Habits: Out With The Old, In With The New!





Lately I have been feeling a strong need to change my life. I want and need to shake things up, do something different to take myself to the next level. There are a few things that I have realized are getting in my way of that. Habits. They are so easy to develop and oh so hard to change. We all have habits and routines that we practice every day. From smoking, to biting fingernails, using profanity, drinking coffee, constantly checking social media first thing in the morning and I could go on but the list is truly endless. Anything can be considered a habit no matter how big or small it may seem. I am dealing with a terrible habit myself that I am so desperately trying hard to kick…

 

Here goes...

 

I am a snoozer and I sleep until the last possible second before getting up for work…

 

Whew! It felt good to get that off my chest! But, it’s true. I moved closer to work and my habit has only gotten worse. I can literally sleep in until about 7:22am, rush to take a shower, find something to wear that does not require an iron, throw my hair back and be walking into the office by 8:02am. While I love the convenience of living closer to work, I hate taking advantage of being so close.

 

So, I know what you’re probably thinking, “Bri, girl that is not a real habit. Shoot, I would love to sleep in and be close to work!” Let me tell you, you do not want these problems. While I do love sleep oh so much, I lack one of the most important things required for a good day – a morning routine. I don’t have one! Not to say that I roll out of bed…it’s more like I pull myself up from the comfort that is my bed and my mattress. But, I have no time to do anything in the morning. Breakfast? Isn’t happening. A morning workout? Nope. I’m luckily if I slow down and remember to take out something to cook for dinner. Not having a morning routine is really keeping me from living my best life. I truly believe that changing one negative habit can truly change one’s life for the better. Take my bad habit for example. By breaking the habit of sleeping in late by waking up earlier I can create healthy habits of having a balanced breakfast, having the time to dedicate to a wake up work out, not having to rush and even be able to make a healthy lunch and plan for a healthy dinner. All of that can be implemented into a morning routine if I change ONE bad habit.

 

So, how do you swap one unhealthy habit for a healthy? You could simply just do it, right? I wish. I wish it was that easy. If it were, everyone would quit smoking, drink more water and the world would be a healthier place. It takes some serious determination to challenge yourself to start a healthy habit and even harder to break the one that is no good for you. For me, waking up early means fighting myself when I reach over and hit that snooze button how ever many times I can before I'm risking being late for work. Its going to take some serious will power. To encourage myself, I created a plan to push and encourage me one day at a time. Check it out below:

 

Develop a Routine

My whole purpose for wanting to wake up earlier and break my habit of sleeping in late is to have a morning routine to jump start my day. the question is, what will that routine consist of? I thought about the things that I do that give me energy and make me feel good. One of the things I want to get into the habit of doing (ha! See what I did there) is having breakfast in the morning, whether I eat at home or take it to go. A balanced breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it is a necessity. I also want to allow myself time to do a morning wake up workout routine. Nothing major,  definitely not looking to run a mile before work. I do, however, want to get my blood flowing and feel good in the morning! This is my motivation! 

 

Stick To The Plan

I'll be the first to admit that when I feel like I'm messing up or falling short on something, I tend to give up. I chalk it up as, I can't do it, rather than pushing through and sticking to the plan. This gets me no where! So, I am going to stick to this. When we have something we want to accomplish, it is never easy. If it was, everyone would do it and it would not be a challenge. When facing something challenge its important to remember, growth does not happen in comfort zones. It takes place when you push yourself out of them. So, push thru! Whatever you are looking to break or implement, it is going to take strength and discipline. Don't focus on time - remember, small progess is still progre You can do it! 

 

Remember Why

When it gets tough and you want to give up, remember why you started. Remind yourself of your goals and how much they mean to you. For me, this will include adding notes to my morning alarm to remind me why I'm getting up everyday. I'm waking up with a purpose! A purpose that is greater than me! Let your why, your purpose and your goals all push you to be greater than you were the day before to reach your goals tomorrow! 

 

Growth does not happen in comfort zones. If you truly want to change your life, you must change some of the daily habits that you have unknowingly created. Whether you want to be healthier, more creative, you want to learn or simply just want to be a better YOU overall. It will require you to do something - or things -  differently. It will be tough at first but slowly but surely those HEALTHY HABITS will become second nature. So, out with the old and in with the new - LET'S LEVEL UP!

 

What habits are you trying to break or implement? Have you recently made changes in your day to encourage you to be a better you? Comment and share below! Let's GROW and GLOW together!