Success Procedure : Keystone Habits
Can you believe it's already the second month of the new year? It’s an incredible time full of newness and change. Considerable change presents us with considerable opportunity. Some of us are “crushing it!” when it comes to meeting our goals. But some of us may feel discouraged, disillusioned, or a little stuck, especially if we haven't made progress on those resolutions we set out to accomplish, January 1. It's easy to identify all the areas of life where we need to change. In our eagerness to do something, we bite off more than we can chew.
But before we start our quest to fix everything, all at once, I invite you to do the most important thing: Shift your perspective. Perhaps the smallest tweaks make the biggest differences.
Research shows that the small wins, continually built upon over time, lead to the most significant life transformations. Choosing to do the right thing every day accumulates, creating habits, which establish routines, that turn into rhythms, which become our victories. My mom says it like this, "Mile-by-mile, life is a trial. Inch-by-inch, it's a cinch."
Honestly, we know it’s the little things; so why do we get frustrated and believe we have to do so much more? Comparison is certainly a factor. In this day and age, we readily see the carefully curated successes of others on social media. However, we rarely see their daily choices, the small habits they’ve developed that give them the strength to achieve their goals.
Today, choose one small thing to focus on. Ask yourself some exploratory questions; find out what is holding you back from having the mindset of a champion. Then choose one or two key habits to develop. Correcting these areas has the potential to improve your life or business radically.
“Some habits have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits as they move through an organization. Some habits, in other words, matter more than others in remaking businesses and lives. These are ‘keystone habits’ and they can influence how people work, eat, play, live, spend and communicate. Keystone habits start a process that, over time, transforms everything. Keystone habits say that success doesn’t depend on getting every single thing right, but instead relies on identifying a few key priorities and fashioning them into powerful levers.”
- Charles Duhigg
After nearly a decade now of coaching others to success, I’ve analyzed and identified 12 common areas where people can get stuck and discouraged. Time and again, I’ve personally seen our clients begin the chain reaction of lasting change in their lives when they started by addressing just ONE thing and watching the dominoes fall as they begin to have one victory after another and another.
The following 12 examples provide the motion to get you going. Choose ONE in the Area of Growth You need the Most:
1. Mental Development: Read 20 minutes per day. Reading allows you to learn continually and puts you in a growth mindset. Reading 20 minutes per day exposes you to approximately 1.8 million new words per year. Imagine how you can apply that knowledge! Another great benefit of reading is stress reduction.
2. Personal Productivity: Make Your Bed. It's a proven fact, those who make their beds are more productive and efficient all day. Spruce up your bed and make it comfy and pretty. Put on ALL the inspiring pillows! This gives you a WIN at the top of your day and makes you feel accomplished and together.
3. Health: Exercise. Statistics show exercise increases your endorphins, develops a more positive attitude, increases energy, and improves overall performance. You don’t have to be a Cross Fit champion or do 75 Hard. Just start by taking a walk down the street. And on a sunny day, you’ll also be getting your Vitamin D!
4. Health: Food Journaling. Studies show simply writing down what you eat every day improves eating habits. As you journal, you are chronicling your actions so you can come back and make healthy adjustments.
5. Personal Productivity: Accountability. Gather a partner who will help you stay on track and not just be a "yes" person. We all need someone in our lives who is willing to tell us the truth in love. Accountability alone will more than double your chance for goal achievement.
6. Mental Development: Visualization. Imagine yourself winning every day! Visualizing now prepares you for the roadblocks which are sure to come. Take 10 minutes per day to visualize yourself walking with purpose, prepared for your meetings, and ultimately setting world records.
7. Family Development: The Weekly POW WOW. We are all running to meetings with everyone else but this is the most important meeting of the week. At the top of each week, set a 30-minute to 1-hour checkup with yourself and/or your hometeam. Plan your goals, track your progress, and prepare for what's ahead. Get your team on the same page. Remember, the place of agreement is the place of power!
8. Financial: Track your spending. Do more than create a budget, track every expense with an app like Mint. Analyze your patterns, then learn to adjust accordingly.
9. Financial: Improve your credit. Credit Karma and Credit Sesame are great tools for advice on immediate improvement. When you become intentional, this is a pretty simple area to improve. What was once daunting becomes very manageable.
10. Career Development: Use your planner! Too many of us try to run our careers or businesses without a written "disciplinarian." Keeping track of your activities increases your efficiency, productivity, and best of all, results improve immediately.
11. Personal/Career Development: Get dressed 20 minutes earlier. Start small. Work to accomplish one new thing in those 20 minutes. That's it; little-by-little.
12. Personal/Career Development: Write one thank you note, email, or text per day. Thank someone for something small or big they did for you; Zig Ziglar said, “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions.” Affirm and notice others daily and you will have more to be grateful for.
These are a few keystone habits I believe can change your life. You don’t have to change it all today, tomorrow, or even by next month. Start small, shift your perspective.
Do you want to see this domino effect happen for your goals? Then start with JUST ONE THING. Stay focused on developing your keystone habits, and don't allow distractions to move you.
What do you want to commit to? Which keystone habit is the most beneficial for you right now?
Let me know and I’d love to help you stay on track!!
Our Brand New U Coaches can help you clarify your vision, dream again, and hold you accountable to what you really want most out of life.
If you want 2022 to be different, start small. A few minor tweaks will surely yield you great results! We have Coaching Slots Available, beginning now through May. If you want to go Next Level in your business or your career before summer, now is the time!
Check us out at www.brandnewu.org and set up an introductory call HERE. We'll get you a Brand New U Certified Coach that is the right fit for you and what you want to accomplish, whether it is Business Development, Family Development, or Personal Development.
Share this with your friends who you want to see hit their goals!
Thanks to Charles Duhigg for his research on this topic, found in the book, The Power of Habit.