Weekly Wellness News

January 21, 2008

Feature: Your Habits Create Your Outcome

I was working at my computer the other day and found myself randomly wandering around the internet. It wasn't long, maybe ten minutes, but it was enough that I realized I had caught myself avoiding things I needed to be doing.

And then it hit me: I do this often.

I really want to be productive. Often I am. But it tends to come in spurts. I'll have several days (even a couple weeks) where everything just clicks, where I get tasks done at a rapid pace, where nothing is left undone. Then I can have several days (even a couple weeks) where I don't accomplish much.

Sometimes there are outside influences impacting my ability to get things done. It's easy to tell myself that I would have finished more if I had just had more time in the week. But the reality is that most of the time I really do have more time than I need to accomplish the things I want to accomplish, if only I would stay focused on the important things.

How many of you find yourself avoiding the things you 'should' be doing in favor of things you 'want' to do?

And then I had another realization: avoiding the unpleasant tasks was a habit. I'm a master of this habit, to the point that I don't always realize when I'm doing it.

I had come full circle, finally understanding what I had been doing all these years. I had created a habit of convincing myself that the things I 'wanted' to be doing were things I 'needed' to be doing. In so doing, I had convinced myself that I was actually spending my time wisely and not just wasting it.

I 'know', intellectually, that the habits I partake in create the existence I currently experience. But deeper down, at the level of 'Knowing' (with a capital 'K'), I hadn't really accepted the truth of this. And yet I see evidence of it all the time, if only I pay attention.

Do you ever wonder why you're in the situation you're in? The answer is simple: your results are the product of your actions. Which actions are the most influential? Your habits. It doesn't matter what you do for an hour one afternoon when you're feeling motivated, it matters what you do day in, day out. In other words, it matters most what your habits are.

Do you want to see results in your productivity? In your health? In your relationships? Focus on your habits.

Ever wonder why New Year's Resolutions don't seem to stick the way you hope they will when you make them? Because until you create new habits, they are just wishful thinking.

So how do you go about creating new habits? This, depending on your point of view, is either the easy part or the hard part. Discipline. It's easy to decide to change your habits, and it's easy to do the new thing... what's hard, for most of us, is remembering to do the new thing after the first few days, remembering why it's important and meaningful and desired.

Yes, your habits create your outcome. What habits have gotten you to where you currently are? What habits will get you where you want to be?

Are you ready to make some changes?

Other news

• Late to the party, but at least they're finally arriving: Report urges study of cell phone health effects [www.msnbc.msn.com]
• Another late arrival: Cultural differences alter brain's hard-wiring [www.msnbc.msn.com]
• Who says money can't buy happiness? Putting a price on happiness [www.msnbc.msn.com]

From the editor

I'm tired of winter. It's been below freezing too many days in a row now. I'm ready for sun. I think it's time to take a vacation.

That reminds me, I'll be gone for a few weeks starting in a week. I'm off to Thailand for a much-needed dose of heat and humidity. If there is anything you would like to read about in the near future, let me know soon. As always, use the feedback links on the website.

Healthy thoughts,
Jeff

Copyright 2008, Jeffrey Eliasen.
Do not reprint without express permission from the author.
Forwarding is permitted if (and only if) the newsletter is
forwarded in its entirety (including this notice).