“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” Benjamin Franklin

"Up to 90 percent of our normal behavior is based on habits," an excerpt from The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. One-by-one daily habits generate a full life. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” In the past, habits formed that served you in some way…the time you go to sleep, how you react in situations, how you communicate, what you eat, how you focus your time, etc. Because habits run on autopilot we forget they are a major influence in the results we experience. Are your daily habits serving you? When was the last time you checked? Here are 5 A’s to support you to move beyond limits and make a long-term positive impact one habit at a time.

Attention- First, pay attention to your daily actions. Are there any to improve, add, or eliminate? One positive, new, long term habit a month results in 12 rewarding habits in place by the end of a year, 60 after 5 years. Wow, imagine how your life might be different then! Secondly, pay attention to new possibilities. Take a look at an Ideas Bank of possible daily habits you may not have thought of at http://startingnowcoaching.com/_wsn/page15.html .

Adjust- Make a list of the habits to develop over the rest of the year. What habits do you want to add or eliminate? Instead of eliminating a bad habit you may add a good habit. For example, instead of choosing to stop snacking you may opt to drink more water. The water fills you and automatically reduces snacking. Consider habits with long term results. Then set your plan for each month. You may choose easier habits to incorporate in the beginning. The clearer your focus the better so 1 or 2 a month is sufficient. If you choose more, select one as your primary habit. Tip: Choose what you want, not what someone else wants for you.

Activate- Get in motion by knowing your motivation. What will you gain by incorporating this daily ritual? How will you be different? How will you feel different? What results may you experience long term? Review your motivation daily while instilling the habit.

Accountability- Choose a structure to keep your new habit in front of you daily. It may be helpful to schedule it at the same time daily, add it at the top of your “to do” list, or do it first thing in the morning. Tell the world what you are doing, find a friend to connect with weekly for support, or get a coach. You are welcome to pick up a complimentary Rewarding Daily Habits Chart for tracking purposes at http://www.StartingNowCoaching.com which includes your motivation and support structure at a glance.

Action- Make a commitment to daily action. Don’t just try it… do it! Persevere when you miss a day because life gets in the way. You can do this.

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habits is what keeps you going,” according to Jim Rohn. Begin creating habits that lead to extraordinary life experiences… one habit at a time… Starting Now.

Copyright 2006 © Beth A. Tabak, All rights reserved.

Author's Bio: 

Beth Tabak of http://www.startingnowcoaching.com is a Business & Life Coach, speaker, columnist, & owner of Starting Now. She coaches big thinkers to move beyond limits, stand out in the crowd, and experience the vastness of their capabilities. Stop by to see all that’s available to you and say “hello”.