“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” -Samuel Smiles
Let’s talk about the importance of habit. It is a New You, New Year, a Beautiful Fresh Start. It is imperative with our world the way it is at the moment to set new, uplifting goals. I am not talking about large items. It is awesome to buy a car or a house, or move up in a company, but that is momentary. Every emotion is momentary. If it is not, seek professional help because emotions are not meant to be long lasting. Bereavement ends over a period of time, and peace does eventually start seeping in.
Achieving large goals takes achieving small goals first. I would like to be a better boss so I am going to start this instant, saying something uplifting to my employees everyday. Now that I have said it, I am going to implement it. I just sent my employees a positive meme this morning.
I met a man in a vintage record store in Palm Spring several years ago. We chatted for a bit, we exchanged numbers and I was supposed to attend a jazz concert that night that he was putting on. Unfortunately, my friend and I were unable to attend. Sadiq has stayed in touch ever since. For the last few years, Sadiq has sent me positive memes, quotes and links to inspire me everyday. It makes my day a little brighter, sometimes changing my attitude and giving me a moment to reflect. I want my employees to feel better about their day before entering into their therapy sessions and guiding people throughout the day.
Goals need to be small attainable gestures that can become a habit. When something is a habit or routine, we are more likely to stick with it. We brush our teeth everyday to get rid of plaque, bad breath, and help prevent disease. If you quit brushing your teeth and show up to work where you are sitting next to someone talking, they will be able to smell your decaying mouth. The point is, we automatically do things because we have made them a habit.
Habits need to be done everyday. Start with something simple you can do daily. Many of my clients experience the monotony of working from home. We focus on making the environment more pleasurable. That can be as simple as putting your favorite scented candle on your workplace, or you can go all out by painting and decorating your workspace. Improving the environment in which you work, will increase productivity and positively improve your mood to give you more confidence to achieve your goals.
When working on relationships it can be a bit trickier. People sometimes have unrealistic expectations of how the relationship should go. There may be an expectation for an elaborate gift for a birthday. The problem is, birthdays only come around once a year. Building and maintaining relationships requires more attention than once a year. It is wise and productive to let someone know they are important on a regular basis. It can be bringing an extra coffee to the office, or leaving your spouse a love note. These suggestions can build strong relationships by doing something simple and quick daily.
Life is truly about simple pleasures. It is important to have small goals to make habits. Habits are intentional things that we can do daily to make our lives better and healthier. If you are unable to think of ideas to move forward with, use google, talk with someone and brainstorm. Pick an area in your life that you want to improve, start there. Do it for 90 days to build a habit. Then go on to the next goal.