SCHEDULE YOUR DAILY SUCCESS OR ACCEPT DAILY DEFEAT
During the winter and spring months, something special happens in the evening on the beach along Bayside Ave. A huge flock of seagulls stands on the sand every night and face the setting sun. This happens every single day, and I love seeing them. They are creatures of habit.
Being a creature of habit is a good thing... if your habits are healthy. Are you a creature of the couch or of the track? I know which one I want to be!
People are nature’s number 1 creature of habit. We tend to get comfortable, stuck in our ways in fear of change. We like to hold on to old things in order to hold on to old memories... when usually they keep us from making new ones. Sometimes you got to bite the bullet and make a clean break from the past to start a new beginning.
-TwitQuotes.com
Your Habits Rule You
In the moment, you don’t think to make a choice. Your brain and body rely on the habits you’ve created to know what to do next. Now, if this is true, you better make sure that your habits are good habits – as opposed to eating potato chips in bed every night. That would fall under the “Bad Habits” category.
[Tweet "Not choice, but habit, rules the unreflecting herd. – William Woodsworth"]
It’s understandable that we stick to our habits. Change activates fear, and fear triggers negative emotions that will stop us in our tracks.
How many of us get stuck in our hairstyles? I was trapped as a blond-a-holic for years! When Chaz Dean sat me down and said, “How long have you been a blond-a-holic and who’s been chewing on your hair?” I knew it was time for a change. 30 days later I was a brunette... and you know what? I felt great.
What Are Your Non-Negotiables?
Make your good habits non-negotiable. Even if they’re not fully part of your life yet, live them, feel them, dream them, and when you finally become a brunette, you’re already owning it!
At home, I exercise regularly, but I have to make a definitive, non-negotiable schedule for my exercise time. This appointment is like all others – it does not get cancelled. How can you schedule exercise into your day? If it’s important to you, you will find the way. If it’s not important to you, you will find an excuse. It really is that simple!
Gotta Cancel?
If you have to cancel your exercise appointment, you have to look yourself in the mirror and explain why. Feel free to debate yourself. Here’s an example.
“Hi, Christie, it’s Christie! I can’t work out today because... uh... my kid’s sick! I mean, um, I don’t have time!”
“Oh, really, you don’t have time? Well, while you’re talking to me, couldn’t you be doing squats? How much time will you spend on Facebook tonight when you get home from work? How many leg lifts could you do while you’re cooking dinner?”
It’s so easy to incorporate fitness into your life if you’re willing to try that there really is no excuse.
*NOTE: don’t let your neighbor see you debating yourself, or the men with white coats may come running!
A Final Thought on Exercise…
People ask me all the time about the best time to exercise, and the answer is so simple: the best time to exercise is when you’ll actually do it. Some people like exercising in the morning, and some people feel better in the evening or during lunch. It doesn’t matter. Schedule it when you’ll actually do it.
