Develop Four New Success Habits a Year

This next article is part of an ongoing series here at TSB Magazine called The Success Principles. The series is based on the 64 principles laid out by Jack Canfield in his course of the same name. If youre new, I always suggest starting any series from the beginning.

Principle 34:  Develop Four New Success Habits a Year

Its been said by many different coaches, teaches, and psychologists that the habits you keep shape the life you live.

Habits are all those things we do without really thinking about them.  Some habits can be helpful, like the habit of going to the gym every day or saving a portion of your paycheck.  Other habits can hurt our chances of success, like not returning phone calls or partying too much.  Whatever habits you currently have established are producing your current level of results  If you want to live a more successful life you will probably find that you need to add a few more productive habits and drop a few of your negative habits.

The fascinating thing about habits is that the results of them seldom show up right away.  If you get in a habit of eating healthy and going to the gym, you might feel and look the same at first.  But at some point down the road, you will look in the mirror and realize that you are in the best shape of your life.  Same goes for negative habits.  If you get in the habit of procrastinating taking action… before you know it you will wake up and your life will be half over without the results you wanted.

Canfield gives two action steps for changing habits:

1.  The first step is to make a list of all the habits that keep you unproductive or that might negatively impact your future.  Ask other to help you objectively identify what they believe are your limiting habits.

2.  Once you identified your negative habits, the second step is to choose a better, more productive success habit and develop systems that will help support them.

For example if you goal is to get to the gym every morning, one system you might put in place is to go to bed 1 hour earlier and set your alarm ahead.

What could you achieve if you took on four new habits a year?

If you use Canfield’s strategy and develop just few new positive habits a year, then after 5 years you’ll have 20 successful habits.  What kind of life do you think you will be living then?

I would always advise initiating new habits one at a time.  Choose a new habit to initiate and spend about 3 months creating it so that it almost becomes second nature to you.  Once you have successfully instilled that habit, add another one.

It is easy to get motivated for a week or two and then forget all about it.  The key is to really push yourself through the first month.  If you can make it through an entire month, chances are the next month will be a lot easier to remember and implement.  If you find that you are having trouble remembering write yourself notes in places that you will see them.

Are you having trouble setting and sticking with goals?  If you are I’d recommend The Ultimate Goals Program.  You won’t believe how much more success you will experience once you get clear about your goals, and set dates for their accomplishment.