Habits...a serious point in our life!

Whatever we do continuously is called “habit”. In the lexicon, there is a definition for it:

“A usual way of behaving, something that a person often does regularly and repeatedly”.

Habits define precisely who we are and, in some cases, what we have become. Believe it or not, we can change them, sometimes making us exactly what we can be!

I've read some articles about habits, and the definition of "micro quotas" and macro goal" got my attention. The big idea for the future (macro goal) comes into conflicts with today's small changes (micro quotas). The first is nothing more than our dreams which we build over time as we grow up, changing the gene, but the second one is much smaller, and we can start it anytime we choose.

So I tried the small challenge by doing the first tiny step. Actually, it was a kind of epiphany but easier to follow according to my working schedule, which was always crazy and very speedy as a restauranteur & chef. The idea came about through my procrastination and, more specifically, with the gym, which has always been a big part of my life. With the increased workload, this had become a dream, a secondary choice, by saying, "There is no time for the gym right now! Nevertheless, I had to practice, so I had to find a solution to the problem.

So my micro quota was 25 push-ups before any meal. It was such a small thing, and I could do it everywhere, just a minute of my time. To avoid excuses, I came up with the idea to share it with my personal and my daughters after at home, to create a commitment to follow by forcing in case I ever felt weak, just as good support!

It was so funny at the beginning, and somebody always reminded me of my duty, even after a snack. I had to do that, and they enjoyed seeing me doing that, expecting the time that I should give up, off course, but it was working for me anyway!

Because it was such a small thing, it became easier for me and ridiculous to break my decision, and that was the secret. The second day I started to feel the “muscle pain”, and the first week I showed my front side to become firmer, which motivated me to continue even warmer!

This little thing was just the beginning. Next week I raised the push-ups a few more & the week after, the same with my first goal for the month.

The feeling was outstanding, and I was kindly shaped on my chest & arms. The funniest was my weight decreased by almost 3kg.

I just completed my first step and was looking for the next. It became like a personal challenge, something to look for and the most strange was my decreased weight....two birds with a stone.

My second step was under construction. I had to use the same idea & people again as a witness, but for me was the only reason to avoid any procrastination (I had a bad experience with this habit in the past). Still, I had to consider something small again and control my happiness with reality.

My next target was 25 sit-ups on each coffee break, and that worked even better when all my waitresses asked me when I should have a coffee. The funniest was when my daughters wanted to fix me a coffee at home, but we agreed on green tea, and I had to drink two, one for each daughter, it may be a punishment from them to me, but it worked for both sides. The situation never lost interest, and I also developed my training skills. I decrease a hole in my belt plus another 3.2 kg. It was amazing what happened with my body just from this little habit, and for the first time, I was so motivated to go this through without any challenge except my own, and there came my third choice.

The same day I went to the gym and signed a yearly contract, and until today Im there every day for an hour, five days a week and change almost all my clothing sizes. I enjoy myself in the mirror, but the most important is my yearly check-up to look so freaking healthy.

So, my dear friends, I can ensure you have this incredible feeling without trying harder and feeling too good to make changes. All you need to do is begin the little thing.

Let me present a quotation from a Chinese proverb that used to say:: “Even the longest distance starts with a step”, a small commitment to yourself, nothing big, the big will come after the many small & successful commitments. The fact is that you will succeed anyhow. Just be patient, and it will come!

“To make your dream come true, you need to find out how this mechanism works at first begin, and the rest is how much you want it.”

HOW TO CREATE A NEW HABIT

STEP 1

• Break it as small as possible, tiny! To create a new habit, first of all, you have to simplify the behaviour of it, make it looks ridiculously easy so you cannot break it, to feel ashamed if you try to do it!

• Commit your choice to people close to you, and they may never let you forget. This commitment and the end are what you need. If you succeed, you will be the hero & the example in their eyes!

STEP 2

• Find where this tiny new behaviour could fit into this existing routine. Put it after some act that is a solid habit, like eating lunch every day. One key to a new habit is this simplicity, but you need to connect it with what comes after.

STEP 3

• Train the cycle.

• Focus on doing this small thing you have chosen as part of your daily routine, every day on the truck, round time, cycle it.
  

• Continue with your remainders because the second success will be difficult for them to accept, so use them to continue until this tiny behaviour becomes automatic.

• Keep the behaviour simple, and only overreact once you feel ready. Let it become a solid habit & then you can taste the secret of success.

STEP 4

• You just succeeded in creating a new habit, but that doesn't mean there are no more steps. You have to think about the whole behaviour, that was a tiny one and even if you won you just got the key for the bigger door, to know how!

• Leave your tiny habit to expand naturally to the more considerable behaviour, keep it going, and eventually, you will paint the whole picture without much effort.

HABITS AS ADDICTION

A habit can also be an addiction, according to psychotherapist experts. Some believe the term addiction should be reserved for describing a physical dependency on chemical substances such as alcohol and drugs. Other additions include a range of compulsive behaviours such as gambling, shopping, playing video games, work and internet usage and last and more critical, eating!

This type of addiction is typically described as "psychological addiction", a state that can also accompany physical habits. In other words, following up on an existing habit (ex., eating lunch, driving home) with a new link in the chain is a great way to start a practice.

For instance, instead of "I will keep a cleaner house", we could aim for, "When I come home, I'll change my clothes & then clean the wardrobe. Former studies noted that regular habits with little wiggle room work well add "links". We can create systems like, "If it is lunchtime, then I will only eat meat and vegetables", much more concrete than "I will eat a healthy lunch".

HOW DO WE FORM A HABIT

Both good and bad habits are formed in the same way.

As someone repeats an action, the brain creates a pathway that makes processing the repeated behaviour easier than a new one. The more the step is repeated, the stronger the habit becomes. A habit usually forms within two to four weeks, provided the activity is performed thrice weekly.

How do we define a good habit?

A good habit positively benefits the individual and aligns with moral and ethical beliefs. A good habit can be immediately beneficial, or it can provide long-term benefits.

In summary and general terms

Habits are the mirror of our life. "Our income is an indicator of our habits. Our wealth is an indicator of our financial habits. Our weight is an indicator of our eating habits. Our knowledge is an indicator of our learning habits. Our clutter is an indicator of our cleaning habits. What you repeat determines the result you get in the end." The great philosopher Aristoteles describes those habits with ourselves:

"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then, is not an act but a habit".