Keeping your new resolutions

With the onset of every New Year, you likely resolve to make some changes in your life in the spirit of the season. Maybe you say you’ll exercise more, eat less or reduce the stress in your life. Whatever you resolve to do, very often you have the same New Year’s resolutions year in and year out because it’s just too hard to fulfill them.

Imagine how your life would change if you could put it on “autopilot” and reach all of your goals automatically. Here’s the good news, you can by utilizing a powerful self improvement tool that you already possess… your habits. Think about the habits you have now and how they affect virtually every aspect of your life. Your weight and health are determined by your eating habits. Your relationships with people are determined by your social habits. Your success at work is determined by your work habits. Your character, health and virtually every aspect of your life is determined by your habits.

If you ask 10 people on the street what the word habit means, nine of them will tell you that a habit is a negative action that people do over and over again, like smoking, procrastinating or eating too much. People seldom think about the power that exists in good habits.

Look a little closer at the meaning of the word habit. Random House dictionary defines habit in this way:

Habit: An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

Think about the words “almost involuntary.” This means the habit is so powerful in your mind that it is almost unstoppable. With respect to bad habits like smoking, procrastination and overeating, this is very bad. But with positive habits, this is very good.

When is the last time you sat down and said to yourself, “Today I am going to add a new habit to my life?” You have probably never said those words but you can start saying them today.

What is a positive habit? A positive habit is a habit that produces positive benefits. Why is there such great power in positive habits to affect change? Because habits, by their nature, are automatic. Over time, they can become permanent. You can put your life on autopilot to reach your goals automatically by acquiring new positive habits that provide the benefits you want. How do you go about adding new positive habits to your life? You begin repeating an action, attitude or thought process every day for at least 21 days. Research has shown that an action that is repeated for a minimum of 21 days is likely to become a permanent habit. Here are a few habits that can positively affect your life and that are easy to acquire.

Make it a habit to set goals. Define your goals, write them down on paper, set a deadline for reaching them and track your progress.

Make it a habit to walk everyday. A recent study showed that women who walked regularly lowered their risk for heart disease as much as women who did more vigorous exercise such as running.

Make it a habit to always order your salads with dressing on the side, potatoes with toppings on the side and order fried foods baked. You can save 10 to 30 grams of fat every time you eat out by controlling the amount of fat that you add to your foods.

There are more than 80 life-changing positive habits in the new bestselling book “The Power of Positive Habits” (Abritt Publishing) by Dan Robey. Discover how to automatically lose weight, be more successful, have better relationships and more. Purchase the book at major bookstores or call toll free 1-866-MYHABITS.