Disrupt Your Old Habits And Be The Change You Wish To See

We are creatures of habit. Habits that have become unconscious habits for a great many things in our world. Things that just happen without us even thinking about them.

Now some of those habits serve us very well by not taking up brain power or precious time.

Then again we’ve accepted a great many things as they are or as we do, even though they don’t really serve us very well anymore, if they ever did in the first place. You know, when you catch yourself saying or thinking “oh well, that’s just the way it is”.

Doesn’t serve you but doesn’t bother you enough to do anything about it.

What Old Habits Do You Repeat Unconsciously Every Day

• Hitting the snooze button more than once before finally getting up
• Continuing to deal with the mistakes of an employee rather than…
• Mindlessly grabbing snacks from the pantry and eating too much as you watch TV night after night
• Continuing to do work you hate because it’s easier than training someone else

These are just a few to get your brain perking. Anything of them resonate for you?

What else comes to mind for you? Anything?

Maybe not, and that’s the point. All of these habits and patterns in your world are things you give no attention to (or not enough) but they do waste your time, energy, and focus. They do take you down paths (small or large as they may be) that does NOT align with the direction you truly want to take your business and your life.

That is, up until NOW!

I was on an early COVID-19 era Zoom meeting a few weeks ago, learning to deliver online training courses for a business group I belong to. Now I’ve been using Zoom for years but one thing caught me by surprise this time around.

The facilitator was pointing out how often we all touch our faces, even singling out me and others for doing it during that meeting. Kind of a lightning bolt of awakening to realize (and see) a habit of my own coming into clear consciousness. I do habitually touch my face. I brush my beard, scratch my nose, rub my eyes and never really realized I was doing it.

It served no purpose and now, in light of measures taken to not increase the risk of COVID-19, I need to break the habit and stop. I need to be a leading example of “no face touching” when facilitating my training and also everywhere in my life.

Easier said than done… but, once you see it you can change it. The first step had occurred!

After that call I began to wake up to all kinds of change that has been thrust upon me with isolating at home after returning from vacation. Change, like my wife and daughter being home now 24/7, like physical distancing for things like groceries and so much more. All of it disrupted old habits and ways of doing things that I had become very comfortable with and very used to. Even if they did not serve me very well.

Everything has changed and we are all being forced to awaken to the habits and patterns that have previously unconsciously controlled our day to day lives.

I believe it’s a wonderful thing and an amazing opportunity for change.

There seems to be a growing message on social media about bigger scale change in how we as a society or even how all of humanity will act when we get through this. The message that the old normal wasn’t working, that we can do better, and that we need to rise up to create a new normal that is better. I think that is great. 

In many ways how our world or our society was operating pre COVID-19 was not working very effectively and going back to the old normal is not a good idea. A new normal for us all is, of course, very debatable as to what that should look like.

So what can you do?

Break Old Habits That Were Not Working And Create Your New Normal

You can continue to wake up and see all your habits and patterns that have unconsciously been controlling your day to day existence. The good, the bad, and the really ugly. See them, stay with them a while, then decide… keep or change.

Do this before you fall back asleep into a false sense of unconscious security. Don’t repeat your old history when your new normal can be that much better.

Now is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity to change while conscious awareness is being thrust upon you. You likely have more time than usual to create a new normal exactly as you want.

Now is the time to revisit your vision for the ideal life and the dream business you truly want. 

Now is the time to redefine success to one that truly matters to you and your family.

Now is the time to prioritize bigger changes in your business and your life so you can align with your vision and your new definition of success.

Now is the time to make the small habitual changes, letting go of everything that no longer serves you and your new path, while creating new habits and patterns that will help.

Step by step the changes that you make NOW to live in alignment with your vision will impact each decision you make and each action step you take. Your change will blend with the changes of your family, friends, employees, colleagues, partners, and others that you influence to make bigger change on a societal or even a global scale possible.

It could all start with simply changing something small such as not touching your face!

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Ghandi

If you need some help waking up to your habits, creating your vision and defining success that matters to you, prioritizing your change, staying on track and accountable, and being this change… contact me today. I can help.

Also consider joining my Facebook Group called Entrepreneurial Forward. Business owners moving forward together to overcome our challenges and be the change! Here’s the link.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EntrepreneurialForward/