Habits Beat Resolutions Hands Down

Habits get a bad wrap!

The first thing most of us think of when we think of habits is – EFFORT! But that sounds cruel and inhumane, at least for a New Year Wish!  Imagine saying to your friends and colleagues all January long, “Hey, Have a New Year Full of Habits”! No. Just no.

Resolutions are those fun things we do at the New Year’s Eve party OR the guilt-ridden obligation we have on New Years Day after the New Year’s Eve Party. So they seem fun, or at least redemptive.

But HABITS? Come on, now that is just a bunch of dirty work. Habits are the stuff mom and dad tried to teach us.

Here is the Deal

Resolutions don’t work. They may be fun. They may relieve your guilt for a week (or less), but they are ineffective ways to get what you want out of your life and indeed to change the outcome of your year.

If you want to look back in January 2023 and be happy with where you landed – you honestly need to give HABITS A GO.

I Can Help You Make This Easy

Habits are easy – especially when you use our formula. We teach this to our students at Fiore Group Training in our Leadership classes – and honestly, it changed my life. So cliche, I know, right? But how else can I say it? Habits become easy when you follow this technique AND

they become a part of who you are, which changes what you do, which changes your outcome.

The 1% Rule

It’s not my idea, nor can Phil Eastwood  (our Leader and Chief here at Fiore Group Training) claim it as his own, but he teaches it every day, and now, so do we. We live it in the office and our lives – cause it works.

[ Tommy Baker is the author of a book you might want to read called – The 1% Rule. You can listen to him teach it in this video on YouTube, and Phil Eastwood has a great article on the 1%rule in our blog called Tiny Steps for Massive Change.]

Here is the concept:

Commit to do and then DO a micro-something – that is a step towards the change you want in your life. Consistently apply that micro-action every day. It may be only 1% of what you need to make the change, but the effects are compounding!  At the end of the week, month, or year, you have made significant progress and can identify significant change.

You may snicker at the idea and quote the “if it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t” mantra, but don’t let your dubious doubt keep you from your next step.

Don’t let the crazy patterns that you built around past mistakes or fear take you in to your future.

Take Charge

Take charge! One tiny step at a time! Once you start feeling the success of that micro-step, you will naturally add others. No one will need to force or scold you toward new behaviors because you become internally motivated. No one can stop you now!

So here are 31 ideas – one for every day of January. They are simple suggestions of habits that you might want to adapt. The BIG IDEA here is to help you tap into your ideas – what you know inside yourself you need to conquer and to do it.

I am not trying to sell you anything, but I will make a healthy recommendation. Our Leadership Accelerator Program – an online course you can complete in a month or a year – is a fantastic guide to teach you to find out how to break down what you want – and go after it with HABITS. Phil teaches skills and lots of other great tools, but the emphasis throughout is that to become your best version of yourself requires effort on your part; deliberate habits.

31 Tiny Habits To A Happy New Year

Use these examples to help you recognize the micro-habits you need to employ for 2022.

January 01

Every day is your day – you get to choose if you will, in fact, – choose for yourself. But, instead, we get lulled into complacency, allowing the news, the politics, our relatives, or the latest trends to decide who we will be, what we will want, and how we spend our time. We call that an UNCONSCIOUS choice.

This might be your most crucial micro-habit of the year – because you can choose to make and follow the habits that you have determined for yourself.

Become aware of your choices. Then, make one very deliberate choice that serves your values every day.

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January 02

Today let’s focus on our relationships.

Just watch any sitcom and know that relationships require communication. And, love is a fire that needs nurturing.

You may not enjoy taking time to notice and to acknowledge positive things to the people you care about verbally, but you do want relationships in your life, right?

Simply said – suck it up. The one percent rule will shock you with the tangible results you see within a few weeks. At first, they may not believe you, hear you, or trust you, but your words will become life inside the recipient’s heart with time.

January 03

I like to high-tail it and run at the end of the day.

I gave the job my best, and now I have a life to live.

But one simple change in my day has made a significant difference in my outcomes. Every day, before I leave work, I identify three essential things that I will accomplish the next day, and I write them down. Then, I take a minute to envision myself succeeding. 

