Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about HABITS.

How do things become a habit? How do we create good habits (and keep them) and how do we break bad habits (and not let them sneak back)?

Good or bad, habits happen! Reaching for the cookies at three o’clock. Waiting til the last minute to balance your checkbook. Biting your nails. Smoking! Taking your vitamins every day. Exercising.

How do we get the good ones going and the bad ones…..gone?

Well, some people think that will power alone works. Hmmmmm. Personally, I think ENGAGING (focusing) works really well. Now I’m not talking about addictive habits. Like smoking. Nicotine is addictive and people who can’t quit need to look for help. So let’s stick with habits that don’t involve addiction. Let’s look at habits that can be made or broken just by ENGAGING.

I have recently done some experiments on a few of my own habits. Let me explain.

People that know me know that I am slightly OCD….. Obsessive-Compulsive. Anal. Organized. Freaky! (Whatever you want to call it) Habits are relatively easy for me to make because once I get things “organized”, I can pretty much do things without really thinking about it. Such as, taking vitamins. I couldn’t get myself to take vitamins every day. I’d take them on Monday but then forget them on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. But, every morning I make myself a cup of tea. Religiously. Every night before I go to bed, I fill my electric tea pot with water, I put my travel mug on the counter and I put my Lipton tea bag in the mug. When I wake up, I turn on the tea pot, fill the cup with boiling water, let the tea bag steep and then I’m ready to go out the door. So, (light switch on) all I have to do is put those vitamins right next to the tea pot and that way I will see them every morning and remember to take them. Viola! I now take my vitamins every day. I engaged and made sure that I could make a good habit STICK. Here’s another experiment. I like to shop. Nothing crazy or out of line but I started thinking,”what if I don’t shop for awhile?” So, I focused. I didn’t shop for the whole month of August. Essentials were okay, groceries were okay, but nothing else. No new books at the book store. No new shoes. No new “tchotchke’s” for the house. One month. You know what? I did it, and I saved some money along the way.

Sounds easy, right? It is! Now, I don’t live in la-la land and think that ALL habits are easy to make or break. You do have to focus and engage in the process. But, by organizing your life, the good habits tend to fall into place.  And, a bonus in all of this good-habit-organization is a less-stressful life.

 Your mind works in the most wonderful ways. Let it work FOR you by focusing on the goals that you want to achieve, in all aspects of your life. You can do it. Believe in yourself and you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish. Make those good habits stick and those bad habits disappear!

Kate