“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results” James Clear
Many people will profess that they want to develop good habits. The type of habits which serve us and care for us effortlessly. You probably don’t have to force yourself to brush your teeth each morning – it is just a habit you do without thinking. The more good habits we can do automatically, the better we feel. It is a common belief in the yoga tradition you can heal your habits by doing something daily. They believe one can
-break a negative habit in 40 days,
-establish a new habit in 90 days,
-ingrain a new habit in 120 days, and
-master the new habit in 1000 days!
Here is how to use this process. First, choose what your new habit or self-care practice will be. For example, will you sit quietly and read for a few minutes each day, will it be a little bit of yoga every day or meditation, or turn off your cell phone earlier in the evening?
Whatever you decide, decide how you will track the timeline to indicate the 40 days or 90 or even 120 and put the challenge into practice.
When you have completed your habit daily, you could reward yourself with something special as an incentive. See how you feel after 40 days. Make a note, keep going to see if you notice a difference after 90 days, and repeat.
In the end, you will see your growth in this area and notice the difference between what feels good and what doesn’t. It is ok if you have to tweak your habit-forming goal to achieve it.
You don’t have to struggle for change. Once you start paying attention, you will find change can happen naturally.