Done. I leave work knowing that I have a game plan when I arrive for my next workday unless something unusual happens. Energy is in motion. I don’t need to figure it out or get lost in the email vortex. I have a plan – I work the plan.

Do things always go as I anticipated? Heck no! But having this micro-habit has successfully changed the outcome of 243.33 days of my year ( 1/3 of my year). I am so much further ahead. My productivity has opened new doors in my career. It’s a simple step with a big payoff.

 

January 04

Are you a “gym rat?”  Some people are. Gym people love it. The sweat, the grind, the rapid pulse, heavy breathing, and the high they get when they walk out of the building knowing they did what they came to do.

I envy their devotion, but frankly, the gym isn’t my thing. So I had to find a way to incorporate the information I read about exercise and integrate that concept into my work at the desk, get lost in my work, and stare at a screen day.

For me, adding 1000 new steps to my day changed everything. So I bought one of those wristbands that tell me how far I have gone and still need to go.

I can make 1000 steps happen. It means I stop what I am doing, get my coat on, grab my headphones, and off to the pavement I go. If the day is too stormy, I can walk the stairs in my apartment building. My friend says he runs his 1000 steps in his bedroom while watching the morning news. Whatever it takes. Moving our bodies has so many implications for our overall success in life. Sure one thousand steps don’t seem like much, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to add the next 100o steps.

See you at the finish line!

January 05

In the hundreds of emails, texts, and social media posts we see every day, combined with T.V. and podcast ads, is it any wonder we think we need – EVERYTHING?

We think we need things at the moment. Effective advertising makes us believe that. But, after 24 hours, do you still feel compelled to buy? Could you buy used? Could you trade or share with a neighbor? Does it matter if you own it at all?

We live within limits. Some have larger limitations than others, but everyone has a limit. Are you willing to give up other things now or in the future to get this item on sale, with bonus offers, rebates, added benefits, and all the other enticements to buy? 

My grandma had this saying which, in my opinion at the time, was utter nonsense – but it’s making a lot of sense now. “Pay the Price Now, and Play Later – Or Play Now, and Pay the Price Later.”  (I should send her a note and tell her I am sorry for all of my eye-rolling!)

January 06

The modern world has progressed at lightning speed, and we live almost unconsciously by convenience. With all our technology, we can stay entertained or busy in our minds 24/7 if we choose. News alerts, new posts, emails, work memos, calendar requests, games, research, and on it goes.

Progress is great, and most of us love it. But what have we sacrificed to move forward? Do you have time to know who you are? What if we avoided contact with our loved ones, work, mental lists, and calendar reminders – for five minutes a day, for one week?

Asking the question  Who Am I will usually trigger default reactions. “I am a doctor, father, mother, or lover. I live in Winnipeg, Cincinnati, or Eugene.” Your default may be more advanced and offer things like: “I do yoga, I practice Chi Gong, I belong to a mindfulness network.”

All of these are descriptions of what you do. Instead,  we are looking for WHO AM I? This week-long micro-habit will open a door for you. You can observe your reactions, and if you want to practice an advanced habit – write down what you hear inside. Even if its’ gibberish. Write it down. See what happens over seven days.

 

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January 07

Everything in your life relies on the community; what you eat, where you live, work, and who loves you.

Without the intrinsic network of people in the world who grow, harvest, store, and sell, you would have little to eat.

The guy at the gas station/convenience store, the barista at your local coffee shop, and the U.P.S. driver enhance your life. In addition, teachers, nurses, doctors, people who recycle, manage properties, and first responders all contribute to how you experience your existence.

They are, in fact, part of your community. Your circle. Your life.

Of course, we think of neighbors living next door, work colleagues, our families, and extended families as our community. Some people see Mother Earth, the animals, and the starry sky as part of their community.

Whatever and whomever you describe as YOUR community – will become more vital if you notice them and take a moment to express it. In one year, with keeping tabs in your daily calendar (choose a day of the week you will focus on this habit), you will have significantly reached out to 52 people who make your life better!

It isn’t a dramatic action. Something as simple as, “Hey Chris, I don’t know what I do without you here every morning. Thanks for doing what you do so well.”

