Have you ever noticed that from time to time, you start hearing the same thing over and over again. Usually, the first time you hear it you don’t think anything of it. But suddenly you hear the same things again, this time from a completely unrelated source. I’ve found in my experience that you until you finally listen, and I mean really listen, that message will probably keep popping up in your life.
I have a tendency to believe that things happen when you are ready for them. The idea of will power is something that is no stranger to me. I’ve always prided myself on being able to power through anything. If it was work, I could put in as many hours as it took to finish, if it was project at home, I’d cut back my sleep to 3-4 hours… whatever it took. But I’ve come to realize that focusing my will power has been the key to the success. Why??? well because I believe that we only have a limited amount of will power at any one time.
So, follow my logic here… many people get all excited at new years. They are going to exercise every day, they are going to be more productive at work, they are going to stop drinking… whatever. The problem is that often they pick something too big, or they pick a few things. Inevitably, they fail… because there is only so much willpower available at any point in time. I’m guilty of this too. Lately, I’ve been working too much, and neglecting many of the good habits I’ve been building over the past few years. All of the items on the list seem small, we are talking 15 minutes a day, or something silly. So I made a list of the good habits I “forgot”… meditating, exercising, eating well, flossing, etc… but what I discovered is that no matter how small the task is, you need to put your focus into it for a couple weeks… or however long it takes to become part of the routine again…
The idea is that only when something becomes part of the routine or daily pattern, can you stop using your will power. However, if you spread your willpower too thin, any one (or all) of the pieces can be easily skipped. And as soon as you skip it for a one day, it starts to break down the mental routine you were building.
Take it from me. If you want to build your routine… do it one piece at a time. Maybe you have more willpower than I have, so you might be able to focus on a group of activities. But in my personal experience, good habits are hard to make. So isn’t it worth expending your energy to build them??? Take your time. Pick your most important piece, and only focus on that. For me right now, it’s eating better and drinking less. But on my list is more blog writing… 🙂
Thanks for reading,
As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to check out our SAP Service Management Products at my other company JaveLLin Solutions,Mike