I have touched on habits before. During many articles, both the term and process have been key points. Habits are a significant part of our lives. We do things in a certain manner because we have developed the habit to do it that way. Whether we were taught to do it this way or simply found this to be the easiest way, the habit has been developed.
You’ve heard the term “old habits die hard” before. This is very true. Because the saying rings true, habits are very important in life. No matter what we do, habits determine whether we succeed or fail. If we develop good habits, we get good results. If we develop bad habits, well, you know what we get.
So what is the difference between good and bad habits? Results are the only difference. Good habits yield good results, while bad habits yield less than desirable results. No matter what you are trying to do, there will be actions that lead to better results than others. So, the key to success in any endeavor is to practice habits that yield the results we are looking for.
If we are talking about basketball (or any sport for that matter), we are going to want to practice the parts of the game that will lead to game success. With academics, we are going to focus on learning and being able to convey our knowledge of the material on exams. Since I am a health coach, I speak about habits as they relate to our health.
Our health is nothing more than the product of our actions. Our actions turn into habits. So the longer we do certain actions, the more routine they become. In other words, we form habits. It is crucial to understand that there is no difference between good and bad habits. We have classified them that way simply because of the relationship to our desired results. The only reason any habit is more difficult form (or break) is due to the length of time associated with it.
So the moral of the story is: habits that have been formed over a long period of time are difficult to break and easy to continue. Good or bad, the longer and more consistently you do something, the more likely you are to keep doing them. There is no magic trick that gives you instant habits or can give you different results from the same actions. There is only habit. The habits that you form are going to give you certain results. The key is to form the habits that are going to give you the results you want.
Once you have gotten started, the key becomes staying with it. If you realize that habits take time, you will be able to keep going without feeling that you are failing. By focusing on the habits and enjoying the results, success will be yours. It is when we stress about the results and go back to (or stay with) old habits that we have trouble getting those new results.
Good Habits + Time to solidify = Good Results
Bad Habits = Bad Results
Good Habits without enough time to solidify = Bad Results
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Health Care Solutions
Health Care Solution: Personal Responsibility
The future of our health care is uncertain at best. We all agree that there is a problem. Actually, we agree that there are many problems with the current system. The rising costs and inconsistent coverage are just two of the concerns, but enough in to have many alarmed. So what is the biggest problem?
We are. That’s right; we are the biggest problem in the health care system. We each have choices as to how we live. We choose whether our habits are healthy or unhealthy. We choose to do everything that we do, until it is time for care. Then we leave it up to the system. The system is now responsible for fixing or managing your condition. Was the system responsible for your habits? Did the system make choices for you all of these years? No it didn’t.
Health Care Solution: Personal Responsibility
Now, as I stated in the last article, I think the system should help you live a healthy lifestyle. We should emphasize the importance of wellness and facilitate the habits that will lead to positive changes in our health as a whole. Just because that is not the way health care works now, doesn’t mean that we can’t make those choices now.
It is up to us, not the system, to manage our health on a day to day basis. If we manage our health, we are able to prevent many conditions. We are able to avoid the pain and suffering, costs and complications of reactive medical care. If we don’t manage our health, what do we end up with? We end up with all of the problems we have now. We end up with multiple epidemics that are costing us all billions of dollars.
The worst part about this scenario (worse than the reality and severity) is that we chose it. We chose to ignore our health and leave it in the hands of the system. We chose the unhealthy habits that have lead to all of these epidemics and we have relied on the system to react.
Now that we see the results of a system caring for people that aren’t caring for themselves, we are alarmed. We feel that we are paying too much and that we need better care. When in reality, we already have access to better and cheaper care. It’s called personal responsibility. By taking ownership of our health, we are improving the system. By being responsible and managing our own health we are taking much of the burden off of that system.
The future of our health care is uncertain at best. We all agree that there is a problem. Actually, we agree that there are many problems with the current system. The rising costs and inconsistent coverage are just two of the concerns, but enough in to have many alarmed. So what is the biggest problem?
We are. That’s right; we are the biggest problem in the health care system. We each have choices as to how we live. We choose whether our habits are healthy or unhealthy. We choose to do everything that we do, until it is time for care. Then we leave it up to the system. The system is now responsible for fixing or managing your condition. Was the system responsible for your habits? Did the system make choices for you all of these years? No it didn’t.