January 08

Be Here Now is more than a trendy cliche. The idea behind the catchy slogan, if practiced,  is life-altering. Unlike an intellectual pursuit, to “be here now” expands beyond the mind. You will leave behind your determined goal-setting and self-repudiation for goals gone amiss, even for just a short while.

The practice is deceptively simple. The practice is excruciatingly difficult. Both at the same time. To “be here now,” all you need to do is S.T.O.P. Completely stop – even for 10 seconds. Become aware.

Here is a simple method you might want to try:

1. Take a deep breath in slowly and exhale slowly. Repeat once more.
2. Feel your body from inside yourself: is it racing with anxiety? Are you hurting, hungry, sad, happy?
3. At this moment (excluding the next moment you don’t have and the past moment that just fleeted by), do you have what you need?
4. Is there a smell, a sound, or a particular something that stands out to you?
5. Say “Thanks,” and you’re done.

An important note: You are not judging the moment as good or bad. You are becoming aware of yourself at the moment without your agenda in it. It is a simple noticing.

I told you it is simple, but the compounded effect of your new micro-habit 2x a day over 30 days will shock you.

January 09

Most of us would not hesitate to say we are sorry to a customer or client.

We are highly motivated to keep customers happy, and instinctively we know when we are at fault and what we need to do about it.

However, people often act differently with loved ones, close friends, relatives, and the general community.

Do you expect people to just “let it go?” Is the onus on the other person to bear the responsibility for a healthy relationship? Do you get a free pass with those you are close to because you are you?

Relationships are critical for our mental and physical health. Therefore, it is in your best interest to nurture them, and one way to do that is by keeping the pipe unclogged with – shall we say, “litter.”

A micro-habit of the 24-hour I’m sorry” rule could change the way your relationships unfold for the rest of your life. No drama is necessary. Most of the time, no begging is needed (wink). Instead, consistent ownership of and responsibility for how you may fall short will go a long way to your healthy psyche and evergreen relationships.

January 10

What tasks do you procrastinate until it hurts? You are not alone.

What we procrastinate on Monday morning (or your first day of the workweek) causes a ripple effect that lasts all week long.

What do you dislike (or fear) enough to allow it to haunt you at work? For some, it’s a morning sales meeting or emails that require lots of other emails to give you what you need to answer the first email.

Do you need to clean a particular storage room, pick up a specific order, deal with the troublesome vendor, fill out sales tracking software, or plan the next quarter’s staff rotation?

We procrastinate tasks, which robs our confidence, energy, and productivity. Fortunately, we are not trying to change our stubborn selves all at once. ONLY ON MONDAY. (smile!)

Your micro-habit is for Mondays only. Fifty-two Mondays of brave productivity will change your entire year. Notice how different you feel on Tuesday!

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January 11

The best gift we could receive in 2022 – a healthy body! As we enter into our third year of global fear of illness, most of us have “had it” with the whole affair and are ready to move on!

We make healthy living pretty complicated; Hundreds of diets, exercise plans, supplements, green drinks, mud drinks, and for those who work themselves to the bone and barely have time to breathe, there is the “health spa” experience. (smile)

We have a micro-habit so easy to do that ANYONE can do it, and with a daily commitment, even this tiny 1% rule behavior can significantly impact over time.

Ideas:

• A glass of wine to a shot glass of wine for the nite.
• 1/2 baked potato instead of the whole and only salt and pepper (don’t cry about the sour cream and butter! :-)
• 2 meals instead of 3
• one bite of dessert instead of the whole piece or dish
• 1 piece of toast instead of two

I think you get the picture! Look at yourself in the mirror that night and know you are guilty of – UNDER-INDULGING. Good for you!

January 12

It seemed like when we used cash for our transactions, we lived more conscious of when and how we spent our money. Feeling the money leave our hands and go into someone else’s hand was symbolic. We knew from that moment on that we had less money to our name.

With our debit cards, credit cards, Google and Apple Pay, Venmo, and more – money appears elusive. It feels easier to spend what we don’t see.

By triggering your account to automatically save money every time you spend money, at least you can make your spending habits work for you. Granted, you certainly won’t get rich with a standard savings account. Still, you could be putting money aside for the unexpected and be happy when the crisis comes, and you are ready for it.

