Positivity: Changing Habits
Habits can be changed.
What is a habit? A habit is a thing you do regularly, to the point where it is almost involuntary. You just do it, hardly thinking about it. It is your way.
Some habits are neutral, like bathing and napping and using the blinker in your car to signal lane changes. Some are good, like holding doors for people, changing empty toilet paper rolls and picking up litter. Some are bad, like smoking or always interrupting other people, or throwing a tantrum when you don’t get what you want.
Any habit you have, though, can be changed. So if you find that you have a habitual manner that makes you feel bad, or useless, or worthless, or whatever negative feeling it produces – it can be changed.
We often gloss completely over our habits. These things just are. Part of our nature. Things we do on a regular basis. But when we want to change ourselves, often it is our habits where the process should begin.
Many frequently refer to themselves as creatures of habit. We develop patters in our day to day activities that get so deeply ingrained in us that they become our habits. We simply do these things, because they are what we do. And when it comes time for us to make a change, more often than not a habit is where that change should begin.
How do we identify our habits, and then how do we change them? First, we have to recognize the things we do by rote, the things that we just…do. Little to no thought happens, we just do them.
Personal example – I get up in the morning, make coffee, read through social media sites and play some Facebook games. This has been how I have started my morning for a number of years now. It’s my habit, this is my pre-work morning routine.
Habit identified – I spend an hour or so online, I have the games I play and read through social media sites while I drink coffee. This is not necessarily a bad habit, but it is an unproductive one I feel is no longer serving me.
How do I change this habit? By doing something completely different. I will get up in the morning, and I will go to the gym. Instead of an hour online and playing games, I will spend an hour at the gym, improving upon my health and wellbeing.
This is a somewhat drastic change in habit. It will be a challenge because it will further effect the rest of my activities for the day. But I know that changing this habit will make me feel better, kickstart my day, get my blood flowing and build a ton of positivity.
Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action. Knowing that habits can be neutral, positive or negative, we can identify habits that don’t serve us and/or bad habits, and change them out for good ones. When we take actions and change habits that don’t serve us in order to make improvements in our lives, we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.
This is the one hundred forty-first entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.
In relation to Positivity, check out my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.
