Everywhere we go, be it up, down, to the side or around…somewhere along the trail there’s always going to be a single tone from a passerby who shouts, “It’s time to create new habits.”
Habit…it almost sounds like hamper.
Maybe that’s why we stand ten to fifteen feet away from the clothes collector and shoot a wad of whatever’s in our hand high into the air and hit or miss, we move about our day.
Is there such a thing as making a lasting change? What must it be like to master one?
Billions are spent to feed our need especially when it comes to weight... even Oprah admits to having a difficult time playing that game of fate.
It seems so simple, just thirty days are required, keep doing something healthy and poof it becomes a great habit. Sadly, the thirty day rule is nothing more than a marketing scheme to hoist more bucks from your pocket.
In Tae Kwon Do we perform the front kick, side kick and round house over and over—so much so this modern day A.D.D. society we’ve created ends up walking away from the sport because Hollywood has trained the mind body and soul that flips, chops and spins are not only cool but lately the actors in martial arts films can fly.
You can’t leap into the sky and knock your enemy off his horse unless you grasp the basics. Learning to lift the knee while pivoting allows your hip to reach out and strike the attacker like a whip. What? Exactly… Radio is no different, to an outsider it seems so easy to walk into a room, pop open the microphone and talk and talk. Now do it six days a week using a tone that inspires listeners to want to stay. What? Exactly…
Banking, grocery store veggie man, mom and dad, school bus driver…none of it is as easy as it looks.
Creating new habits is painful! In the end they must reach a particular point of making a lifelong lasting improvement. Rule number one: Find someone you trust in the way of inspiring and not ripping you apart—make your team player a voice of care by recognizing the purpose of your change never turning it into a personal competition.
Habits are horribly difficult to conquer because we tend to over produce. When we discover something that’s working we want to add to the plan. One habit at a time please! Your goal should never be 100% failure. You can safely attain the 80% mark if you heave your bottom up one mountain at a time.
Is it stupid to choose a simple goal? I mean come on, I just had a heart attack, the first thing totally taken out of the picture was movie theater popcorn. Dude! That’s unforgettably unfair! Who writes these rule books? I am now meatless, no sodas or power drinks and more importantly no more middle of the afternoon Snickers bars.
My body should be screaming like a two year old. Not at all…
When creating new habits make your single goal simple to reach. The idea is to convince that child inside that you can win the battle for change. For now, do something that makes you a champion. I’ve replaced my popcorn and power drinks with a better way to eat…grazing. Small portions of the good stuff spread throughout the day. Once tucked away in the darkness of a theater not a single urge to splurge consumes my vivid imagination.
Goals should be measurable. I have a 3rd degree black belt test scheduled for October 18th. To guarantee my place in the lineup is going to require a measurable set of tiny steps starting first with walking one mile a night, then two then three. No running! Walking…
In a world fed by rivers of change the idea of staying consistent flat out stinks. Very few like doing the same thing twice and it gets worse when you suddenly find yourself having to bring it to life weeks at a time. Boredom steps up, shakes your hand and gives your heart and determination every reason known to man to back out of the plan. Being consistent creates a path through a forest that would drop a tree on your head in heart beat but if you take the time to study your daily environment your surroundings become part of the end result. Make everything count. Watch everything.
As stupid as it sounds keep a written journal…on July 18, 19, 20 and 21st are the pen scratches I poked into a once living tree that simply states something isn’t right. I’m having horrible pain in my throat and believe its X Y and Z. I overdosed on over the counter meds to help heal my assumption. When the 22nd rolled into play…it was in the hospital I did lay. Keeping a journal documents your travels so that you can go back and study your daily efforts and not make the same mistake twice.
If you’re overwhelmed at work stop checking your e-mails every five minutes and when writing never, never, never write more than five sentences. Get out of your chair every fifteen minutes and walk around the office. It replenishes your body with fresh oxygenated blood. Take the clutter off your desk. It’s hard to shop at a cluttered store at the mall why should you expect your imagination to work in something similar. Don’t spend six hours cleaning your house on the weekend…fifteen minutes a day is an amazingly positive way to stay incredibly happy.
Change, challenges, goals, new ideas, fresh start, motivating, inspiring, affect versus effect, something you’ve read up against the things you read. There are three guarantees you get on this path, life, death and a daily sunrise. Outside of that…it’s a matter of choice.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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