Your habits and lifestyle say something about you. They tell you and the world what's important to you and where you put your priorities. What you eat, if you exercise, the places you shop, and where you spend you money creates a picture.
Have you noticed that every new year the average person makes intentions to create better habits. Resolutions typically focus around health and relationships. Yet, three weeks into a new year, most have let those grand ideas fall by the wayside. Why?
Deep seated patterns (habits)! Those patterns define and remind us of who we are. Are you the type of person that puts their health first? We tend to have an "ideal" persona. In our minds we think we're living in alignment; making healthy choices.
Yet tracking your schedule hour by hour, may surprise you!
*How many times do you eat out a week?
*How often do you exercise each week?
*Is half your plate fruits and veggies at every meal?
*Do you drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily?
These are all habits of a healthy person. No one is 100% with every habit 100% of the time, but are you able to do them more often than not?
If you've started healthy baby habits this year, let me encourage you to keep going! Keep reaching for that ideal. With every movement toward healthy we create deep patterns in the brain that will eventually define us. Being healthy becomes part of our character. It's just who we are to ourselves and the world around us. When people look at you, they'll notice:
You take time out of your day to walk.
You bring your healthy lunch to work.
You leave work on time.
Sleep becomes a priority.
All of a sudden, you're doing the actions that remind you that you are indeed a healthy person. These actions reinforce those healthy choices to keep us motivated to continue!
Each time we say YES to something we're saying NO to something else and that's what makes this healthy lifestyle so difficult in the beginning. There's always a cost.
In the beginning of a baby habit, that cost feels hard and heavy. Yet, as we continue to define and remind ourselves of who we are, it becomes second nature and we don't see the cost so much as the reward.
1. You pass up those donuts at work.
2. You don't work late so you have enough time and energy to spend with your partner.
3. Even when you're tired you put your running shoes on and head out the door.
People notice! They begin to define you as that healthy person. They may even look up to your accomplishments, ask you questions, and encourage your journey.
When we start a baby habit, we need these reminders of who we are. This is about character, priorities, values, and purpose. It's absolutely about the essence of being. With every choice, we enhance these habits or go back to our old character.
Don't look longingly at what you've lost, you're not going that way! Stay motivated in the progress and momentum that you've already built and remember.....
You always have a choice! How will you define and remind yourself of who you are today?