I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that every human being walking around on this planet has at least one good habit they’ve been meaning to bring into their lives. Whether it’s cooking with a new super food or developing a new skill, we can all benefit from adding a new, healthy practice to our regular routine—it’s good for the mind as well as the body.
The thing is, making these new ideas a reality can be a challenge. We need to be aware of what motivates us, as individuals, to make our plans a priority in order to succeed over the long haul. It’s been my experience that different things inspire me at different times, and sometimes inspiration is temporary. For example, a couple days of feeling a bit edgy doesn’t suddenly turn me into a daily meditator.
Daily meditation is just one goal I’ve been meaning to make a priority. Some of the others are giving qigong a try, writing poetry, and finding a strength-training workout I can’t live without. These activities have been on my list for a while now, yet I keep making excuses for why “now” isn’t the right time to get started.
So I need your help. Please tell me…what are some of your best tricks for making new habits stick in your life?
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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Don’t set unrealistic goals; take baby steps. And when you make a new habit stick, reward yourself.
Very good ideas, Sam! It got me thinking about some ways to get moving with a couple of healthy habits. Thank you for taking the time to share them.
Hi Paula. Maria Atwood asked us to share her thoughts with you:
I would say that if you want to seriously meditate in such a way as to
reap the rewards that come from a higher level of thought, and reap the
rewards of the supernatural law, and not just the natural laws that our
daily lives for the most part revolve around,
it would need to start with a simple prayer to the God of your
understanding asking for guidance. Prayer and meditation at a certain
time each and every day until that part of our brain begins to take us,
rather than we force it to those higher levels, is
what I would call meditation.
-Maria Atwood, CNHP
What a wonderful way to approach meditating, Maria! Thank you so much for the inspiration. I truly appreciate it.