Health Care Solution: Personal Responsibility
Now, as I stated in the last article, I think the system should help you live a healthy lifestyle. We should emphasize the importance of wellness and facilitate the habits that will lead to positive changes in our health as a whole. Just because that is not the way health care works now, doesn’t mean that we can’t make those choices now.
It is up to us, not the system, to manage our health on a day to day basis. If we manage our health, we are able to prevent many conditions. We are able to avoid the pain and suffering, costs and complications of reactive medical care. If we don’t manage our health, what do we end up with? We end up with all of the problems we have now. We end up with multiple epidemics that are costing us all billions of dollars.
The worst part about this scenario (worse than the reality and severity) is that we chose it. We chose to ignore our health and leave it in the hands of the system. We chose the unhealthy habits that have lead to all of these epidemics and we have relied on the system to react.
Now that we see the results of a system caring for people that aren’t caring for themselves, we are alarmed. We feel that we are paying too much and that we need better care. When in reality, we already have access to better and cheaper care. It’s called personal responsibility. By taking ownership of our health, we are improving the system. By being responsible and managing our own health we are taking much of the burden off of that system.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Health Care Solutions
Health Care Solution: Wellness
There are many arguments about what we need to do in order to fix the health care system. So what is the best solution? You will hear the arguments for government-run universal health care. You will also hear arguments for a free-market system. No matter what side of the spectrum you feel is the right direction to go, we can all agree that we need to go somewhere, because where we are today is not where we need to be.
I am not an expert on the health care system. I understand the basic concepts and see the intent of our current system, but I do not claim to know everything (or more than the next person for that matter) about the health care system. But that is the biggest reason for my concern. Why don’t I, as a professional in the health and wellness industry, have a larger role within the structure of our health care system?
Health Care Solution: Wellness
If wellness becomes a more significant part of our system, people will be healthier. If health care is to actually be considered health care, than we need to prevent some of the issues that are causing so many problems. The current system simply deals with our illnesses and injuries. It provides a fix for the symptoms of those illnesses and injuries. What it needs to provide more of is prevention.
Health is not something that is attained by getting care for an emergency. Granted, if you break your leg, the system is there to help you. If you need a surgery or medication, again, the system is there for you. But, what happens if we prevent the condition that required the surgery or the medication? What happens if we promote healthy behavior and help people live healthy lifestyles? If we promote health, we will no longer need to spend so much on costly care.
Wellness is the only way for us to actually care for our health, which is what health care should be. The current system, while the intent is good, is only caring for the sick. When you get sick, you use the health care system. What we need to do, in order to fix the system, is to start caring for our health. By caring for people and helping them live healthy lifestyles, we are preventing many devastating and costly conditions.
Stay tuned for more health care solutions.
Do you have a solution or a comment? Please let us know.
There are many arguments about what we need to do in order to fix the health care system. So what is the best solution? You will hear the arguments for government-run universal health care. You will also hear arguments for a free-market system. No matter what side of the spectrum you feel is the right direction to go, we can all agree that we need to go somewhere, because where we are today is not where we need to be.
I am not an expert on the health care system. I understand the basic concepts and see the intent of our current system, but I do not claim to know everything (or more than the next person for that matter) about the health care system. But that is the biggest reason for my concern. Why don’t I, as a professional in the health and wellness industry, have a larger role within the structure of our health care system?
Health Care Solution: Wellness
If wellness becomes a more significant part of our system, people will be healthier. If health care is to actually be considered health care, than we need to prevent some of the issues that are causing so many problems. The current system simply deals with our illnesses and injuries. It provides a fix for the symptoms of those illnesses and injuries. What it needs to provide more of is prevention.
Health is not something that is attained by getting care for an emergency. Granted, if you break your leg, the system is there to help you. If you need a surgery or medication, again, the system is there for you. But, what happens if we prevent the condition that required the surgery or the medication? What happens if we promote healthy behavior and help people live healthy lifestyles? If we promote health, we will no longer need to spend so much on costly care.
Wellness is the only way for us to actually care for our health, which is what health care should be. The current system, while the intent is good, is only caring for the sick. When you get sick, you use the health care system. What we need to do, in order to fix the system, is to start caring for our health. By caring for people and helping them live healthy lifestyles, we are preventing many devastating and costly conditions.
Stay tuned for more health care solutions.
