Did you know that humans have between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts a day. That’s staggering right.
Yes, our complex mind has so many different layers that every action we take can offset a series of triggers and emotions.
When making a decision you look to apply logic, meet the dorsal prefrontal cortex.
For example you're at work, sat upright, with your clipboard and a pinstripe suit - cognitively it makes logical sense to make phone calls which helps us to connect with people and potentially drive sales to our business.
Meanwhile the ventral prefrontal cortex which is concerned with how we feel about stuff, says "oh this is so good! It feels so wonderful we get to meet people!"
Cognitively it makes emotional sense.
But at same time in the oldest past of our brain, meet the limbic system, wants to keep you safe.
“What if they don’t like me...?”
So your amygdala fires up like a frightened chimp and says 'STUFF THE PHONE CALLS - let's hide away and have a cup of tea!'.
Which doesn’t make sense, if you want to live, learn and grow.
The solution - we get rid of that thought complex process, sweep it off the table, and simplify things.
We actually need to do things without thought!
We can do that easily through creating simple habits and routines.
5 simple steps to create habits and routine for success:
1 - Start with Why
If you are going to create a new habit or routine, it's important to start with WHY?
Why are you going to start a new habit?
If you don't care about it, it's hard work. If you are passionate about it, you will make it happen.
If you haven't read Start With Why - Simon Sinek - put it on your reading list.
“Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” - Simon Sinek.
I have created my own routines that are now ingrained in me daily.
Each morning when I get up the first thing I do is have a drink of water. I then complete stretches and exercise. Once I have finished I eat my breakfast and take time to read. By the time everyone else gets up I have already created success for myself.
Hydration
Nutrition
Flexibility
Strength
Education
If I want to be the best version of myself I want to work on these things every day.
Your why could be that you want to grow your business, support your family, create something for yourself, allocate time to focus on your finances, spend 1o quality minutes with your kids each day or learn a new musical instrument.
You get to choose - this is the beauty of being human - we are the only species that gets to make a choice.
Write down something you are passionate about.
2 - Make It easy
If you're talking about your own personal fitness, creating a 40-minute HITT session will not help as you will do it for a couple of days and then think - nah I've had enough!
"For a good habit to stick it needs to be obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying to do." - James Clear, Atomic Habits
Write down what easy thing could you do that would take a single step toward your passion?
3 - Connect the habit
Jim Rohn says "motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going."
How many times have you heard someone say "I'm not very motivated today."
Motivation is like a teenager, sometimes it's the most wonderful person on the planet, full of life and expression. Other times you get nothing out of them and worse still, sometimes they completely disappear.
So why would I entrust my own personal wellbeing to a teenager? Why would I link my business growth to motivation?
It's about discipline.
If I was to ask Jim Rohn if I should rely on motivation or discipline, he would say discipline.
You need to connect the habit. There are things you already do everyday such as brush your teeth and get dressed. The way you put your socks on is even a habit - I bet you have a particular foot you always put the sock on first.
Find something you do daily and connect it to a new simple habit.
4 - Review the progress
The more reflective you are - the more effective you are.
Not enough people take a moment to stop and think about what they do every day. To reflect. Meditate.
If you're going to run a business, and you're going to improve your systems and processes, what do you think the chances are that you put a system or process in place and it works the first time? I can tell you it's zero.
I used to work in construction, the most chaotic industry I've ever experienced. What I knew was that every good plan fails at implementation, which means if you create something, you can see how the elements work together, you can put them in place, but you must review how they are working, because sooner or later, they're going to fall off.
So review your progress.
5 - Achieve Your Goals
Lao Tzu says "a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step".
There is a reason why there's something you want to change about your life. And as a human being, you get to do that, you have a choice. So set yourself a target. It doesn't have to be to create a 250 million pound yacht, it could simply be to get your captain's licence.
Get slightly out of your comfort zone. Put a target that is just outside of your stretch zone, something that challenges you and to aim towards. By simply creating the habit that you do, consistently, every day, without thinking about it, 365 days a year, guess what? You'll achieve your goals.
And while you're doing that, you'll find yourself overcoming the chaos, avoiding the distractions, and creating the success you're truly capable of without thinking about it.
So what will you change?
Ned | Inspiration to Live, Learn & Grow
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