These 5 Habits Changed My Life. Here’s How They Can Change Yours
We are defined by what we do. No matter what we say or what we think, who we become is ultimately a result of what we choose to do.
Habits are the actions we perform consistently. They form the foundation of our lives and have the power to shape our lives for better or for worse.
Habits also have the power to be life-changing if the right habits are done for long enough. Here are the 5 habits that changed my life for the better and have the potential to change yours too.
1. Saying No
Saying no is hard for a lot of people. Saying no is hard because we don’t want to make others upset or we lack the self-control to say no to ourselves.
Make it a habit to say no.
By saying no, you are prioritizing your mental health and time, both of which are your most valuable assets.
The next time you are invited to an event you don’t want to go to or are tempted by a distraction, ask yourself if the action aligns with the direction you want to go in life. If not, say no and don’t think twice about it.
You will find that by making no a habit, you can establish control over your life and decide where you want to go.
Here’s an analogy for you. If you think of your life as a boat, the ability to say no is equivalent to having a rudder that allows you to control where you go.
Without it, you can still move forward, but you have no choice but to go wherever the waves push you.
2. Being Nice To EVERYONE
Being nice to everyone is easy… or so I thought. I thought I was a nice person until I reflected upon the things that I say to everyone I interact with. The more I reflected, the more I realized that I could improve a lot on my kindness.
Being kind takes more work than most people think because of existing prejudices and group thinking. For example, if everyone in your friend group dislikes a particular person, it can become very hard to be kind to them.
Now, I’m not telling you to be over-kind or to like everyone you meet, but I’m telling you to make an effort to be a kinder person, whether it be to your closest friends or someone you just met.
Being kind means acting nicely towards them AND talking positively about them behind their back.
If you aren’t able to perform both of these tasks, it’s time to reconsider how you interact with people.
3. Quitting Social Media
Quitting social media was the single best decision I made in my life. The reason I put it on this list as a habit is because it requires daily effort to stop using it.
Stopping yourself from using social media is not as simple as just deleting the app. You have to be able to deal with the withdrawal symptoms of your addiction and make sure you don’t relapse anytime in the future.
Immediately after stopping social media, you will continue to have the urge to check your phone quite frequently.
Additionally, your mind will automatically gravitate towards it whenever you become bored or the task you are doing becomes too hard.
To deal with these symptoms of withdrawal, make sure to work in a place where your phone is nowhere in sight and not easily accessible.
Better yet, replace picking up your phone with a better habit, like going on a walk or doing some stretches.
By replacing the habit of going on social media with a healthier habit, you will find quitting much more bearable and your mind will thank you for it later.
Now to stop yourself from relapsing, make sure to delete all apps and tell your friends that you quit using them. You can also have a friend hold you accountable for not going online as that will make it much easier for you.
4. Reading Every Day
Reading every day has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities and different perspectives.
I love to read about psychology and self-improvement and these are 5 of the most eye-opening books I have read so far:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson
- The 4-hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
- The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
Every one of these books provides great value and has helped shape me to become the person I am today.
If you think you don’t have time to read or you’re not a “reader” check out this article.
Making reading a habit is as simple as reading for five or ten minutes every morning. You will be surprised at how much you can finish in that amount of time and you will find yourself devouring books in no time.
5. Stretching Every Day
Stretching every day has served two purposes in my life: staying flexible and clearing my mind.
By stretching every day for no more than ten minutes, I have been able to maintain my flexibility which has helped prevent injuries when playing sports and has allowed me to stay more mobile.
In addition, stretching has been my safe space where I can let all my worries dissolve into the yoga mat and only focus on the stretch at hand. In fact, I stretch every morning and night and it has developed into the perfect way to start my morning routine and end my nighttime routine.
Making it a habit to stretch every day can be as easy as following the same YouTube video every day or writing down a list of various stretches you want to do. The key to this is consistency.
Who Do You Want To Be?
What kind of person do you want to be in the future? Your actions dictate your person, and your habits dictate your actions. Create good habits now, and you’ll find yourself traveling in the trajectory you want to go.
It’s your choice.
Thanks for reading!
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