You are what you repeatedly do

You are what you repeatedly do.

One of my all time favorite quotes is from Aristotle who said, “You are what you repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit.”

What is it you repeatedly do?  Your actions day in and day out define who you are more than anything else.  It’s not your intentions that determine who you are, but your actual daily habits.  Your habits are what determine your growth and the quality of your life.
You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit. -Aristotle #Habits #Excellence Click To Tweet
I want you to consider for a moment two questions.  First, “What are the positive habits in your life you need to continue doing, and perhaps even do more of?”  And second, “What are the negative habits in your life you need to let go of?”

Habits determine everything!

The quality of your relationships, your marriage, your finances, your physical health, your career, and every other area of life really come down to the habits you have, that over a period of time make each of these areas better.

Perhaps it’s time for a “habit check-up”.

Athletes at all levels go to their coach to help correct and refine their skills.  Great athletes are simply those with great habits, under all circumstances, and performed without thinking.  Sometimes an athlete will allow a bad habit to creep into his game without realizing it, and a coach needs to point it out and correct it.  Then it’s up to the athlete to make a conscious decision to fix it.

Bad habits have a way of sneaking up on us.  We often don’t even realize we’ve picked them up along the way.  It’s good to stop once in a while, and really assess your habits.

You can change your habits if you are intentional enough, and committed to the process.  Drifting through life is dangerous, and it’s easy to settle into a routine that isn’t really the best thing for you.  You can take control of your life by changing your habits.

And understand this, you are what you repeatedly do, not what you wish you would do, or thought about doing.   Your intentions will get you no where.  It’s what you actually do, the positive habits you actually instill that will take you to the next level in your life.

The fact that you’re thinking about working out will not get you in shape.  If you plan at some point to make and live by a budget, but never do it, then you will not get ahead financially.  If you plan on adjusting your schedule to spend more time with your family, but never get around to it, then your family relationships will not get any better.  Intentions are meaningless without action.
Change your habits, and you will change your life. Click To Tweet
Change your habits, and you will change your life.

5 steps to changing your habits:

1.  Identify what habits you want, and what habits you don’t want.  Real change begins with clearly identifying what it is you want.  Be specific. There is power in clarity.

2.  Identify what is causing the bad habit.  Are there certain triggers that lead you to it?  Habits are developed because there is some reward or benefit. Identify what this is, and how you can feed this reward in a different way.  When trying to get rid of a bad habit, think of a good habit you can replace it with.

3.  For each good habit, write down why you want this habit.   When your why is strong enough, you will make the change.  Think about the positive results this will have in your life, and write it down.  Read this and affirm it every day until the habit really sticks.

4.  Remember your actions begin in your mind.  What you think about brings about what you do.  If you want to change your habits, you must first change your thoughts.  I refer to this idea as the cycle of success.  If you want to change your habits, you must first change your thoughts. Click To TweetYour thoughts determine your actions (habits), your actions determine your results, your results determine how you feel, and your feelings determine what you think
about…and the cycle begins all over again.

5. Commit to the process, get up every time you fall, and know it takes time.  It’s not easy but real change starts with a commitment to change.  At times you will fail, but if you learn from it, then it’s not really failure.  You just get back up and keep going until you get there.  It may take a long time, but if you stay committed, and don’t give up, you will get there!

The excellence you are wanting in every area of your life is the result of sustained actions and attitudes, repeated over time.  You are what you repeatedly do.  Develop the habits of a winner and see new results you’ve never seen before.

You’ve got what it takes!

Gary