The Power of Positive Habits

Did you know that habits are incredibly powerful tools for personal growth and success? Habits affect virtually every aspect of your life. Your weight and health are determined by your eating habits. Your relationships with people are determined by your social habits. Your success at work is determined by your work habits and your sleeping habits dictate how well you sleep. You have sexual habits and even have buying habits. Your character, health, career success, and virtually every aspect of your life are indeed determined by your habits.

The dictionary defines a habit as an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. The most important words in this definition are acquired and almost involuntary. You may not realize it, but it really is east to acquire positive habits to change your life. Consider the phrase almost involuntary. This means the habit is so powerful in your mind that it is almost unstoppable!

What is a positive habit? A positive habit is simply a habit that produces the positive benefits, actions and attitudes you want to acquire and make a part of your life. Why is there such great power in positive habits to effect change? Because habits, by their very nature, are automatic. After a period of time they can become permanent. The power of positive habits can bring you success, happiness, and a healthy weight.

So how do you go about adding new positive habits to your life? It's really quite easy. You simply begin repeating an action, attitude or thought process every day for at least 21 days. Research has shown that an action that is repeated for a minimum of 21 days is likely to become a permanent habit. But be careful – from my experience it takes much less than 21 days to lose a good habit, like walking the dog. When life gets challenging and I can’t do the daily good things I usually do for myself, such as going to the gym, I make it a point to go at least once a week. This way the habit is maintained and it’s much easier to get back on schedule when things settle down.

Remember that positive habits have positive benefits, and you will reap those benefits for as long as you maintain that habit. So think about one positive habit you'd like to acquire, and begin today to put it into action!