Note: This article is taken from the writer and author Stephen Guise, and he talks to us about the most important signs that indicate our success in turning a useful behavior into a useful and fruitful habit in our lives.
Creating new habits is, in my opinion, one of the best five methods for developing one's personality. But when it comes to good habits, the question of "How should we know when good behavior in our lives turns into a good daily habit?" is rarely posed or addressed.
The answer to the previous question is crucial because the best outcomes come from breaking habits one at a time. Once you have completed the previous behavior you have chosen and permanently incorporated it into your life as a new habit, you should not turn your attention to another positive behavior that you wish to develop into a habit.
In the following, we will talk about six signs of good habits that will answer the previous question, and I will use regular exercise as an example for the next two reasons:
- Exercise is a routine habit in my life now, and I do it four or five times a week. So I can give specific and detailed examples.
- Exercise is the most common good habit that everyone wants to bring into their lives.
If some of the following signs apply to you and not others, it may mean that you are very close to introducing a new habit into your life, but you have not reached that goal yet, so you have to persist and persevere until you achieve it. Therefore, it may be likely that you have a specific habit in the following cases.
6 Signs of Developing a Good Habit in Your Life
1. When practicing or applying it, it is normal in your life, as if it is an innate behavior you have
Habits are man's primary instinct and the preferred behavior of his brain. If you find yourself practicing that good behavior without prior planning, it is a good sign that it is a habit in your life. For example, it will seem strange if I do not go to the gym at least three times a week, and I do not have to follow or plan my exercises because exercising has become like brushing my teeth.
However, practice was more like a special occasion in my life, so I spent my free time playing video games, whereas doing anything else was outside the norm in my life.
Now, I want you to consider whether the positive behavior you are considering making a habit has crossed the boundary and become something you find comfortable and preferred. If so, this could indicate that the behavior has developed into a habit in your life—exactly what we mean by the first and most fundamental definition of a habit.
If you have not yet reached this stage, the following signs may suggest that you are very close to doing so. However, it may be the best indication for them.
2. You are not worried about practicing it because it is expected and anticipated
Anxiety expresses your lack of confidence in the positive results of your actions, so if you find yourself feeling anxious and nervous about feeling motivated and excited about doing any activity, know that it has not turned into a habit in your life yet.
I wanted to go to the gym to exercise, but at the same time, I was worried that I would not be anxious about it when the time came or decide to do something else. My fears were realized many times when I did not go to the gym. Also, when I was actually going to exercise, I was not sure whether I would maintain that habit or not. Today, I never worry about going to the gym because I always expect to go there.
If you are so sure that you are carrying out or practicing a behavior that you no longer worry about completing it or continuing it until the end, it is a sign that it is a habit in your life.
3. Not feeling like a great achievement anymore and counting it as normal in your life
Established habits are no longer surprising. For example, American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant does not celebrate every time he scores a triple shot in front of a novice player; he only expresses his victory and pride on his face, so it is natural for him to be the best player on the field.
I remember suffering a few years ago to motivate myself to exercise. I felt as if I had achieved a significant achievement if I practiced for 20 minutes. Exercise was a behavior that went against my lazy lifestyle to the point where I had to make a special effort to persuade myself to engage in it.
Today, I go to the gym and exercise for 45 minutes, and I don't feel like I did anything special. I only feel relieved and happy when I exercise and stay in shape.
Now, I want you to think about what you feel when practicing that positive behavior that you want to turn into a habit, whether it seems like a significant achievement in your life or just another step forward. If it is a habit in your life, it will seem more natural than extraordinary.
4. No need for willpower at all
When you have to use your willpower, you try to forcibly break or override a previous habit, such as forcing your brain to change the fun way you used to process things and replace it with a way that you find best for you.
The human brain behaves stubbornly at first and clings to its old way. Perhaps it requires you to enter into a struggle that makes you feel tired and confused before your brain gives in and succumbs to the new reality.
That exhausts the cortex of the forehead lobe in your brain and makes you feel tired and stressed. However, when a good habit becomes firm and stable in your life, your brain turns into a supportive factor for your plan at that time, and that behavior or habit becomes an automatic thing that you can practice without any previous thinking and planning; you will no longer have to fight to practice it correctly, which will make you feel overjoyed.
You can be familiar with all the information, but you still make mistakes. Knowing something is totally different from understanding it. Understanding it requires evaluating the costs and harms compared to the benefits and profits resulting from it.
