Written by: Rachel Shieff, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We are all creatures of habit. We have habits for our morning rituals, how we respond to certain situations, our exercise routine and the food we put in our bodies.
But have you ever been intentional about creating habits that help you to achieve your goals? And do you know that the outcomes in your life are directly related to your habits? You’ve all seen that person at work who puts their head on their desk at lunchtime and shuts their eyes for a snooze. If that person has no underlying health issues, we could assume that their habits might include eating processed food, sugar, white bread, and sleeping late, hence the low energy.
If this person has the goal to be promoted to a higher position, do you think his habits are going to help him get there? Will the business owners see him as a future leader? Then you’ve got the other guy, who eats a healthy diet, wakes up early to fit in some morning exercise before going to work, and spends his lunch hour networking with people he respects in the organization.
What do you think about his chances of reaching his career goals?
You can make huge progress towards what you want to achieve when you adjust your thinking and develop positive habits. You might think that it’s motivation or inspiration that gets you through the most challenging days, but it’s actually the habits you create that determine your success.
I’m sure you’ve heard of dopamine, the feel-good hormone in the brain that is released when you do something that is fun or gives you some kind of reward. Well, dopamine is released when you engage in good habits that provide positive outcomes like, public speaking, giving you the feeling of confidence; or running a race, giving you the feeling of power and strength. When you’re consistent with your habits your body automatically responds with those positive emotions when you’re feeling stressed. This confidence, strength, and power surge will ensure you stay on the right track.
So now, let’s look at how you can make huge progress by adjusting your thinking and developing positive habits.
1. First of all, list all the habits you feel you’ll need to reach your goals
For example, if you want to become an effective leader, you might want to work on your personal development and start reading leadership books, take a course in public speaking, start an exercise routine to build strength and energy, and find a mentor to model.
2. Second, write down all the habits you have that are keeping you stuck
Think about the negative emotions you feel when you’re under stress and realize these habits could be contributing to the emotions.
For example, if you are spending your evenings with friends and family with a negative mindset, always complaining about others, you will start to act the same. If you’ve been following the same fitness routine for 3 years and have not noticed any increase in energy levels – you’ll lack focus.
3. Create a trigger
By now you’ll have realized that bad habits create negative emotions and good habits create positive emotions, and it’s that dopamine release that gets you to take action toward the goal you want to achieve. Now what you must do is create a trigger, so that when you feel yourself being pulled back to that bad habit, you force yourself to do the new habit instead.
As an example, imagine you had a bad day at work. You get home, go into the kitchen, and head to the fridge to grab some chocolate. Knowing you have that bad habit, be clever enough to come up with a vivid image of a lazy, overweight version of you that pops into your head when you touch the fridge door.
This will be enough to get you to work off the stress in the gym instead and reach your goals.
4. Celebrate
Creating new habits takes time and practice. You might need several months to master them, so make sure you reward yourself to keep the momentum going. Celebrate by giving yourself a high five in the mirror, shouting out “You got this!” or going for a massage at the end of the week. Well, that’s what I’d do anyway…
By following these steps you’ll create great habits, get unstuck, and achieve your goals! If you’d like expert help to get unstuck, I invite you to come on a coaching journey to get clarity on what you really want; build confidence and a solid foundation to support your goals; and create good habits so you can be intentional with your time to achieve fulfillment.
Click here to join me for a free Discovery Breakthrough Session.
Rachel Shieff, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Rachel Shieff is a leading Mindset Coach. Through her individualized approach, she explores a client’s personal history to gain a thorough understanding of the challenges and self-limiting thoughts that are holding them back. She then evaluates their situation and prescribes a coaching journey with clearly defined objectives, and action steps to take them from where they are now to exactly where they want to be. Rachel’s magnetic energy brings out the best in people, and that’s probably why people naturally go to her for help and advice, and to share their problems in confidence. This has happened to her throughout her life.
