How to Form Good Habits for a Happier Life

How to Form Good Habits for a Happier Life

We all have habits we want to change. For better or worse, every one of us develops habits and patterns we repeat every day until they become automatic. They can be good or bad, and you’ll only see their results after years of doing them...

Think about the things you learned as a child that you now do today without thinking:

  • Brushing your teeth
  • Combing your hair a certain way
  • Eating foods at a given schedule

Good habits make for greater success in life.

Good habits are the things that can help you stay strong, healthy, and happy. Think about people who are better off financially, have more success in their social lives, or are in good shape. People who are doing well may seem superhuman. However, they most likely just have better habits: they put positive behaviors into practice until those behaviors become a part of who they are. 

If you’ve tried to improve your health, finances, or other areas in your life to no avail, rest assured that you’re not alone and that there are ways you can set yourself up for success. 

The key to self-improvement lies in recognizing the following:

  • You need to let positive intentions motivate you. Dwelling on shame, regret, or fear on your quest to change your habits won’t serve you. Don’t allow negativity to fuel your work.
  • Build habits slowly. Have you ever noticed that gym memberships increase in January? Yet most people fall off the bandwagon in March. Why? Because people tend to go hard at the gym and then ditch their routine once it becomes challenging.
  • Don’t try to do too much. Maybe you have noticed areas of your life you want to change. The best plan of attack is to master one at a time until you adopt the right behaviors to support the following behavior you wish to change.

Habits that can keep you fit and healthy, and more disciplined.

Getting fit and healthy can be challenging for busy people. The key is to build habits that become so automatic that you’ll be able to stick to them even on rough days. 

Here are some small changes that can offer massive payoff for those trying to get fit but have little time.
  • Stay hydrated. Start with one giant glass of water daily.
  • Walk for 10 minutes per day. As a bonus: there are many 15-minute workouts you can find on OOMPH (for people at all levels!).
  • Stop slouching. Super important for students or people who sit down for work all day. 
  • Eat a healthy breakfast every morning.
  • Drink water or tea instead of sugary sodas.
  • Use furniture or stairs as your home gym.


Looking to form a new habit? Check out our top 5 books on habit formation and building discipline!

There are also many excellent books that can help you be your best self and develop sustainable habits. We’ve curated our personal favorites for you:

1. Badass Habits by Jen Sincero


It's time you stopped settling for good and started asking for great in every area of your life. Great health, great happiness, and great wealth. Change your life now with this book!

2. Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick by Wendy Wood

    How do you go from a bad habit to good one – or vice versa? Good Habits, Bad Habits provides the answer and offers surprising insights into human behavior.

    3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (30th Anniversary Edition) by Steven R. Covey

    A total classic! Steven Covey presents a practical guide for living a meaningful life in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This book opens with an investigation into the fundamental, natural, universal qualities that make each human being unique. After laying this foundation, the book moves on to discuss how to apply these seven habits to our lives. 

    4The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

    In The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work.

    5. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

    No matter how clear and logical the plan seems to you, you won’t always be on track. James Clear describes Atomic Habits as “a science-based approach for building better habits that actually stick."


    So, are you ready to build better habits and unlock your best self? We hope that this post will equip you to change your life, succeed, and find actionable ways to achieve your goals.  It’s time to choose one area you’d like to change and use these resources to help you understand what you need to do. We know you can do it! 

     

     


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