Excellent Habits.

On the elliptical machine at the gym, a women wore a shirt with this phrase – “Excellence is not an act.  It is a habit.” Last night I was reading in The Power of Focus, the precursor to Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles, a chapter of creating habits.  Interesting concept.  Habits are those things I’ve wanted to break in the past.  Not start.  Until I changed my mindset about habits.  Can I truly develop good habits? The habit of excellence.  Yes!  A simple answer to a determined process.   

My friends with Live Dynamite believe strongly in creating positive, life changing habits that they have created a tool kit of sorts to help you do just that.  It’s called the upside – check it out here.  I’ve been practicing for the better part of 8 months and the success I’ve experienced is a result of creating Excellent Habits. 

This blog – ah, book – that I am writing stems from developing Excellent Habits.  I’ve been discovering the roads to reaching my successes.  After tasting a little bit, my appetite craves even more.  It’s through Excellent Habits, that I can begin to feast on regular success.  The key is a desire to DO what it takes to achieve the success.  There is no secret. No pill.  Just actions.  Actions that propel each of us closer to obtaining the success we desire. 

An Excellent Habit is an action that has turned into a routine.  It’s like autopilot – in the best of sense.  It’s the ability to say, “No” when someone wants to schedule a meeting over your Excellent Habit of working out.  Your Excellent Habit is a sacred, special action that – over time – becomes the very routine of your success. 

Start by identifying an Excellent Habit you would like to begin.What is it?  Why do you want it?  What are you willing to do to obtain it?  Really, not just the gut response – “Anything”.  Specifically, what are you willing to do?  Wake up at 5:30 to workout.  Save $25 a week.  What ACTION are specifically going to take to develop your Excellent Habit?  Identify at least 5 Actions you will do to work towards your Excellent Habit. 

Habits don’t occur over night.  Excellent Habits spawn when the motivation of doing something new has disappeared.  Excellent Habits become routine when the glimmer of the “next shiny object” has tarnished.  Excellent Habits take your commitment to working every day – for the next 21 days, creating Action-oriented items to develop your success.  Here’s a habit tracker to help keep you focused for the next few weeks.   

What’s your Excellent Habit?