The Secret to Success is in the H.A.B.I.T.

This time of year we all look at the fresh ways to stop doing one thing (eating poorly, procrastinating, being disorganized, unfit) in order to start doing the “right” thing (healthy eating, jumping into a project, organize a room, workout at the gym).  This year will be different, we say.  There is an overused saying that is overused for a reason .. it’s true:  “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”  If you want to change your results, you need to change your habits.  Janet DuPree of the NY Times says “Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits.”  The Bible speaks to this in Hebrews 12:1 “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

I love the visual of “stripping off every weight that slows us down”. As we seek success in our goals in 2014, we need to strip off the bad habits that weigh us down and replace them with the habits that will give us success.  Stephen Covey says “We become what we repeatedly do.”  Here are 5 things in the acronym of H.A.B.I.T. that will allow us to run the race with endurance and reach our goal by developing strong habits:

H – Have the end in mind.  If you don’t care where you end up, you will successfully arrive every time.  However, you need to identify your target so that you have something to work toward.  Write down exactly what you want to accomplish. Don’t just say “I want to lose weight”, but say “I want to lose 30 pounds”.  Don’t just say “I want my house more organized”, but say “I will clean out every cabinet in my kitchen”.

A – Allow for setbacks.  If you’re like me, sometimes I can be an all or nothing person.  Either I eat completely healthy and workout or I eat one decadent meal and eat poorly the rest of the day/week and why even bother working out?  You can hit a bump in the road and keep moving looking forward, not backward.

B – Bring others into your goals.  By allowing your BFF, boss or spouse into your goals, you are providing a  much greater chance for success.  Tell them exactly what habits you are trying to change. Invite them to be part of it with statements like this – “Ask me at the end of next week if I went to the gym 4 times.”  Also, select people that will encourage you.  If you have someone in your life that is “never satisfied” with your progress, you are best to select another accountability partner.

I – Invest in what you need to succeed.  You don’t have to go broke here, but you need the proper tools and resources to succeed.  You may need a juicer for your healthier lifestyle or a gym membership.  You may need decorative bins to organize a room or tuition to get trained in a new area.  Your new habits will cost you something, so you need to prioritize how to make this investment happen.

T – Tune in to your thought patterns.  This is not about the old “Stuart Smalley” Saturday Night Live Character who just looks into the mirror and says “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and doggone it, people like me.” But you DO need to pay attention to what you are saying to yourself.   For instance, pay attention to thoughts like: “I will NEVER”; “You always”; “Mom/Dad was right, you are…”.  Tuning into this self talk is crucial, but replacing it with God’s truth is what will bring you victory.  Isaiah 43:18-19 says “Forget the former things, behold I do a new thing”. Tune into the ability to recognize the thought pattern and replace it with God’s new thing….a prayer…scripture.   I even have some clients wear a rubber band and snap it when they recognize a thought pattern that is negative in order to “snap them back” like a splash of cold water and pray the scripture they’ve selected.

Now it’s your turn.  In your journal write H.A.B.I.T and write a goal, thought, resource, scripture or thought next to each letter.  What you have determined for each of the above letters is your new H.A.B.I.T.  Keep your personalized notes front and center for each of the above things and by the end of this month, you will have some new H.A.B.I.T.’s.  I’d love to hear how you are doing.  Can you share below in comment section one action step you are taking to create a new habit? Happy New Year.