Do you have a solution or a comment? Please let us know.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Freedom of Choice
On Tuesday November 4th Americans everywhere exercised their right to vote. In what some call the epitome of freedom, millions cast their ballots to choose leadership at many levels. In our democracy, we often emphasize how important it is for us to choose. Freedom of choice is a right that countless soldiers have fought for and it is what we base our national ideals on.
On my way to the polls, I thought about the election process and really felt like a good American. I knew that my choice was contributing to the process that makes our country great. I was going to make a difference in the results that were reported that night. As I stood in line, I continued this thought and I came to the conclusion, that while this is a monumental decision, it is only one decision. I wondered how many people that chose to make it to the polls to cast their ballots were able to choose to do something healthy for themselves today.
The conclusion I reached on election day was that, while I made an important choice, it wasn’t the only choice I made. I am an American every day and I make choices every day. When I make those choices, I truly make them. I am free to choose in all areas of my life. As an American, that is a right I share with all of you. We are all free to choose healthy habits every day. For that reason, ‘exercising your rights’ has a significant meaning to me every day, not just on election day.
On my way to the polls, I thought about the election process and really felt like a good American. I knew that my choice was contributing to the process that makes our country great. I was going to make a difference in the results that were reported that night. As I stood in line, I continued this thought and I came to the conclusion, that while this is a monumental decision, it is only one decision. I wondered how many people that chose to make it to the polls to cast their ballots were able to choose to do something healthy for themselves today.
The conclusion I reached on election day was that, while I made an important choice, it wasn’t the only choice I made. I am an American every day and I make choices every day. When I make those choices, I truly make them. I am free to choose in all areas of my life. As an American, that is a right I share with all of you. We are all free to choose healthy habits every day. For that reason, ‘exercising your rights’ has a significant meaning to me every day, not just on election day.
Focus: Urgent vs. Important
Focus is the key to reaching any goal. Whether we are talking about a simple project or a complex business objective, you need to focus on the task at hand in order to accomplish it. The same holds true for your health. You need to focus on your health in order to improve it. In other words, we can’t simply expect things to change if we don’t focus on changing them. I have noticed that this has been a major barrier for many people.
Why do we have so much trouble focusing on our health? We struggle to find focus around things that don’t take precedence. Is our health important to us? Yes, in general, our health is very important to us. Even those of us that have neglected our health for years, still would consider it to be important. The problem is, in our lives, important doesn’t get done until after the urgent. Urgent issues take precedence over important issues in our day to day lives. Now I’m not trying to tell you what is or isn’t important in your life. I’m simply illustrating the difference between these two categories and how it makes life (at least a healthy life) more difficult.
Imagine sitting in a busy office trying to work. For many of us, this isn’t too hard to picture. The task at hand is a very important report for your boss. You’ve been working on it successfully for a few hours until the phone rings. Even if you don’t answer the phone, it is a distraction and you have to gather your thoughts again. As soon as you are back on track, a coworker pops over and asks a question. By the time they leave, you’ve lost a few minutes of work time. Not a catastrophic event, but when another coworker stops by and asks you to do something else, you’ve now realized that the report is not coming along as you want it to. As soon as you get back to your report, you see an email pop into your inbox that explains an urgent situation that needs your immediate attention. Naturally, this concerns you and you read it. By the time you read the email and decide how to respond, you’ve lost another few minutes and this important report has been pushed off yet again.
Think of your health as this report. It is important to you, but there are urgent things that keep coming up to pull you away from it. The ringing phone, the coworker and the email are all metaphors for the other things that keep us from the tasks that we know will help us live healthy lives. In many cases, they are not metaphors at all. These urgent matters or distractions are all too literal.
So what do we do? Many of us struggle with this question. The answer is honestly to start looking at the importance of what we are doing. Whether you are working on that report or trying to include more healthy habits in your day, you have to establish the importance. Once you do that, so called urgent or distracting influences simply don’t interrupt your focus. But this can only happen when YOU establish the importance of what you are doing.
At work, it may mean closing your office door or forwarding your calls to voicemail. You may even want to turn off the pop-up function on your office email so you don’t see every email until it is time to deal with them. By setting time aside and honoring that time, you can accomplish much more. The same goes for healthy habits. Make an appointment on your calendar to go for your walk. If someone is standing at your desk, simply tell them, I’ve got an appointment in five minutes, so I will have to step away.
