There are many things we do everyday without a second thought. Our bodies automatically react and act accordingly to the cues of our surroundings. These are called habits. Some habits are great, while some others are destructive. The habits we possess defines who we are and who we will become, as actions speak louder than words. However, we must realise that our habits are the driving force behind our actions. In fact, the importance of habits is often ignored and overlooked by many. This article will discuss the importance of habits and how they influence our lives, even in seemingly small ways. Before you continue reading, do follow me and subscribe to my newsletter! Without further ado, let’s hop right in.
#1: Habits Define Who We Are
Habits determine our identity and the way we see ourselves. For example, if you play badminton regularly, you might see yourself as an athlete. Likewise, if you write regularly, you might see yourself as a writer. Your perceived identity influences most of the actions you take in your life, your values and guiding principles.
#2: Habits Can Lead Us To Success or Failure
Good habits inch you closer to success while bad habits nudge you closer to failure. The actions we take everyday due to our habits, while seemingly insignificant, influence how we manage our finances, set our goals and work towards them. Good habits like reading, for example, provides us knowledge related to our fields. The habit of planning a timetable also helps us to use our time wisely and productively. However, bad habits like smoking wastes your hard-earned money and damages your health. It could also be as simple as being addicted to that latest mobile game or playing tons of ranked Mobile Legends everyday. These habits above waste time and decrease productivity, thereby leading you away from success.
#3: Habits Help You To Be Productive Even When You Feel Unmotivated
There are days we find hard to be productive. You might have worked a long shift the previous day and missed out on sleep. The good news is that habits require little willpower to work. The University College London defines habits as “behaviours which are performed automatically because they have been performed frequently in the past. This repetition creates a mental association between the situation (cue) and action (behaviour) which means that when the cue is encountered the behaviour is performed automatically. Automaticity has a number of components, one of which is lack of thought.” Your body naturally acts the way it has multiple times before, with minimal to no effort. However, there is a limit. If you haven’t been sleeping for the past few days, even your habits can’t save you as the human body can only go so far.
#4: Habits Provide You With Calmness
As stated under point #4, habits help to simplify our lives. We no longer have to use our precious willpower to get something done. As a result, we are provided with calmness of mind as our stress to get things done is removed. We start to lead happier lives as our minds are able to focus on the more important things of life. Indeed, a detached mind naturally possesses clarity and makes wiser choices.
Habits play an important part in our lives. We must learn to master the power of habits and use them to our advantage. If you are interested in learning how to build habits effectively, do visit my article at https://bestofwrite.com/2020/11/30/how-to-build-a-habit-effectively/. On the other hand, if you would like to learn how you can destroy a habit, visit my article at https://bestofwrite.com/2020/12/05/how-to-get-rid-of-a-bad-habit/. If this article was in any way helpful you, do consider giving it a like! Thank you for reading!