In the words of the Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor, Bruce Lee, ‘I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks, but I do fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times.’
Indeed, habits are powerful and it is often easier to start a habit than to break it.
Almost everything we do in life on a daily basis is habitual, that is, they have become a habit. The time you wake up, clean up, eat, prepare for the day’s activities, arrive at your workplace, leave your workplace, and the time to rest are all activities that we have done repeatedly and consistently such that they have become a habit.
Starting a new habit is quite easy if certain tips are followed to the latter.
Do you desire to start a new habit or have you been inconsistent with a habit you want to make a part of you?
You need not worry, just ensure you read this article till the end as discussed in it are five tips that will help you in starting a new habit.
1. Start simple
Starting a new habit is not a miracle or magic and it is impossible to change into a new habit within a day. So, you have to start inculcating that habit into your daily routine in a simple way.
Whatever habit you want to make a part of your life, you need to start bit by bit.
Resist the urge to get over-motivated or impose unrealistic expectations on yourself.
Regardless of how easy or hard a habit is, you need to learn to start small as Rome wasn’t built in a day.
2. Make it daily
To make a habit stick, you have to engage in it daily. It has to become a part of your daily routine. Always remember that we are what we do repeatedly.
For instance, if you intend on losing weight, it is expedient that you know that exercising and certain food plans should be adhered to strictly on a daily basis.
Consistency is critical if you want to make a habit stick. Engaging in a habit only a couple of times a week will make it harder to form the habit.
3. Be consistent
If we must achieve anything we set our minds on in life, consistency is key. To start a new habit, you must be consistent.
The more consistent you get with a habit, the easier it will be for it to stick.
For instance, if you want to start studying for a number of hours per day, start by fixing a specific time and place for this activity and staying consistent with it.
Trust me, within some weeks, your body gets accustomed to the fact that there is a particular activity you are expected to do at that time of the day.
4. Engage in a 30 days trial
I often say that whatever activity you can do consistently for 30 days can be turned into a habit. Your ability to stick to a particular act for 30 days will help you make such actions a habit.
A period of three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, where your body is still trying to adjust to the change then it becomes much easier to sustain.
A month is a good block of time to commit to a change.
5. Get a habit partner
There are some friends we have that we call our ‘partners in crime’. These individuals are always with us in all we do; they can be likened to our better half.
In starting a new habit, you need to get a partner that is also interested in inculcating such habit. It is impossible for you to want to learn how to exercise daily and you are in the company of an individual that detests exercise like a plague. You will never be able to start that habit as a result of the company you keep.
To start that new habit and stay consistent and committed to it, you need to find someone who will go along with you and keep you motivated even when you feel like quitting.
In all, we are what we do repeatedly. Start that new habit today by starting simple, staying committed and consistent, going through a 30 days’ trial, getting a habit partner and don’t forget to reward yourself as you put in your best to inculcate that habit into your daily life.
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