, educational habits help develop a library of resources that you can access quickly when needed to help make tough decisions. And developing good relationships leads to knowing just the right person to call for advice.   More Spiritually Connected- Studies have found that those who are spiritually connected are able to handle crisis more easily. Habits that develop your soul strengthen you to handle hardships. Feel Great- Notice how much of the above builds on each other to develop you, your career, family, and life in a way that makes you feel great. Personal development through change of habits creates the foundation to make your journey a whole lot easier and enjoyable. We all have habits that are in place or developing. The question then becomes: Are your habits supporting you to achieve goals you envision for your career, relationships, business, life, etc. long term? Follow these steps to change habits and change behavior one step at a time: ~ Choose one small habit to develop this month that will bring you benefits for years to come. ~ Keep it simple while developing the routine. You can always expand on it later. Create the lifestyle change. ~ Put structure in place to add accountability and stay on track, such as keeping a journal or having an accountability partner. ~ Stay focused on the benefits. Enjoy feeling life become easier as it transforms in a positive direction one habit at a time… Starting Now! COMMENT to the top