By making appointments with yourself, you bring the accountability that comes with importance. Important things go on the calendar. You set reminders so you don’t forget important things. Urgent things just sort of happen. If you are free, guess what, now you are dealing with this other task. If you are already engaged, now you can prioritize and decide which is more important.
Clearly, there many ways in which these scenarios can play out. I know that not all situations are flexible and there are times when we have to do what has to be done. What I am saying is that if we decide what is important and focus on it, we can accomplish it. If there are distractions and other things coming in the way, what do we need to do in order to eliminate them? If we don’t focus, we can’t progress with the goals that we want to progress with. In other words, the important things in our lives don’t get done.
This is what I help clients do. I don’t tell you what to do. I don’t try to make my priorities your priorities. But I do help you put your priorities in order. Not only do we work to decide what your priorities are, but we will start to focus on those important priorities. And that is the key. As soon as you are focusing on what is important to you, you are successful. Not only are you successfully reaching goals, you are also bringing fulfillment into your life as you accomplish what is truly important to you.
Why do we have so much trouble focusing on our health? We struggle to find focus around things that don’t take precedence. Is our health important to us? Yes, in general, our health is very important to us. Even those of us that have neglected our health for years, still would consider it to be important. The problem is, in our lives, important doesn’t get done until after the urgent. Urgent issues take precedence over important issues in our day to day lives. Now I’m not trying to tell you what is or isn’t important in your life. I’m simply illustrating the difference between these two categories and how it makes life (at least a healthy life) more difficult.
Imagine sitting in a busy office trying to work. For many of us, this isn’t too hard to picture. The task at hand is a very important report for your boss. You’ve been working on it successfully for a few hours until the phone rings. Even if you don’t answer the phone, it is a distraction and you have to gather your thoughts again. As soon as you are back on track, a coworker pops over and asks a question. By the time they leave, you’ve lost a few minutes of work time. Not a catastrophic event, but when another coworker stops by and asks you to do something else, you’ve now realized that the report is not coming along as you want it to. As soon as you get back to your report, you see an email pop into your inbox that explains an urgent situation that needs your immediate attention. Naturally, this concerns you and you read it. By the time you read the email and decide how to respond, you’ve lost another few minutes and this important report has been pushed off yet again.
Think of your health as this report. It is important to you, but there are urgent things that keep coming up to pull you away from it. The ringing phone, the coworker and the email are all metaphors for the other things that keep us from the tasks that we know will help us live healthy lives. In many cases, they are not metaphors at all. These urgent matters or distractions are all too literal.
So what do we do? Many of us struggle with this question. The answer is honestly to start looking at the importance of what we are doing. Whether you are working on that report or trying to include more healthy habits in your day, you have to establish the importance. Once you do that, so called urgent or distracting influences simply don’t interrupt your focus. But this can only happen when YOU establish the importance of what you are doing.
At work, it may mean closing your office door or forwarding your calls to voicemail. You may even want to turn off the pop-up function on your office email so you don’t see every email until it is time to deal with them. By setting time aside and honoring that time, you can accomplish much more. The same goes for healthy habits. Make an appointment on your calendar to go for your walk. If someone is standing at your desk, simply tell them, I’ve got an appointment in five minutes, so I will have to step away.
By making appointments with yourself, you bring the accountability that comes with importance. Important things go on the calendar. You set reminders so you don’t forget important things. Urgent things just sort of happen. If you are free, guess what, now you are dealing with this other task. If you are already engaged, now you can prioritize and decide which is more important.
Clearly, there many ways in which these scenarios can play out. I know that not all situations are flexible and there are times when we have to do what has to be done. What I am saying is that if we decide what is important and focus on it, we can accomplish it. If there are distractions and other things coming in the way, what do we need to do in order to eliminate them? If we don’t focus, we can’t progress with the goals that we want to progress with. In other words, the important things in our lives don’t get done.
This is what I help clients do. I don’t tell you what to do. I don’t try to make my priorities your priorities. But I do help you put your priorities in order. Not only do we work to decide what your priorities are, but we will start to focus on those important priorities. And that is the key. As soon as you are focusing on what is important to you, you are successful. Not only are you successfully reaching goals, you are also bringing fulfillment into your life as you accomplish what is truly important to you.
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