We all want better for ourselves. I truly believe that nobody deeply wants to sabotage their own life day in and day out.
The difficult part is that it would require us to take a step back and self-reflect on our life choices and our daily habits. Have I consciously made the decisions that got me to where I am today? What behaviors and choices do I embody and carry throughout my interactions with myself and with others?
Self-reflection can be painful when we do not take personal responsibility for our actions. It hurts too much to step back and recognize that we are not our best selves.
Why take personal responsibility when our current patterns and habits work for us? But also, are we stepping into an environment that challenges us to step out of our comfort zones – ones that actually challenge us to see our lives through a different lens? It is easier to keep the blindfold on if we are not stepping into the unknown.
However, the lack of personal responsibility may not become a choice, until it is brought into our awareness.
You’ll get to the point that you want to make a change. When you feel that enough is enough, this is where personal responsibility comes in. I know that I had to make a conscious decision to stop engaging with behaviors, activities, and people that ultimately would not carry me to my desired future.
That decision will not always come with unbridled enthusiasm and applause from your circle. It often comes with doubt (from ourselves and from others) because it comes from a place of fear.
But, once we make the decision to be our best selves, we need to show up for ourselves.
Each and every day.
To get started, you need to do a self-assessment of your daily habits. As you make a list of each habit, ask yourself this question:
Is this habit going to carry me to my desired future?
If the answer is no, it needs to go!
What habits do you have that you need to eliminate? Maybe it is eating a diet too high in processed foods, smoking, drinking alcohol too frequently, not drinking enough water, not eating enough fruits or vegetables, not having a daily morning or evening routine, spending too much time on your phone, watching TV shows every night to “relax,” or maybe you have a lot of external clutter that you need to eliminate. Regardless of the habit, or how many you engage in, it is the little changes you make every day that will make a bigger difference.
Keep the destination in mind, but don’t get overwhelmed about where you are now compared to where you want to be. Just be willing to give up that which does not serve you, and make one positive change.
“The best time to start was yesterday, but we’ll have to settle for now. – Mastin Kipp
Make one small change today. Then try it again tomorrow.
Just take the first step, and you’ll build momentum!