Another idea is to have quarterly bond purchases, deposits into your Mutual funds, and a host of other options. It all started when you took the time to set up the auto savings system.

 

January 13

Can we find silence?

My hunch is that silence is always looking for us, but for us to “hear’ her sweet repose, we have to be deliberate about it.

Oddly enough silence is not the absence of sound. When you hold an infant just a few hours after birth, the whole world comes to a standstill. There is a profound silence in their “being-ness.”

Walking out in a field covered with several inches of snow, you might hear sound in the distance, but the magic blanket of white soft is bereft of judgment, agenda, opinions, or goals. She is silent.

Silence is a response that you can sense when something so much more confronts your busy self. At that moment we have a hint, a glimpse, a doorway to the spirit.

We can cultivate our awareness of silence by making moments to notice it where it is. By a stream, in the mountains, watching the fire in the fireplace, or taking a long bath with no phones or T.V.s turned on. Silence is waiting to spend time with you.

January 14

Martin Luther King, Jr was a radical thinker. He believed you mattered. His dream was that you would believe that too!  

If we see ourselves as inconsequential, we believe that our actions, no matter how giving or self-absorbed, don’t matter, because after all, who am I? My actions are about this “little life” I lead. I am not deliberately hurting anyone.

If on the other hand, you see yourself as valued, alive for a reason, connected to the whole – what you do and how you think will make a significant difference to our world. What you contribute, good or bad to society in general, or more specifically in the community at work or home, will reverberate and the consequences of your actions will affect and have an effect on others.

Determining that you will experiment with a committed hour a week or more of giving back in one way or another to your “community,” however you define that for yourself, will open the doorway into your very best self.

 

January 15

It’s pretty easy to come up with a list of things we want!  

But it’s not so easy to have them. One reason, among many, lies in the mood factor.

One day you might want to take up fly fishing. After work, you stop by the drug store and visit the magazine rack to get fly fishing magazines. That night after reading an article or two, online you go to watch YouTube videos of fly fishing. [just in case you have the itch!].

The problem comes that weekend with the 4 am alarm. The fly fisherperson is out of bed, dressed warmly with your coffee in hand, and ready to go at 4:30 am. “NOT THIS WEEK,” you mumble under the covers.

Subsequently, the magazine lays around the house for a month or two, and your video subscriptions show up for a couple of weeks until finally, you delete it all.

Next.

To discover what YOU WANT BAD ENOUGH TO PAY THE PRICE TO HAVE, we suggest the mood factor tool, affectionately referred to as the “MFT.”

For fourteen days – no more, no less, you open a notebook to a blank sheet of paper without looking at the entry the day before. For our purposes, don’t use both sides of the paper as yesterday’s entry will often be right there in full view. Please don’t page through anything until day 15.

For fourteen days, you ask yourself on that day, what are the three things you want to see, feel, experience, get rid of, set in motion, attain or delete in your life in 2022.

Over fourteen days, you will do this exercise in various moods based on different daily struggles and accomplishments.

On day fifteen, you will go through and read each day’s entry. Most likely, it will be very evident to you what stands out consistently to you – and where you should put your micro-habit energy and attention. If it’s only one thing – focus on that. But try your best not to engage in more than three goals, as the whole micro-habit concept will be overwhelming, and your chances of success; slim. Good luck!

January 17

Love is not a formula.

It’s not flowers, chocolates, or chick flicks. It’s not solving a problem or listening without speaking. Baking a cake or offering affection won’t cut it. Not always. Not for everyone.

Love is demonstrated by understanding another and showing that you care about what they care about.

Love isn’t defined by what you have done for me lately OR even how appreciative you are for things I have done to show you I love you.

Because Love Is.

We talk about “unconditional love” as though it is an exceptional quality of love, like the “gold standard” or “premium offer” of love.

But love has no category and is not easily quantified. Other things we call love could be emotional attachment, need, or attraction.

LOVE is unconditional because love is not an emotion. Love is a verb. It is movement. It is outward.

