Plan Where You Want To Go Create a vision for your ideal life. Think about the big picture, where you are today, where you would like to be in the future, and why that shift is important to you. Write down your future vision in words, with doodles, or in any other form of expression. Putting your goals down on paper or in pictures will help you develop your idea and become a great reference tool. Define Your Action Steps Next, identify what you need to do to realize your vision. Start with where you are today and determine one small goal to get you a step closer to your vision. For example, a small goal could be to replace risky TV or movies with sports viewing or safer choices. Continue writing down goals that you’ll want to tackle, but don’t let them overwhelm you. Small incremental improvements are the key to healthy habits that last. Throughout this process, be honest with yourself about what you want and why. When you’re entirely truthful with yourself, you begin to lay a foundation for integrity in everything that you do. STEP 2 – Set Realistic Expectations Before you start implementing your new healthy habit, pause to make sure that your expectations are realistic. Is your goal a challenge yet achievable? Do you have the time and resources to do what’s needed to accomplish your goal? If not, where can you get help? Will you find it easier to stay on track if you have someone to keep you accountable? There likely are harmful patterns in your life that contribute to your decision to make poor choices. Things like lack of sleep, work stress, and a sedentary lifestyle can work against your efforts to create healthy habits. By consciously being aware of harmful patterns, you can see where you might face a setback. Instead of giving up, recognize it, give yourself grace, and get back on track. Promise to forgive yourself if you slip up. Remind yourself that all failures are temporary and that you can get right back to your healthy habit. Forming new habits takes focus and constant repetition. Go into this with compassion and respect for yourself. STEP 3 – Create New Routines Next, you want to create routines that will support you in achieving your goal. That way, you don’t have to use as much willpower to stick to your new healthy habits. The idea is to set up routines that make it easy to say “yes” to healthy choices and “no” to unhealthy choices. Take the example of the person who usually stares at all the hot woman at work. Instead, he decides to praise the Lord every time he sees a female. Keep temptation at a distance whenever possible. Often, merely stopping an old habit won’t be enough to quit it forever. Instead, focus on replacing it with a new one. Like, someone going home instead of to the beach every day after work, this person could go to a sports gathering after work each day instead. Or a CrossFit class. Or a meetup for people who love comics. Whatever activity you replace your old habit with, make sure it is the kind of healthy fun you personally enjoy. STEP 4 – Make It Easy To Do The Healthy Thing Give yourself healthy rewards for taking the desired steps, even small ones. Train your brain and your body to crave those healthy choices. Realize that you don’t have an unlimited supply of willpower. Notice if there are certain times of day or circumstances when you are particularly likely to cave in and make an unhealthy choice. Lack of willpower, especially when tired, hungry, or stressed, doesn’t make you weak. It just means you’re human. You can combat it by planning around it. If you make a lapse in judgment or give in to a craving (which may happen, at least once), quickly forgive yourself and return to your healthy habits. You may fall down, but you don’t have to stay down. Every day you will face the choice to continue in the right direction or abandon your course. You are not powerless to your addiction. Repeatedly making steady changes will create new healthy habits that last a lifetime.
