Hey there. How are you? I hope you are doing well. I’m moving forward and accomplishing my goals… it’s so exciting. I’m really jazzed about the future and what it has in store for me. I’m learning and growing and my business is growing as well. In my last blog I shared how you really do have to prepare yourself for the success that’s coming your way. I’m sure you’ve heard of lottery winners we were broke, busted, and disgusted a year after winning a million dollars. That’s because they weren’t ready for the windfall when it came. They didn’t know how to handle themselves or their money.
To be truly successful you need to develop a Millionaire perspective in everything that you do. It’s important to think like a successful entrepreneur and develop the same habits that they have. That’s your unique key to a thriving business. In the book, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he explains how we function based on our habits every day. We think we’re making decisions all day, but more than 40% of the actions we take each day are actually habits. Habits are choices and actions that we do automatically without actually thinking about them.
They’re very powerful, and can be positive or negative depending on the habit and the outcome. You can probably think about things you do every day that you wish you did less of (snacking when you’re not hungry; checking your phone every time it pings, watching TV when you should be resting or doing something else).
Now… if you can understand how habits are triggered, you can overcome them
… or take advantage of them.
A habit has 4 components:
- A cue, a trigger that tells our brains which action should be done and puts it into automatic mode.
- A routine, which acts out the habit. This can be physical, mental, or emotional.
- A reward, which is the result of the routine and reinforces the habit.
- A craving, pushes you to action because you anticipate the reward when you get the cue.
Over time, habits become deeply ingrained. Think about any personal habits that you want to break, and how hard they seem to change. Once you get a cue and craving, it can seem almost as though you lose control and act on auto-pilot. The good news is that by consciously recognizing your cues and rewards, you can change your habits.
Research shows that bad habits can be changed by replacing the bad habit with a good habit that also has a reward.
From a business perspective the best thing you can do is develop good habits. You can develop a craving for what will cause you to succeed and reach your goals. That’s what successful entrepreneurs do.
You may remember in a previous blog, I talked about how my mentor and coach revealed the 3P’s for a successful awesome life. The 3 Ps are a set of principles that help you live a well-rounded life … A life that spurs you to reach your goals for the future while living my best life right now.
You focus your time and efforts in three main buckets or categories. It keeps you from being scattered and overwhelmed by life. It gives direction so that you can center yourself with laser beam accuracy on what really matters to you.
Let’s revisit the 3P’s as they help with the habit formation.
Physical: Stop– eating just before going to bed
Start– exercising 3 times per week
Reward– feel better, weight loss and more energy
Personal: Stop– complaining about what I don’t have
Start– intentionally noticing the positive aspects of my life
Reward – sense of serenity and calm even while I’m pursuing my passion
Professional: Stop– making other people’s wants a priority
Start– devoting time daily to build my business
Reward – satisfying sense of accomplishment & financial gain
These are just a few examples that are working for me. It is helping me position myself for success.
We will be well-rounded, substantially grounded with sustained success in every area of our lives.
Here’s to our awesome, vibrant, healthy and successful life!