The Power of Consistency: What can you do to form good habits and actually stick to them? [Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles]
Miles Everson’s Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, managing their investments, career strategy, and more.
A Note from Miles Everson:
Happy Friday, everyone. Welcome to “Mindfulness by Miles!”
We’re now in the 3rd week of January. We hope you’re having a great few weeks so far this new new year!
Today, we’ll talk about a topic that will help us move forward into the year right. We believe this will enable us to become better in terms of our wealth, health, decision-making, etc.
Ready to learn more?
Keep reading to know the importance of habits and how it can make or break your chances of achieving and maintaining your goals this 2023.
Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute
Mindfulness by Miles
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Aristotle, an Ancient Greek philosopher
Habits shape our lives far more than we probably realize. According to author Charles Duhigg in the book, “The Power of Habit,” habits are an important force that our brains cling to because they create neurological cravings where a certain behavior is rewarded with pleasure.
In fact, most of our everyday lives consist of “bundles of habits.” From drinking coffee in the morning to brushing our teeth before going to bed, any behavior or action we engage in regularly counts as a habit.
While some of these regular activities promote wellness, others might have more of an unwanted impact on our daily lives. The good news?
It’s possible to change old, bad habits! We just need to have the discipline and determination to break free from them and replace them with new ones that better support our well-being.
Photo from School For Amazing Kids
According to MBO Partners CEO Miles Everson, throughout 30+ years in his career, he’s had his fair share of forming good habits and eliminating bad ones—whether they’re related to his health, work, relationships, etc.
He understood that whatever he did regularly in the present would influence who he would become in the future.
Because of that, he became more intentional in the things he did, always aiming for excellence and making sure he’s on the right track. He adopted the mindset that every day is precious, and ensured his everyday life would only consist of activities and behaviors that would help him achieve success in the future.
So… why are habits important for success?
Everson states doing something repeatedly makes you more likely to stick with that certain activity, since your behavior becomes automatic and effortless. Once a particular habit benefits you, the rewards you reap can also motivate you to keep doing that task.
Additionally, forming good habits can be empowering and give you a greater sense of responsibility and achievement.
For example: You’re writing a novel.
By making a habit of writing a few pages each day or having a designated time to write daily, you make your goal of completing the novel less overwhelming.
… and as you continue to make progress each day, you’ll likely feel motivated to stick to that habit and keep working towards your goal.
See? In this case, the positive habit of writing a few pages each day doesn’t just boost your self-esteem. It also reduces your stress and anxiety by offering a degree of structure to your everyday life.
However, this doesn’t mean you don’t have to be flexible. Since unexpected events and situations can occur from time to time, Everson says it’s important you’re also prepared to act on such instances and leave room for some changes.
Here are some of Everson’s tips to form good habits and actually stick to them:
- Start small. A habit doesn’t have to be big in size to be effective or successful. Consistency is more important than the size of the task at hand.
For example: You can start a mini habit of making your bed every morning and scheduling specific to-do’s daily versus forcing yourself to clean your entire house every day.
- Be intentional. In creating good habits, it’s important to wisely choose which ones you’ll build. Always remember that your resources can be limited, so be careful in selecting the habits you’ll put your energy into.
Choose only those that make a positive difference in your life, not those that aren’t actually beneficial for you in the long run.
- Celebrate progress. Having a sense of accomplishment is important to sustain your motivation. By celebrating tiny wins, your body will create a feel-good response towards your healthy habits.
For example: If you’re starting a habit of a healthier lifestyle, say something positive to yourself after making healthy choices.
You made a healthy dinner? Awesome!
You accomplished 3 workouts for the week? Great job!
You took your time in the morning to meditate? Amazing!
Always acknowledge these small wins. They add up to the entire picture of forming a good habit.
- Have an accountability partner. Accountability can go a long way and allow you to create stronger habits when you feel supported. So, find a partner to hold you accountable for your daily activities!
Everson says he personally considers his wife as one of his accountability partners. Since they live under the same roof and she knows a lot about him, he lets her tell him if a particular habit is not working for his good or if there’s something he needs to change to improve his daily activities.
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Harnessing the power of habits is a great way to achieve success in your life. Committing to these regular activities will enable you to free up your brain’s capacity to:
- Make better decisions
- Do your best when you’re in a prime mental state
- Stay on track even when things get difficult
So, if you want to form “habits for success,” Everson says you must make a decision to start NOW—not tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year!
According to him, these good habits will play an important role in multiple aspects of your life, such as mental and physical health, productivity, relationships, and self-esteem.
Advance happy weekend, everyone!
Cheers to starting healthy habits in 2023!
(This article is from The Business Builder Daily, a newsletter by The I Institute in collaboration with MBO Partners.)
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles”
High-performance businesses are run by people who think and act differently.
In other words, these are people who are high-performing individuals.
Companies and individuals of this kind have found ways to escape the grind of commoditization and competition by focusing on the RIGHT goals.
High-performing businesses and individuals are also “return driven” businesses and “career driven” individuals. They conscientiously develop unique capabilities and resources that allow them to deliver offerings in ways no other firm or individual can.
Every Friday, we’ll publish tips and insights from MBO Partners and The I Institute’s “The Business Builder Daily” newsletter.
These will help you gain knowledge on the things that Miles Everson, the CEO of MBO Partners, often talks about regarding the future of the workforce.
We’ll also highlight other mindfulness advice on how you can be a high-performing individual both in your career and personal life.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Mindfulness by Miles!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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