Creating Lasting Change with Simple Daily Habits
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We all know how much focus athletes and musicians place on practicing. This is how even enormously accomplished athletes and musicians hone and fine-tune their skills to perform at their best.
Have you thought about what you practice on a regular basis?
In addition to thinking about practicing a skill such as being a better negotiator, or communicating more effectively, or developing your writing abilities, there are subtle ways that a focus on practice can improve your life.
Embrace practices that will help you thrive
The way you think and orient yourself each day has a remarkable impact on your life. Consider choosing to adopt some of these 4 practices.
1. Practice positivity
You can develop a "practice" of approaching everything in your day with a positive frame of mind. Choose to bring awareness to your thoughts, then consciously choose a positive lens through which to see and approach things throughout each day.
This is not to suggest that you push tough emotions aside when they show up!
Let yourself feel them, then do something to process them (such as writing about the feelings, talking things out with a close confidant, or taking a brisk walk). This will allow the difficult emotions space to dissipate.
Then choose positive thoughts and take positive steps forward.
2. Practice self-love
When you make self-love a focus, and include self-care as a way of emphasizing self-love, you build a remarkable foundation for wellbeing. Focusing your practice on small, consistent practices will be wonderfully effective.
Your practice can include attending to physical wellbeing, like getting ample sleep, good nutrition and moving your body.
Your practice can be boosted when you include self-affirming thinking, choosing to set good boundaries, noticing when your self-critical thoughts show up, and choosing to believe in yourself in spite of the doubts.
And be sure to acknowledge yourself whenever you do something that is just outside of your comfort zone!
These are all self-loving, supportive, positive ways to move through each day.
3. Practice generosity
When you focus on generosity you get the satisfaction of contributing to the wellbeing of others, as well as the betterment of the world!
And the benefits to you are significant. A regular practice of generosity reduces stress and anxiety, boosts to your immune system, and may even lead to longer life expectancy.
4. Practice gratitude
Making a focus on gratitude a daily practice elevates your state of mind and enhances the outcomes of everything you do.
You might begin or end each day by noting 5 things (or more) for which you are grateful. Be sure to consider small, subtle things you can put on your list.
This will open your heart, and positive thoughts will be a natural outcome of your gratitude practice.
And there’s a bonus! Your expansive energy will be felt by everyone around you.
Practice with intention!
Deciding to start a practice is great. It’s when you bring clear intention to how and when you will practice that there is a higher likelihood that you will make this practice an ongoing, natural way of living.
You might start each day by setting an intention for great energy and a positive, can-do outlook. One part of my morning ritual is writing for 5 to 10 minutes about the energy I want to cultivate for my day, noting what I feel grateful for, and letting anything else that wants to come to the surface and be considered flow onto the page. I am then ready to get into motion.
After establishing an orientation for the day (in whatever way works for you), you can bring a focus to the practice or practices you feel will be most supportive for you that day.
As you make a few new practices a regular part of your life, they will become automatic (like brushing your teeth twice a day without having to think about it). You can then easily add a new practice to make your focus.
As you practice, you are in the process of creating your best life — and there are no limits to what is possible for you!
