How Can I Form Good Habits in my Life?
CONVERSATIONS
If we want to live purposefully, we need to develop habits based on our values and principles. Otherwise, our days will be led by the dictates of our whims or pressures from others -- much like how the Psalmist describes someone who does not root himself in the daily practice of meditating on God's Word: "like chaff that the wind drives away." (Ps. 1:4) Maturity is marked by taking responsibility for the things we consider important, not letting things just happen to us.
Since we do not want to be tossed here and there by every impulse or social pressure in the limited days we have on earth, we need to be clear on who we are, what we live for, and what our priorities are. If you are yet to be clear about what's most important in life, Jesus spoke about it in Matthew 22:37 and Matthew 6:19-33. (Click on my blog series, The Values Driven Heart, found here in my website, to learn more about what Jesus taught as most important values.)
Think of you past week: have you been living out of the pressures of your life, or from what you believe are most important to you?
ACTION POINTS: What three things do you give top value to in your life? _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
How are you doing in these three areas? How can you pursue your goals better in these areas? _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
What habits would you work on to improve in these top three priorities? _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
After you identify your top three priority areas, the goals you have for each, and the habits you want to form, you will need a plan which includes 1) cues to set off the practice, 2) routines to act on regularly, and 3) rewards to cement the habit.
Aside from cues directly related to the habit you want to form, Bible verses or other relevant quotes related to the value you wish to act on can also serve as good visual cues. These help you internalize truth while setting off the action - giving extra boost in your motivation.
In forming routines, a progress chart will help you monitor your progress in the habits you want to develop. It can also prove visually rewarding -- if you stay faithful to your goals. An accountability partner to either walk with you or walk you through in establishing a habit can also give you that extra push.
Associating positive results with the habit and negative results if the habit is not established will reinforce habit-formation. How would things be better if you develop this habit? What do you stand to lose by not building this habit? For instance, how would daily Bible reading and meditation help you? If you do not develop this habit, what would be the result for you and those around you? What are the benefits of pursuing good health? What is the impact upon you and those you love if you do not pursue good health?
ACTION POINTS What cues can you set up to help you act on the habits you want to form?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ What actions can you do this week so that you can start building your disciplines? Create a progress chart to monitor your daily routines you want to develop. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
What rewards do you see taking place if you develop these habits? To go the extra mile, make a vision board of what you would want to see happen as a result of developing these habits. _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
If we develop good habits based on our values and plan our days well, we will live intentionally and no longer waste a single day. As the Psalmist prayed, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps. 90:12)
Let's pray
Father, You are indeed our very great reward, the end-all and be-all of our existence. Guide our planning and thinking as we seek to establish habits that will help us glorify you in our lives, in our pursuits and in our relationships with You and others. Help us to be faithful and not falter in our endeavor to live purposefully. In Jesus name. Amen.
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
