Today’s success track is about creating habits that will propel you towards creating the results you want in your business and your life. I call them Success Habits. It’s a great time to talk about creating success habits, because NOW is the time to get things started and going in the right direction.
Years ago I was told a simple message. A message that I took to heart and I live by to this day, and it goes like this - You make your habits or your habits make you. I’m going to repeat that, you make your habits, or your habits make you.
I love that message, and I live it, and I’m sharing it with you because it’s made an incredible difference in my life, and the lives many of other people that I’ve shared this principle with.
Here’s what I mean. We’ve all heard the phrase that we are creatures of habit. Well, habits are really nothing more than patterns of behavior, and throughout life, all of our patterns of behavior were created by no one other than ourselves. Many people I speak to around the country at my speaking events or as an executive coach, share with me that they don’t have time to do certain things they would like to do. Whether that’s learning a new language or learning a new skill, or even learning more about how to use their computer or smart phone. Yet if I were to ask them to break-down their day from start to finish… there is ALWAYS time that we have buried in our patterns of behavior that we can change.
I’ll give you an example of a pattern very near and dear to me. This year, I’m committed to writing my 3rd book. Although I consider myself a very busy guy, and very productive as well, if I’m going to write this 3rd book, I must produce those results along with doing the other things that I’m already doing. The only way to do that is by changing my current patterns of behavior and creating new, more productive habits.
What I mean is, I could have written the book last year, but I didn’t. So what’s going to change this year? Am I going to be less busy? No, that’s not it… I have to change my habits.
As I was coursing out my new year, I started really breaking down my patterns of behavior. Here’s what i did: I often turned on the TV around 10 or 10:30 at night, watched some SportsCenter, and the local news would follow. A late night talk show would start, and I would go to sleep around midnight. When I looked at the pattern, I was burning at least an hour and a half per night, which based on a 5 day week is 7.5 hours a week. Wow, 7.5 hours per week… that’s a lot of time. That’s 30 hours a Month!
I made the decision to create a new habit by changing my behavior. Now on Sunday through Thursday evenings, I read and write starting around 10pm and make progress on my book. I reward myself by watching TV at night on Friday and Saturday nights if I’m home.
Now that may sound a bit structured, or even boring for some, yet I’ve been around many high-achievers and great leaders over the years and I know that to produce extraordinary results, you must do things differently. You must do things that others won’t do. Successful people will do what the others just won’t.
I had a conversation I had with Dick Vitale about his success patterns in preparation to giving a keynote or motivational talk, and he said “I don’t have to apologize for being successful; I don’t have to apologize for being prepared, that’s what a professional does.”
So what are some patterns of behavior you would like to change? How about being late, being unorganized or watching TV? It could be what you eat or how much you drink… or even how you think.
How about what time you get up in the morning, or what time you go to bed? How about reading for 10 minutes each morning to get your mind focused?
It could be your relationship with your loved ones, or even how you treat the people at the office.
These are all habits, and YOU can change your habits by looking at what you really want to accomplish in your life and your business, and making changes in your patterns of behavior. Right now is a great time to start.
Great job today.
Let’s make it a productive week!
GREAT..GREAT…GREAT. Habits must change, will change because of sharing this info.
Thank you!