Habits

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