Life-Changing Habits
Sometimes habits feel wonderful (a cup of tea on the porch in the morning, a walk with your dog in the evening, having dinner every night with a loved one) and sometimes they take some effort (working out, cooking, cleaning up) even though we like the results.
One of the most useful books I’ve read (this is Carey) is Atomic Habits, by James Clear. He provides great ideas for adding new positive habits into your life and straight-forward strategies for keeping habits going.
He also has a weekly newsletter with useful quotes. One of today’s quotes was,
Keeping the habit alive is a powerful act. It’s easier to stay in shape than to get in shape. It’s easier to keep a house clean than to get it clean. Many days it may feel like you are treading water, but maintaining your progress saves your future self a great deal of work. (jamesclear.com)
This makes so much sense - the healthy habits we commit to, like exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep - are actually loving actions for our future self! I’d never thought of it that way.
And having definitely cycled through being in and out of shape, it is certainly true that it’s easier to just keep doing it. When I let my exercise habit go - then I have to work much harder just to get back to where I had been only a few months earlier.
When we work out on a regular basis, we are helping our future self be strong and able to move easily without pain or injury.
When we consistently eat healthily, we are preventing (or even reversing!) all kinds of major illnesses such as Type II diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimers, and arthritis for our future self.
When we meditate or do mindfulness practices we are keeping our minds relaxed and sharp for our future self.
If doing this for your future self isn’t enough motivation, it’s also for our loved ones in the future (and now!). And it is saving a lot of effort - and even suffering - in the future to just put in the effort now.
Action Steps:
Imagine yourself in 5, 10, 15, (etc.) years.
What do you want that future self to be like?
What do you want to be able to do, feel, experience?
What habits can you maintain or develop NOW that will help you be able to do those?
What healthy habits do you already have?
Consider how those habits will improve the quality of your life in the future to help you stay motivated and focused when your motivation slips. (“I’m making salmon for dinner instead of eating take out french fries for dinner because I want to feel better tomorrow - and I want to have a healthy heart in 10 years so I can keep doing (insert your loved activity here )”