For instance, watching TV is simple, entertaining, and calming, but it has drawbacks, such as preventing you from trying more worthwhile and satisfying options and putting you at risk for health issues if you lead a lifestyle that emphasizes sitting all the time, not moving, and wasting time.
The average American watches TV for an average of five hours a day. However, there are very few American citizens who truly understand the relationship or percentage of benefits and harms related to watching TV.
As for me, I used to invent the craziest and most foolish tricks to force myself to exercise; I once devised a somewhat complex points system, and I used to earn points in it by practicing different exercises, and then I allowed myself to buy challenging things using those points.
This method was effective, successful, and somewhat enjoyable. However, I was still struggling with my brain to turn exercise into a habit and eliminate inactivity and laziness. The success of these tricks lasted for only two weeks before I failed and neglected to practice again.
The trick that finally succeeded in turning the sport into a habit was to challenge one push-up. It worked by reducing practice and making it continuous and consistent.
Today, I am totally in congruence with my brain, which does not show any resistance to exercise. I go to the gym and do push-ups with complete mental clarity. Exercise no longer requires significant willpower because my brain has finally understood its benefits and is well-trained to enjoy those exercises.
If you must motivate and encourage yourself to practice that behavior that you want to turn into a habit, or if it requires more effort than its physical and mental nature shows, you have not succeeded in turning it into a routine in your life yet.
5. Do not miss it except for a really good reason, and do not excuse your laziness about it
Life may sometimes force you to miss days in vain, but this is not a problem for habits at all because you will resume practicing them as soon as you can, and you will find that you overcome obstacles to do so with unprecedented fluency.
For instance, I severely injured my finger when I applied pressure to it while playing basketball. For several days until it was cured, I was unable to exercise, which made me feel very resentful and frustrated. I feel excited now and realize that I have to be in the best shape and fitness level for the rest of my life; that is what I have trained myself to desire.
In the past, this little injury served as an excuse to rest and relax. Before my finger healed completely, I longingly returned to working out and scoring goals on the field. However, I was cautious and would often shoot balls with one hand. It wasn't long after that I went back to weightlifting exercises.
Now, I want you to consider if you feel at ease in the face of an obstacle that keeps you from engaging in the behavior you want to make a habit of and if you have any credible or weak reasons why you can't practice that behavior. When you develop a habit, you won't miss a day of practice until it becomes imperative, and you don't stop.
Remember that a habit is something your mind wants to do and practice spontaneously without any previous effort or thinking to force yourself to do so, so you will never find yourself trying to justify doing anything else or making excuses for inaction.
6. Feeling joy while practicing it
Habits are superhuman powers; they can transform a behavior that is initially difficult and uncomfortable into a spontaneous and enjoyable experience, which is supernatural magic.
One of the reasons your usual or traditional good behavior is more enjoyable and joyful is that you are getting better and better at it, in addition to the pleasure that stems from your progress in core areas such as writing, fitness, cleaning, cooking, and time management. For most of my life, I could only do about 4–7 mind exercises, and it was very challenging and stressful, especially mentally, and my muscles seemed lazy.
Finally, I can do 12 of them in a row, and that was the highest rate of exercise I ever got. It was very entertaining and amusing because my muscles became more powerful. I was more comfortable during the practice, and when I look at myself in the mirror and see how much progress and development I have made, it helps me appreciate practicing, understand how important it is in my life, and then enjoy it more than before.
So, if that behavior you want to make a habit in your life is still tedious to your eyes, it is unlikely to be a habit yet.
Of course, some habits will remain like boring routines, but when a behavior turns into a habit, it probably means that you have already begun to see the benefits and gains resulting from practicing it, and this will reshape that activity or formulate it positively in your mind.
The mind indeed learns to enjoy doing something more when it becomes more comfortable and relaxed during its practice, as in the case of acquired tastes and foods that one gets used to and enjoys with time.
In conclusion
Good habits are difficult to start, so they should be introduced gradually into our lives over time, but you will find what proves to be a solid foundation that lasts for the rest of our lives once we work with them and strengthen them. There are very few activities that are worth the effort and fatigue of practicing.
The above six signs will help you determine if you have successfully built a good habit for yourself or if you need to give it more time.
Don’t practice an activity for 30 days and then suppose it has become a habit. That is a widespread and unscientific number that people assume recklessly and without caution. Most studies have shown that most habits take longer to form and take root, and this period also varies from person to person.
Therefore, I have prepared the previous list of indicators and clues to give you an idea of what the habit looks like and the feelings you feel when your favorite behavior has become a routine.
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