Habits & Goals

3 steps to forming good habits

1. repetition
2. time
3. dedication

Both bad and good habits are a part of daily human activity. Forming good routines can be a difficult undertaking. However, the more a behavior pattern is repeated, the easier it becomes. If an action is repeated enough, the practice soon becomes a common procedure everyday. The hardest part of trying to begin having good habits is getting into it. Keeping up a tendency once you have begun it is a lot easier than you may think. There are three basic requirements you must have to begin the process of starting a good habit. Repetition is one of the most important key items to starting any ritual. It also takes time and true dedication to be successful.

The first thing that must be addressed is repetition. The only way a lasting habit can be truly formed is by repeating a behavior. If you want to start a habitual exercise regimen, you are going to have to regularly begin a routine. This means everyday you have to push yourself to take control. For example, to get into healthy habits like running or another exercise regime, everyday you must push yourself to get out on that jogging trail or head to the gym. Even when you feel like sleeping in, for the first part of the habit-forming process you must get up and do what you need to do. Repetition is paramount to the success of forming any habit. The more you do an action, the more comfortable, familiar, and habitual it becomes.

Another important part of successfully making a good habit in your life is time. For the most part, not having good habits did not start in one day. Do not expect yourself to overcome obstacles and create the good habits you need to form in one day. Tiny steps toward your goal are imperative to reaching it. If you try to get everything accomplished all at once, you may get burnt out on trying to better yourself. This can be detrimental to your progress as a person. Being patient with yourself and recognizing the progress you are making everyday are important to success with creating a good habit. Once you have used time to solidify the habit, it then becomes a hard habit to break which is a good thing.

One final piece of the puzzle you need to have when trying to start a new habit that will positively affect your life is dedication. Deciding that you are going to do something good for yourself and then sticking to it is one of the toughest parts of making a new habit. You will need dedication to motivate you in the beginning, before habit takes over. Once you have successfully formed the habit, it will not be as difficult to carry out everyday. You will still need a healthy dose of dedication, but not as much. For example, once you start to develop good eating habits you will find it much easier to keep them up.

With all of the steps named above, you can become successful at forming good habits. Moving forward with life is the ultimate goal of a good habit. Repetition, time and patience, and dedication are all necessary traits to possess in order to get yourself into a good habit. Times are tough in the beginning phase of starting positive habits, but once the beginning is over, it becomes easier.