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Do you spend much time thinking about your habits? Let's spend some time talking about
that.
I'm Cindy Caldwell, The Happiness Queen, and you can find me at www.ElegantInnerGuidance.com.
We've entered the month of October and we've changed to a new theme. I've selected 'Habits'
as our theme for October. The reason I've done that -- well, there are several things
actually.
I hate to remind you of this, but we've just entered the fourth quarter of the year. Amazing
to think that 2013 is actually in it's final quarter, but it is. So we might as well face
reality, we might as well face the fact that we are in our final quarter. The Holidays
are just in front of us, and we might as well make it the best that it possibly can be.
So let's talk about our habits in conjunction with that. The reason habits have recently
been on mind is that I've just read the book, "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. If you haven't
read that book, I highly recommend that you go pick it up. I don't think if you're interested
in self improvement, in living the life of your dreams, in making sure that your habits
support you in doing that, I highly recommend that book.
I read it recently, as I said, and some of the principals it talks about have been on
my mind, because they are so simple. It's stuff you just don't think about every day.
Our habits are some of those things. They are so important and we don't really give
a lot of time to thinking about them. We take them for granted because they are -- well
-- they are habits! We do them automatically. That's why we call them a habit. We do it
without thinking. I want to use October as the month where we give some thought to what
habits we have. Are they serving us or are they not?
I wanted to kick off the month by talking about a habit that I have had to continue
to work on creating in my life. I'll admit that I'm not always great at this. And especially
in the past I would have to say I was less good at it than I am now and that I'm trying
to be into the future.
And that is the habit of 'Celebration.' I will also admit that I'm doing this for another
reason and it's a little bit self-serving. That is because today is my birthday! So I
want to celebrate!
My birthday is on a Monday and it is a typical work day, but I'm thinking of doing something
that isn't 'working' so I can celebrate. In the past, though, I NEVER would have done
that. I have to say, now that I'm self-employed I'm compelled to do a little bit of work but
what I will really try to focus on today is finding time in the day when I do something
that is totally out of the norm, something that I just totally enjoy, and that I celebrate.
I think that it's common today to celebrate birthdays. At least the people I tend to see
are really out celebrating, making the most of it. It's not just a birth day, it's a birth
month, and they celebrate the entire time. So I just think, 'Good for them!' So today
is my birthday, I'm going to celebrate, and I'm trying to develop the habit of celebration.
But not just on my birthday. That's just a happenstance, but in order to celebrate the
successes in our lives. I will admit, I was horrible at acknowledging what I would accomplish.
No matter what I got done, it never mattered because -- well, I was supposed to get that
done.
Typically that was at a time in my life when I was employed by someone. I just had this
belief that is what they are paying me to do. So when I would get that thing done, well,
that was just another day. Another thing done. On to the next thing. It didn't really matter
or have much consequence to me. I was always focused on the next thing. Always on the other
things that were on my TO DO list.
But the problem with that was that there was always something more on my TO DO list, but
I wasn't able to feel good about it because I hadn't accomplished it. All I knew was what
I did accomplish, but then I didn't allow myself to feel good about it, because I kept
moving on to the next thing. And I always was kind of miserable in my work because I
never felt like I could get anything on my TO DO list done because that's all I was ever
focused on. And a TO DO list is never going to be done. As a matter of fact, it exists
for the purpose of never being done. Just put things on there and do them one at a time.
So I gave up that habit. I actually worked with a coach and she planted the seed in my
mind that, 'Hey, rather than focusing on things that you have yet to do, only focus on the
things that you've just done and that you've accomplished.' So I got in the habit of every
day, no matter now small, no matter how minuscule, whatever it was I had accomplished, whatever
I had set out to do that I had gotten done, that was a small success I was going to pat
myself on the back. And I was going to acknowledge and feel good about that. I wasn't going to
even think about what was yet on my TO DO list. That was going to be there tomorrow.
Today all I was going to focus on was what I got done.
And I've learned to celebrate every day what I got done, and not to focus on what I didn't
do because tomorrow was another day, and tomorrow is the day I'll focus on those things. And
I'll pat myself on the back for getting those things done.
Today is the day I'm going to celebrate what I got done today.
And the third reason I want you to consider developing the habit of celebration, even
beyond birthdays and successes, is because when we do celebrate the successes that we
achieve each step of the way to a bigger goal, we are actually training the brain to want
more of that. So the brain is telling us, it is signaling to our body, 'Give me more!
Give me more!' and it compels us to move forward to achieve those things that are important
to us in order to achieve our goals, to live our dreams and to live the life that we desire.
So celebrate! Enjoy your life! Don't just celebrate your birthday, celebrate every day.
Celebrate every success. Train your brain to want more. "Give me more!" as that commercial
says. "Give me more." The brain wants more. Create the habit of celebration.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I've enjoyed talking about this, and I look forward to
talking about more habits throughout the month of October.
I'm Cindy Caldwell, The Happiness Queen, and you can find me at www.ElegantInnerGuidance.com.
Thanks so much for stopping by!