by Paul Casey
Bad habits are the bane of a productive life. No matter what goals you have set before you, harmful habits such as procrastination can hinder your path to becoming a successful leader. Essentially, the kind of life you are living today is a result of your habits. How in shape are you? How happy are you? How successful are you in your personal and professional realm? All of these are a result of the habits you practice daily.
Traditional thinking will advise you to break those habits. However, it is more effective to replace bad habits with good ones. It’s not a walk in the park, but with the help of a Washington coach, you can be on your way to unchaining yourself from the negative habits that prevent you from becoming the best leader you can be.
Start with Small Steps
The inspiration to change and become a better version of yourself can strike at any time. Perhaps you’re watching a show where people lose weight, or you listen to an employee who claims to have unlocked the secret to making the most out of the work day. This can motivate you to dream big and set big goals right from the get-go. However, this direction makes failure a very real possibility. One week later, and you might find yourself losing the drive to go for the goal you have set for yourself.
Therefore, it is vital to start with tiny changes. Want to be more productive at work? Then start by cleaning out that e-mail inbox you’ve been putting off for a long time. Want to build a better team that pulls together when the going gets tough? Instill the right habits to prepare yourself for success. Starting out with small steps is the foundation to taking bigger ones, and this also gives you the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal without placing too much pressure and stress on yourself.
Focus on Changing Your Lifestyle
Too often, people dream of making life-changing goals that they expect to maintain for the rest of their lives. For instance, you might want to become better at managing your time. They neglect to see that such a major overhaul requires real lifestyle changes. For example, writing a list of things to do in your planner and prioritizing accordingly is a way of life change that can get you started on time management. Want to become a successful author? Committing to writing a page of your story a day is a more doable way of completing that book. These lifestyle changes are a better path to life-changing goals, and they are also easier to ingrain into your everyday life.
It can be daunting to embark on a journey of self-improvement, and it can be harder still when you try to do everything at once. By focusing on small steps and on changing your lifestyle, you are more prepared to take on bigger challenges as a leader along the way. Better yet, enlist the help of a Washington speaker so you can have an experienced guide throughout the whole process.
Sources:
4 Tips for Breaking Bad Habits, lifehack.org
3 Easy Steps to Breaking Bad Habits, webmd.com
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