When we say we love another and show it with flowers because we like flowers, or because the book said – “GET FLOWERS,” we miss the point. Love is curious and wants to know and understand the heart’s language of another.

For the friend or the family loved one whom you want to “love,” perhaps rocks from their favorite beach or movie tickets, or a particular song might be just what says “I love you” to them.

Your micro-habit for today is two-fold.

1. Start making the time to be curious and to LISTEN to what is essential in your loved ones’ life. This in itself is a habit of asking and actively listening.

2. Determine that you find ways to speak love to the people you care about on Fridays or Wednesdays or whatever day you like – without expecting them to do the same. THIS IS YOUR GROWTH and your gift to you.

January 17

Just because you know more stuff doesn’t make you valuable.

It may make you irritating. 

Knowledge for knowledge is brain food but may not change your life much.

How you use knowledge and your willingness to share and release can make all the difference in your career path.

Sure studying in your field of employment is a great place to start. However, you don’t need to limit yourself to math if you work with numbers or bricklaying if you are a masonry. Think outside the box and learn skills that will move you forward.

If you work in the office in customer management, study some human behavior psychology. Maybe your job takes you on the road in a company truck most of the time; you could learn about possible new connections for the company on your route. If you are in Human Resources, learn about operations management or curriculum development. Finding complementary disciplines to study can enhance your worth and keep you interested (and interesting).

Online courses, books, videos, and podcasts needn’t be expensive! You can increase your value to the company multifold by spending a few hundred dollars at best. Invest your time as well: try three 30-minute segments a week.

Once the thirty minutes are up, stop. At the end of the year, you will be amazed at what you learned.

USE micro TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

I would be amiss if I did not encourage you to consider leadership skills – NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING. Consider a good look into the Fiore Group Training Leadership Accelerator Online Course. If you do and you use the coupon code “micro” your cost for the course will be a considerable saving at CAD $297. (that is $300 off! And in U.S. dollars as of January 17, 2022, is approx. $250 USD)

January 18

I am not a health expert, dietician, health coach, or health and wellness consultant. In fact, I don’t have any credentials except my body and my tastebuds.

So whatever you do, take these words with fewer grains of salt :-)

I experience much more energy, clearer thinking, and better moods – not to mention more fun to be around – when I eat halfway decent. After the holidays, the experience is always clarifying. So while I enjoy the comfort foods of memories and family, I equally (or maybe more) enjoy the feeling I have about two weeks after the holidays when my body is fueled once again with things that enhance cellular life.

In addition to today’s micro-habit of adding one good food to your day every day, here is a link to 50 healthy foods you could choose from presented by qualified people to suggest food items to you.

50 Foods That Are Super Healthy

Of course, you can always do your research. However, a safe bet is to walk down the produce aisle and be choose to eat something from that area of the grocery store every day with the least amount of cooking and adding of other stuff as you can muster.

Easy peasy.

To a fabulously healthier you in 2022, I raise my glass – of green drink!

Get Your Habits in Shape! Check out the entire MICRO – HABIT  above and below

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January 19

Is Less More? Can we be wealthy with less?

Our accountants will likely tell us that our assets, investments, and savings reflect our wealth. Rightly so, of course. However, wealth is about our material possessions and, even more, about our ability to multiply what exists.

The million-dollar question is this: Is wealth ONLY determined by what we possess; only you know that answer for you.

But, no matter how you look at it, if we clutter our lives with things that we don’t use – they take space from something we could use. Space itself is a commodity that deserves your investment. Knowing what we want, what we need, and what doesn’t serve us indicates that we have tapped into the fountain of personal freedom.

What do you have in your storage room, your garage, your kitchen, your game room, the bookshelves, the hallway closet, and under your bed that you haven’t used – since you can remember. If you sell or give away one thing each month this year, you will have created a new space in your world and psyche. Have fun!

 

MOVE INTO YOUR NEXT STEP – Try the Leadership Accelerator Online Program

January 20

Could boredom be a blessing in disguise?

Our focus in this micro-habit is not on boredom but our knee-jerk reaction to boredom.

Since the time we were children, people have fought boredom. “Mommy what can I do NOW? I’m so bored!”

