MM: Forming Good Habits 02/15/16 | Four Columns Marketing It’s the middle of February and the majority of our New Years resolutions have gone by the wayside. But no need to give up on your goals, maybe it’s time to take a different approach. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”- Aristotle Our daily habits determine how our day goes even when we don’t notice them. We often focus on our bad habits but rarely praise our good ones. Instead of attempting to change your life overnight, try establishing new productive habits that could gradually change your lifestyle. 66 Days Recent studies show that it takes about 66 days for the average person to form a habit. That’s only about two months of committing to make a small change that will impact you in the long run. Seems doable right? Start small Don’t overwhelm yourself. If your goal is to wake up early and work out every morning, don’t set your alarm for two hours earlier if you know you hate the mornings. Instead, just start with waking up 30 minutes earlier and going for a walk. The goal is to not burn yourself out. Be Consistent Stay determined. The more cheat days you have the harder it will be to stay on track. Stay focused with the end goal in mind. It even helps to tell others about what you are doing and have an accountability partner. Reward yourself Treat yourself! You deserve it. This will give you extra motivation to keep going! Just don’t reward your self in a way that would hinder your habit. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” -Jim Ryun It is impossible change our habits overnight, but making small changes to our daily lives can impact our lifestyles long term.