Habits are the building blocks of our lives and can have a profound impact on our success, yet there’s no doubt that forming lasting habits can be challenging. Creating a new pattern requires discipline, dedication, and commitment as we figure out how to change our routines in ways that will endure.
Fortunately, there are strategies that we can use to form strong habits. We can start small by breaking down our goals into manageable chunks and focusing on one habit at a time. As one practice becomes solid, we can build others on top of it. This is what experts call “habit stacking.” For instance, if you have a habit of drinking coffee in the morning and want to begin journaling regularly, try writing as you sip your morning brew. Once written reflection becomes a regular part of your routine, you can add another item to your regimen, such as sitting for meditation after you close your journal.
Building habits requires effort, but once they are established, regular behaviors that previously seemed impossible can be effortless. The transition takes time. Along the way, we can track our progress, celebrate the milestones, and perhaps even reward ourselves when we successfully execute a new habit for a certain number of days. Before we know it, healthy habits will have replaced unhealthy ones and we will be on our way to achieving our goals.
To keep you motivated, we’ve collected 13 of our favorite quotes on forming habits that last. May they encourage and support you on your journey.
Focus comes automatically when you are sitting at your work desk. Relaxation is easier when you are in a space designed for that purpose… If you want behaviors that are stable and predictable, you need an environment that is stable and predictable.James Clear, author
Self-doubt is the greatest enemy of any new good habit.Victoria Moran, author
If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.Colin Powell
Humans are creatures of habit. If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through it, the grit begins to grow in you.Travis Bradberry, author
We can use decision-making to choose the habits that we want to form, use willpower to get the habit started, then — and this is the best part — we can allow the extraordinary power of habit to take over.Gretchen Rubin, author
'Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.Benjamin Franklin
Good habits can be developed through repetition. By incorporating behaviors, tasks, and attitude to the regular routines, they usually become a habit, thus becoming natural and virtually effortless.Kellie Sullivan, author
It takes time and patience, but if you develop the habit of using forceful, positive Self-Talk rebuttals to your negative Mind Chatter you will soon see a shift in your Mind Chatter, how you feel, and what you do.Mark Snyder, author
You shouldn't be challenging yourself to change a habit for just a short period of time. The point of habits is to change behavior over the long term.Richard D. Rawlings, author
Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.Charles Reade, novelist
Success leads to success. But here’s something that may surprise you. The size of the success doesn’t seem to matter very much. When you feel successful at something, even if it’s tiny, your confidence grows quickly, and your motivation increases to do that habit again.BJ Fogg, behavior scientist
Do not count the number of times you failed and believe it is impossible to eliminate bad habits. It is possible to change bad habits into positive ones and live a more productive life.Henry A. Dabo, author
In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do that shapes our identity, but what we do consistently.Tony Robbins, author and speaker
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