Your Habits Equals Your Future

Dear Ambitious Woman of Faith. 

A habit is an activity you do frequently without even thinking twice. It is so ingrained into your subconscious mind that you no longer need to think about the steps required to accomplish the task. Tasks like brushing your teeth. Taking a shower. Boiling water or preparing a meal. There’s an endless list of habits we do daily that make up our daily life.

On the other hand, ingrained habits that do not benefit our lives are the result of our current life circumstances, situations, or outcomes. These are considered bad habits. They are bad habits because they keep us in a place of stagnation, preventing us from tapping into the greater part of who we are and who we would become. These bad habits keep us locked in mental prison, a mental cycle that has convinced us that this is it, there’s no better life to live than the one you’re living right now.

Just as habits are learned, habits can be unlearned. You can change your life outcomes by changing your habits. Because your habits are embedded in your subconscious, it will take continuous effort to uproot old habits and plant new ones. Consistency is needed. It’s not going to be easy. Just like a baby's journey to standing, walking, and running wasn't easy and took time, you will have to go through the ups and downs of changing into your new habit. 

The great news is that you have the power to reprogram yourself starting today. The root of your habit is tightly linked to your thinking pattern. Your thinking feeds your thoughts. Your thoughts feed your attitude. Your attitude feeds your mindset. Your mindset shapes your decisions, which in turn shape your habits, and these decisions lead to your outcomes. So the starting point for changing your habits is to tackle your thinking patterns. 

How long does it really take to change a habit? I’ve read that it can take 21 to 66 days to form a new habit, or even longer, depending on the difficulty of the task. I don’t mind the timeline because I know that, in the end, the new habits will bring better outcomes and results in my life. 

The journey to changing a bad habit is not easy, nor is the journey to instilling new, better habits. Which path would you prefer to take? I chose the path to a better habit. 

Your Sister in Faith

Coach Hawkins