Why is it that old habits die hard? Inevitably, people resist change, even if they establish big goals for themselves. Try getting up at 5 am after your body has become accustomed to an 8 am wakeup, and you will find It would be easier to wake a sleeping bear from hibernation.
You’re a creature of habit, and adopting a new routine can be exhausting. Thankfully, you have the power within yourself to make such changes, but you must be willing to put in a little work. The issue is that many people become so overwhelmed by the big picture that they don’t see that it all starts with a tiny step.
Twenty Small Habits That Can Help You Make Big Changes
There is a compounding effect that small habits can make on your big goals. Since society has programmed your mind to have instant gratification, hacks, and quick fixes, it will take some real work. However, if society had an accurate view of things, everyone would be physically fit, wealthy, and happy.
The bad habits you’ve learned might not influence you right now, but they can significantly impact your future. Think of it this way; that double cheeseburger and French fries taste way better than a salad for dinner, but the long-term rewards outweigh the instant pleasure. Here are some small habits that can help you reach your big goals.
1. Say Daily Affirmations to Motivate You to Reach Those Big Goals
Any goals you set for yourself will be met with negativity and plenty of resistance. However, you can start your day by quoting daily affirmations. The National Library of Medicine published a study where affirmations were used to help folks stop smoking.
After a six-week trial, 97.5 percent of those who regularly did their daily affirmations had stopped smoking. It proves that you can rewire your brain with a bit of work and some determination.
2. Keep Your Environment Clean
Being productive and living or working in a chaotic environment is impossible. Not only is the chaos distracting, but it can also be very stressful to navigate. Remember the old motto that everything has a place and should be in its place.
Take a few minutes to clean up each day, and you will see it significantly impacts your productivity.
3. Track Your Costs
Do you throw caution to the wind and spend frivolously? If your goals have financial backing, you must be accountable for every penny. Writing down how much you spend and what you’re spending it on can help you in all areas of life.
Thankfully, many computer applications will do this for you, which makes the job much easier.
4. Take the Farthest Parking Spot (You can’t reach those big goals in poor health!)
If your goal is to lose weight, you’re not going to lose an ounce until you change your habits. Weight loss is one of the big goals, but parking in the furthest parking spots will get you moving more. Incorporating simple stuff like this can have a significant impact.
5. Plan Your Days
It’s hard to know what will happen daily, but you must schedule the allotted time to achieve your goals. Scheduling helps you prioritize things and make sure you’re making progress.
6. Go Outside to Boost Your Mood and Reflect on the Big Goals
It would help if you had the power of the sunshine to help boost your mood. The sun also provides an ample dose of Vitamin D, which your body needs. Don’t stay cooped up behind four walls all day. You can enhance your overall outlook by spending time in nature.
7. Create a Bedtime Routine
How do you expect to be productive the next day if you’re not getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night? Your body needs sleep to repair damage caused by free radicals during the day. Make sleep a top priority to reach any goals you’ve set.
8. Unsubscribe to Junk Emails
If you’re like most people, your inbox is overloaded with junk mail. It can be very daunting to wake up to hundreds of emails that have no importance. Take a few minutes and go through and block all the spam, as it will make you feel much better with fewer emails to filter.
9. Complete Your Hardest Task First
Most people procrastinate and leave the most challenging things for last. However, getting the most daunting tasks off your plate first gives you momentum to easily conquer the rest of the day.
10. Downsize Big Goals Into Smaller Bits
Remember English class when you were given a huge book to read? If you looked at the 1,000 pages, it might be terrifying to attempt this feat. However, if you divide the pages by the thirty-day goal, you only need to read 33 pages a day.
Stop looking at the big picture and becoming so overwhelmed by it that you’re frozen. Break it down into smaller, even daily bits, and you can accomplish any big goals you set for yourself.
11. Outsource Whenever Possible
Look at the successful men and women running significant corporations daily. These are busy people, and do you think they do everything themselves? Of course not! These folks have learned how to delegate to others.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed; remember that you can’t do everything yourself. If you want to reach your goals, you need a strong team behind you, helping you do the work and rooting for you.
12. Meditate Each Day
Meditation helps you to alleviate stress as well as improve your overall focus. It’s also shown to reduce tension in the body that can significantly impact your health.
Did you know that meditation can also help fight memory loss at an older age? According to studies conducted by UC Davis Health, meditation is the key to keeping dementia at bay.
13. Reward Yourself for Small Milestones Along the Path to the Big Goals
If you want to reach the big things, then you must learn to celebrate the small victories. Taking a moment to recognize your efforts will give you the momentum you need to keep going. Many people don’t follow through with goals because they burn out, they have too many to focus on just one, or they doubt their abilities.
15. Sit up Straight
It sounds silly to say that you need to sit straight to reach your goals, but is that ridiculous? Your posture has a significant bearing on your overall wellness. You reduce muscle pain from overuse disorders and improve your drive by improving your posture.
How much better do you feel when you’re sitting up nice and tall rather than slouching and feeling miserable?
16. Return Any Missed Calls and Texts
Proper communication is vital when you’re working on goals. It’s respectful to the party who contacted you to respond and shows good business skills. Even when you don’t have a moment to spare, take the time to reach out to people who need to reach you.
17. Get Rid of Something
Remember what was said above about a clean space? Well, try donating or getting rid of something each day. It can be a small item, but you will feel great pairing down and decluttering your world.
Plus, taking inventory of what you have and getting rid of things will help you think twice before making purchases you don’t need.
18. Practice Active Listening
Active listening is hard, especially when trying to do many things simultaneously. Have you ever talked to your spouse, and they appeared to be listening, but they didn’t know what you were saying to them? This happens when people zone out and aren’t actively listening to what you’re saying.
In all conversations, put down the phone, turn off the music, and genuinely listen to the other person. It’s essential in the business world as well as your personal one.
19. Do Random Acts of Kindness
Spreading joy never hurt anyone? Plus, you feel better when you’re giving back and helping others. To reach big goals, you need to start by reducing the negativity in the world to allow positivity to flow through.
20. Dress for Success, as if You Already Reached Your Big Goals
Who knew your clothes could significantly impact your success? Don’t dress for the position you want; rather, you should dress for the position you desire. When folks perceive you as management material, it can help you achieve these goals. Dressing for success will also help improve your self-confidence too.
Final Thoughts on Small Habits Helping You To Reach Big Goals
Your life reflects the choices you have made. If you want to alter something, then you must start with your everyday decisions. To reach your big goals, alter your choices, stop making excuses, and replicating small mistakes.
By incorporating some of these habits listed above, you can make your future brighter than you ever imagined.
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