What is the definition of a “good habit”?
A good habit is one that you have made a decision about doing each and every day of your life. A simple lifetime of good habits is akin to: brushing your teeth every day – the old saying is “only brush the teeth you want to keep.” What about other areas of your life? What habits do you have that are “lifetime habits”?
Good habits are formed early in life. A great book on this topic is “Today Matters.” Written by John Maxwell. In this text, he talks about when he realized that his life path was set by his daily habits and based on his personal beliefs and values. If I ask you to write down your habits the moment you open your eyes each morning, what is the first thing you do? According to The Ladders, 1 in 3 meditate, 2 in 5 exercise, 1 in 5 say they are always in a rush to get out the door. and then 31% check their iPhone to read the news, and 33% watch TV news first thing. Now, when you read these stats, does this seem like a thoughtful way to begin the day?
Perhaps you exercise regularly, take a vacation when you need or want to, celebrate holidays and special occasions, perhaps you attend church regularly, and get to be at a decent hour to be refreshed and renewed for the next day. So, what throws all these good habits into chaos?
The answer I hear is: “LIFE shows up and DERAILS me!” Well, that is true, LIFE will show up in the most unexpected ways and manners. But it is how we respond to that derailment which throws us for a loop. Life will indeed, humble each one of us at some point. However, those moments do not define who we are or devalue us in any manner. It takes guts to say NO to those things that derail you and stay the course to success!
When our lives become derailed by life events that we often have no control over, we do not just give up and spiral down to the bottom of the self-pity pit. All too often, our expectations about what we want to happen, how we want an outcome to come about, are the cause of the derailment. We lose our “common sense” because we get triggered at the event or outcome, or person.
Our good habits go by the wayside, and we panic and begin to look for shortcuts. Those shortcuts will derail us every single time. These derailments are treacherous and can keep us derailed for an hour, a day, a week, and I am sorry to say it, decades! I have seen and coached many who are caught in a derailment web and cannot extricate themselves. What happens in these cases is the disappointments are piled so high that a person doesn’t even know what started this cascade of disintegration.
What can I do?
The answer has always been with you if you are saved. God gave you mighty ARMOUR to put on each day! Why aren’t you wearing it? Have you noticed people who just don’t seem to care how they look, or how they are dressed when they appear in public? I’ve seen people at the airport with uncombed hair, in their pjs and wearing house slippers to board a flight somewhere. What is the message they are projecting to the world? “I don’t care about myself!” That is so sad. Please, don’t roll out of bed without first saying “Thank you!” to God for bringing you through the night. Ask Him what He would like you to do today instead of just muddling through the day. Put on your Armour and be prepared for the fiery arrows of the evil one, and be protected. Life is too short and too precious to live any other way.
janice@janicebastanicoaching.com
8914 Collina Ct.
Granite Bay, CA 95746
908-229-3797
www.janicebastanicoaching.com
www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/janicebastani
