Today I’m sharing ONE simple strategy I’ve been using for months to create new habits in my life… In a little by little sort of way. It’s simple, yet powerful. I believe this episode will be the motivation you need as we move into a new year to really GO AFTER those crazy goals and create change for yourself. I want you to not just get all excited with a goal on December 31st then quit, but actually carry it out throughout the WHOLE YEAR. Habits are the way to do it.
So volume up for a short and sweet episode to motivate and inspire action in your life using the power of habits. And if you’re catching this episode at some random time in the future (aka not when it aired at the end of 2020)... still tune in. This strategy is timeless, and you can get started at absolutely any time!
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:
Search for episode 98!
Focus on adding 1 new habit a month to your life.
I got this idea from Jesse Itzler! So if you’ve heard him speak at an event or on a podcast, this might sound familiar! He teaches adding 1 new habit to your life a month, and then typically skipping 2 months over the course of the year to refine what’s been added. This totals 10 new positive habits per year!
Let’s be clear that we are talking about how to create new habits and not goals. Both are GREAT but they are totally different. I think of goals as something that has an end in mind that you’re working towards. Once you get there, that goal is done and then you set a new goal. A habit is something you do in a specific interval of time, often and recurring.
For example, your goal might be to run a marathon. But the habit might be that you are someone who runs 3 times a week. The two can play together, but they are different! You can even see with that example that habits are what get us TO the goal.
Most goals are met by doing micro changes. One small decision at a time and creating and committing to habits can get us there.
Tune in to this short episode to hear me talk through some of these practical examples I have been practicing this year.
What habits do you want to form in your life?
It can be easy to get super ambitious and decide “I’m going to create new habits by starting with 3 this month!!! Go hard! Go big or go home!” While that might work for you, I’d encourage you to really focus on just ONE at a time.
You could focus on one personal and one business habit, but I would really discourage you from doing a lot all at once. That doesn't mean you can’t focus on anything else but this one habit. There will always be many other things going on in your life, but I’m encouraging you to focus on one thing to pay attention to and track closely as a habit.
Try for ONE this month and if you have a ton of ideas, jot them down for later! You can totally do them next month and still practice pieces of it this month.
Steps to create new habits:
- Pick the habit for the month.
- Figure out how you’re going to measure it. What exactly is the goal? Is there a pattern you’re going to do to get it all the way there?
- Figure out what you need to get started!
- Tell someone!
- *Bonus* Create accountability by doing this with someone.
Remember that getting where you want in life is all done in teeny tiny decisions. It’s one decision here, another decision there that gets you either closer or farther away from where you want to be.
When you look back at the end of the year on what you did or didn’t achieve, you can often drawback to little decisions. Sometimes those were inconsequential decisions or boring decisions that you don’t want to do. Maybe they were scary decisions. But they were all decisions!
As you set goals and think about how to create new habits, focus on decisions. Just don’t let yourself spend your life in in-decision or “I have no idea what I’m working towards” mode. Once you make a decision, take that as a commitment and have your own back. Having your own back is HUGE for success.
I can’t wait to hear what big dreams you have for yourself and your business in the new year. If you are listening to this episode later, you can still start this now! Send me a message @elizabethmccravy on Instagram or email me hello@elizabethmccravy.com and tell me what habits and goals you are working towards!