In modern times, we never have to feel bored. We pick up our phone instantly and search for any hit. If not the phone, the remote. We don’t even need friends or the outdoors (“just go outside and play!” mom would say), we have YouTube and TikTok.

We possess the ability to stay slightly entertained 24/7.

Boredom can be fought OR boredom can be noticed.

What do you do when you are bored? How did you discover you were bored? What addictions do you need to keep yourself stimulated? Do they serve you? Are you better for the last fifteen minutes you spent scrolling? Did your reaction to boredom open the door to unhealthy relationships?

What if boredom was seen as an invitation to be quiet for a few minutes? To hear your thoughts – even if those thoughts are screaming “I’m bored!”

Could there be a treasure waiting for you if you went inside instead of anxiously searching for a filler to squeeze into spare moments of time?

As all Spirit micro-habits, your answers to these questions, and the questions you might ask, are very personal and self-reflective.

January 21

Communities at home, work, or in a region showcase diverse groupings of people.

Not everyone agrees. People behave differently. The values of your next-door neighbor or colleague may not “jive” with your own.

Respect is not agreement, nor is it implied in how you practice respect.

Respect understands that each person has a right to be who they choose to be or were born to be. Their cultural values are as vital to them as yours are to you – and you may notice they hold their traditions even more closely than you do yours.

Many sociological, environmental, historical, and genealogical attributes create a “people.” We could never see everything the same, and who would want a neighborhood like that? Our practice, the micro-habit of respect and tolerance, is how we view the people themselves. Your community is composed of human beings, with the same magical force in them that is in you – their hearts beat to the electrical impulse of life, which deserves your respect.

You don’t have to be friends, and you don’t need to belittle. You may not enjoy B.B.Q.s together, but you can generously share when tough times or disaster strikes.

Most importantly, in your mind and thinking, practicing respect and tolerance means making room for others – especially the ones you don’t understand. It’s okay if you do not have an apt conclusion, a tidy box that people fit in or not.

Some of the best novels, movies, and stories of all time – are the stories of how people bridged significant gaps (maybe not even willingly) only to discover there was a familiarity on the other side. We have much in common – we are “the human being.”

P.S. GREAT MOVIE that shows rather than tells respect: GRAN TORINO – Clint Eastwood in all his glory.

Fiore Group Training centers around our Respectful Workplace Training, and Living Leadership Training with Respectful Behaviors, as the foundation to all leadership positions. Learn more about what we do- and our online leadership course, The Leadership Accelerator Program.

January 22

What do you say to yourself when no one is listening?  

“Man, I wish I could learn to fly a small airplane,” or “It would be a lot of fun to make wedding cakes for friends.”

Odds are, as soon as you think the audacious thought, it is quickly dismissed and discarded as wishful thinking. After all, you have responsibilities, or you are too old or too young; perhaps it’s the student debts that drive you.

After listening to so many people share WHY THEY DON’T instead of WHY THEY DO, I have come to understand that the imprinting of others can mold us into an unmovable substance.

But a “yes, I am going to give that a try,” or “what harm can it do?” can energize your life and make 2022 brand new for you!

 If you try something and hate it – so be it. You did it! If you try something and it slowly grows on you, you have acquired a new skill or knowledge – all the better. And if you give it a go and it takes off like Road Runner in the old cartoon Bugs Buggy – you hit pay dirt!

We invest WAY TO MUCH energy in the excuses and self-doubts that keep us locked in little lives. Take a micro bit of that energy and invest it in – TRYING.

Do you dream of a better job, a promotion, more opportunities? Take a dare and check out the Leadership Accelerator Program – an online leadership training course. https://fioregroup.org/leadership-accelerator-online/

January 23

Relationships are the most valuable gifts you have in this life. 

Maybe it’s your children, parents, friends, or the neighborhood grocery store owner; people need people.

You may be an introvert and need little outside stimulation, but knowing that you matter to someone somewhere is key to a healthy life on many levels.

You don’t have to be the BEST DAD EVER or an AWARD-WINNING DAUGHTER. You can still “do you” while you are with people who love, respect, and need you in their lives – almost as much as you need them.

Because people love us, it takes a long time before they demand time, and that’s why it’s easy to neglect them. We assume things are fine and understand we are “busy.”

