Motor habits, intellectual habits, and character habits. These are the three types of habits that we have. But which one should we be focusing on? Motor habits are a given. It’s entirely muscular in nature. It make us sit, stand, walk, run, and stand upright. Intellectual habits mainly deal with logic and reasoning. It also involves the processes we employ in decision-making. But another type of habit that we actually have to develop is character habits.
Character habits relate to who we are as human beings. It includes our work ethics, time management practices, and our patterns of emotions. So if we are to establish a good set of character habits, where should we start? I believe that these character habits are essential in our lives. Let’s start with the first six.
SEIZING THE DAY
Notice how the ‘world is peaceful’ during the early morning hours. Before the hustle and bustle of daily life start to ‘saturate’ your day, you still have that little window of time to reflect in peace. Seize it!
A lot of the successful people in the world we know today are early risers. They’re not necessarily morning people but they do rise early and they seize the day with their winning routines.
Why? Research tells us that our brain is at its peak performance for the first four hours after we wake up. Plus, there’s evidence to support the claim that waking up early positively contributes to success.
So if you’re intent on becoming successful, start by leaving your bed early.
BEING THANKFUL
The busyness of our daily lives sometimes cause us to take things for granted. And because we’re so busy, we sometimes forget to take a step back and appreciate the things that we have, the opportunities that came our way, and the people we have in our lives.
We often complain that we don’t have enough. But if we think deeply, we may realise that we have more than enough. And by shifting our focus on what we do have, we’ll be happier. We’ll feel lighter. Thinking about the things that we don’t yet have only brings feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction.
As Oprah said, ‘Be thankful for what you have. You’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you do not have, you will never have enough.’
SMILING GENUINELY
Life offers us a lot of things to appreciate. What better way to show appreciation than with a smile? Studies show that people who smile are a lot happier. Besides, smiling is a habit that cultivates peace of mind.
The science behind this is that if our body engages in actions that relate to sadness, our mind runs along with it. As a consequence, we think that we’re sad. But because we have the ability to engage in positive behaviours, we also have the ability to change how we feel.
By smiling, we let positivity inside us.
EATING A HEALTHY BREAKFAST
We’re busy people, but being busy doesn’t mean missing the most critical meal of the day: breakfast. And that’s for a practical reason: we need fuel to help us run the day. Imagine how you were supposed to talk about that million-dollar idea at work but you couldn’t do it with prowess because your mind is telling you that you’re hungry. Imagine having to run around different locations to meet some clients but you just can’t anymore because you’re hungry. You get the point.
Now, let me emphasise one thing: when having breakfast, always go for the healthy option. You need every nutrient you can get to get your body to function at its best.
EXERCISING REGULARLY
You knew this was coming, right? But no, when I say ‘exercise,’ I don’t mean running several kilometres daily. I meant engaging in strenuous activities for one purpose: to get more oxygen in your blood and to amplify the amount of endorphins in your body.
The result: you’ll feel positive, you’ll feel better, and you’ll feel more motivated. In addition, you’ll experience mental clarity and emotional stability. Studies also show that daily exercise helps improve mood and decreases the likelihood of depression.
GOING LEMONS
What is it with lemons? Well, when you mix it with a glass of water and drink the concoction daily, you’ll score short-term and long-term benefits.
Short-term benefits include boosting your immune system, cleansing, re-hydrating, and aiding in proper digestion. Long-term benefits include weight loss and overall improvement of your energy levels.
Read: Top 18 Character Habits You Should Have Part 2
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