You don’t need me to tell you – relationships take effort and investment. Human beings know when they have value for another. But, conversely, resentments build when personal worth feels diminished.

If you do nothing for yourself in 2022, no new micro-habit, no adventurous pursuit, do this one thing. Invest time in the relationships that matter to you.

Ask yourself how much time you will invest each day to be fully present to the people in your life. It may not be much, but done consistently and with your whole being, you will see the rewards of this Micro-Habit in a big way on December 31, 2022.

January 24

Good ideas are worth keeping around.

Timing is critical to the fulfillment of great ideas. Yet, often we foreshadow our future with notions and insights slightly before their time.

Careers, even if you change the model, remain the focus of the majority of our lives, and the great idea you have where you are now can serve you admirably in another context, at another time.

If you have an inventive mind, keep track of those inventions. Clearly, you and Leonardo DiVinci will have something in common!

Beyond the discipline of writing your ideas down, no matter how far-fetched or how insignificant they may seem at the moment, D.O.N. “T LOSE THE NOTEBOOK. :-)

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT

Check out the Leadership Accelerator Program Online. On sale now!

January 25

Your body suffers without sleep.

Sure, you can push and force and make your body push through – for a while. Eventually, though, your health, both physical and mental, will pay the price. But, the consequences don’t stop there. A lack of sleep can seriously affect our ability to relate well with others, solve problems, and keep a steady balance in our emotions.

Today we are providing a list of common and some not-so-common micro-habits you can adopt for better sleep. Remember, micro-habits are the small steps we take that will make a significant impact over the year even without any more effort than a micro-effort each day.

1. Read five pages of a book (preferably a novel) before you go to sleep. Far better than a T.V. show (less light and vocal stimulation), it will help you unwind, take your imagination off to a new world, and let your mind relax.
2. Try breathing exercises. A simple plan of 2 to 3 minutes of slow intakes and even slower out-breaths signals to your entire body, it’s time to relax.
3. Don’t go to bed starving. If you are really hungry when you go to bed, your body won’t be at ease. (Make sure it’s not sugar or carbs, though – as they will give you energy and then turn to … F.A.T.)
4. Determine to make a list of what you need to do the next day about an hour before you go to bed (or earlier). Get all that thinking written down out of your head!
5. Write in your gratitude journal 3 to 5 things (one if necessary!) you are grateful for that day. Think of the people who were kind to you.
6. Bless a stranger in your heart (mind). Think of people you saw that day in your travels to the store, around the block, or in the office. For no good reason, wish them well.
7. Forgive insults, misunderstandings, or judgments made against you. Holding resentment and a grudge leads to nightmares and or insomnia, not to mention ruined relationships and opportunities. Be selfish – forgive. (We are selfish because it’s in our best interest to forgive)
8. Refuse to have your phone in bed with you. If it must be on, leave it on in another room. Stop making that device your “last kiss” before you close your eyes.
9. Speaking of the last kiss: if you sleep with someone – take a few minutes to connect and let them know how special they are to you.
10. Get exercise during the day.
11. One last one for good measure: Don’t drink at night before going to bed. The sugar in the alcoholic beverage wreaks havoc with your system and brain chemistry. You won’t sleep long and or well.

January 26

Bills to pay? Taxes owed? A stressful month-end?

We get it. All of us get it. Money drives us every day in our choices, behaviors, and relationships.

In North America, there is drastic inequity between the absolute rich and the absolute poor. And that experience makes the following quote hard to believe.

“But even the developed world’s poor and middle classes are, by global standards, extraordinarily rich. After adjusting for cost-of-living differences, a typical American still earns an income that is ten times the income received by the typical person in the world.”

( Gautam Nair, August 23, 2018; The Washington Post)

The air we breathe, the space we enjoy, the social programs available, the size of our grocery stores, the produce we can buy any time of year, the number of automobiles on the road – the list is endless.

General prosperity unknown to most people in the world is what we consider wanting and lacking – and we often see ourselves as “needing” – or without wealth.

Wealth begins within. We see ourselves as having what we need to find a way to get what we want.

Find something abundant or wealthy about your life every day to acknowledge to yourself and maybe others too! Affirm the abundance that you might otherwise take for granted.

January 27

Don’t let the actions or attitudes of others determine the quality of your inner life.

I have been a big advocate of forgiveness for decades, and purely for selfish reasons.

I can’t see why I should cause internal anxiety, stress, heart disease (in several ways), joint problems, and depression toward myself!

Another may have done the initial damage, but they are most likely long gone, and I am still re-living the hurt and offense years later – which is only hurting me.

It feels so good to be free of that baggage in life.

People do what they do. I have hurt many people intentionally or inadvertently too. All of us offend, slight, and do others wrong. But, we usually don’t like to think of it in those terms because it’s easier to look at the hurt others us.

If I don’t release the offender from their actions towards me or someone I love – I give them ultimate power to hurt me every day of my life. NO WAY. I am too selfish!

I want to enjoy the blue sky, the breeze on my face, the smell of an infant, the playful canter of a puppy walking by. When I allow all the pain to get stored up inside, holding on tightly, it clogs my life filter, and I miss the beauty around me.

I started this micro-habit practice at night. I made sure that when I went to sleep, I had at least started the process of letting the days’ events go. Over the years, it has developed into a 5-minute rule. I start letting go within five minutes of the offense.

I ask myself if it’s worth trading the inner peace and contentment I had when I woke up this morning for the anger and bitterness I am churning inside. Most of the time, it is not.

And when it is we need to move into conflict resolution—a topic for another day.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget, nor does it imply that you allow the behavior to continue. Instead, forgiveness releases me from my inner torment. Whether someone’s actions were deliberate or not, the consequence is on them and not living in me.

January 28

Everyone has an agenda for your life based on the agenda they have for their life ( or project).

Only you know what matters to you, and how you see success. For some, it’s where they have traveled, for others – where they live. Investors count shares and nature-buffs how many trees they save.

Success to you must be defined only by you and that means tuning out to what family, friends, social media trends and news broadcasters have to say.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? Write it down the best you can for today and for five or ten years in the future and design your life around that success. Do the mini-steps and micro-habits that build that future, piece by piece for you.

No need to apologize, feel less or more than anyone else. YOU BE YOU and own it. Take responsibility for “the you”; that you whom you are able to believe in and respect, and give it all you’ve got. Build the house of unique YOU.

January 29

People are everywhere in your life – helping you to be and to become.

They may empty the garbage bins, bring your grocery cart back to the store, paint your toenails or make your coffee every morning.

They serve your life – maybe for a wage, maybe not. But they are present to your needs and making life easier for you.

Do you know their name? Have you noticed them, acknowledged them, and shown them respect for your interconnectivity?

Most of us are busy wanting to be noticed and use up most of our energy getting ahead, moving forward into all that is possible.  Maybe it’s together we can make our best life?

The late Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize 1984 inspires us with:

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” Desmond Tutu

January 30

The smartest people surround themselves with smarter people. It’s a success principle. 

But your success doesn’t stop there. All of us need someone to whom we relate regularly, truthfully, and with an open mind and authentic vulnerability.

If you can fool this person, they are not right for you. If your self-reasoning or personal guilt trips work on them, you need someone else.

This mentor is not meant to be your best friend. They are a person with whom you can confide, and admit your misgivings, disappointments, aspirations, and goals. You can count on them to tell you what they know from experience and what to expect with your present course of action. The best mentors will ask great questions that cause you to think deeply and they will in turn actively listen.

January 31

Not everyone is excited about sweaty clothes and aching muscles.

You can outsmart yourself by connecting your exercise to things that do mean something to you.

Maybe you do it with your kids, or the kids are in a stroller and they finally sleep while you run.

You might work out with a friend and grab a drink afterward.  You could join a social club that exercises together. Some people promise a travel adventure to themselves if they meet their goal.

The key is – to MOVE every day, or at least most days. If you know this isn’t your first choice for spending 30 minutes on your own, find a way to make it better. Walk around areas you really enjoy, or where you are considering purchasing your home. However you do it, don’t leave the exercise hanging out there on its own. It’s too easy to say no. Outsmart yourself and reap the healthy rewards!