“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable and will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not” –Octavia Butler

As the Happiness Warrior, I want to help you understand the incredible powers and greater happiness that can come from developing good habits and healthy routines. In times of change and uncertainty, good habits will help you create the discipline needed to move forward, adapt to change, and live a happier life. Good habits can start off as something that might seem small or insignificant, but every good habit makes us better able to care for ourselves and increase our sense of well-being. Habits become important routines and rituals to help get the most out of every day. Good habits are made by making choices that will improve your life, increase productivity, provide more time to take care of yourself physically, improve life-balance, and create more happiness. Good habits allow you to progress and be happy while those with poor habits and unhealthy routines fail to progress, feel frustrated, and increasingly unhappy. Good habits help make you part of the solution!

“it’s the small habits that change your life. How you spend your mornings. How you talk to yourself. What you read. What you watch. Who you share your energy with. Who has access to you.”

--Anonymous

When the pandemic began last year, I took a deep breath and tried to understand what was happening, but all I could think about was my need to keep it together and be a more effective leader. I was in good shape mentally and physically to begin with and made a vow to myself that I would be better in every way once we life returned with a bit of normality. I told myself that the world needed leaders to step up and help others deal with change and confusion. I wanted to do everything that I could to ensure that I would be able to do my part at my best ability. The first thing I did was look at my routines and habits to refine and improve upon them. I took my morning routine to a higher level (described below), improved my already healthy diet to be boost my performance, mood, and immune system. I always looked for ways to be happier. It helped me to turn what could have been a drama-filled year of disappointment into the most powerful and life-changing period of my life. All of this was accomplished by refining my good habits and building more powerful routines. Each small habit expanding into better habits that helped me to thrive, learn a LOT, and take more control of my health and vitality.

Developing good habits requires making easy mindset changes by increasing self-awareness. You can then identify your bad habits and begin replacing them with good habits. Good habits become good routines and healthy routines are the framework for creating a happier more optimal life.

Each of these new habits will begin to change your life immediately:

--Scheduling your energy

--Healthy socializing (pandemic rules)

--Getting started early, productivity increases with less distractions

--A ready for anything mindset

--Setting short goals, creating good habits

--Meditating, stretching, and breathing.

--Active Listening

--Eliminating self-defeating thoughts and self-created negative emotions

--Taking better care of your physical health: exercise, sleep, nutrition, rest/recovery

These are some of my most important wellness and lifestyle habits:

1. My morning routine takes 15-20 minutes depending on how busy the day ahead looks: Affirmation-Hydration-Activation. Every morning should I start with an affirmation to set my intention for the day “It’s going to be a great day!”. Next, I hydrate with 16 ounces of water and begin the last step which I call activation (morning stretching, 100 pushups, and breathing session). Followed by a fast 2 mile walk with my dogs, no coffee for at least 45 minutes after waking

2. I plan all my meals based on intuition, heavy lifting or cardo days get more calories and brain days get more fats. I eat at the same times for better metabolism. I also consciously think about the value of the food that I’m consuming, what’s my intuition telling me that I should be eating right now? “Everything that goes in my body has a purpose”

3. Consciously limit screen time, social media and television and set time aside to read every day, it doesn’t matter what you read, fiction, non-fiction or fantasy, but reading will elevate your thinking and empathy for others

4. Seek out happy people

5. Express gratitude by thinking of three things that make you happy whenever you feel over tired or a bit down. This never fails.

6. Laugh and have fun in life and never take yourself too seriously (I don’t). Laughing releases endorphins.

7. Try to get at least 15 minutes in direct sun every day, this boosts my mood and helps me sleep better at night

8. Move my body (walk, exercise) for 30-40 minutes at moderate/high heartrate every day. This helps maintain optimal cardiovascular fitness as well as increase circulation.

9. Do some sort of strength training, even 15 minutes of intense strength training can make a huge difference in bone density, mood, and lean muscle mass

10. Work on balance and stability

11. Breathe. Learning breathing techniques has changed my life and made it much easier to reach a meditative state.

12. Cold showers were hard at first but has given me so many benefits. Enhances my immune system, lowers inflammation, and increases clarity and focus. This is true warrior stuff!

13. Learn something new every day

BAD HABITS

“And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them.” -Charles Duhigg

Bad habits get you nowhere and replacing them with good habits is a way to make them stick and improve your outcomes:

1. Focus on what you want to change

2. Identify triggers

3. Ask for help from others

4. Practice self-awareness (mindfulness)

5. Replace the bad habit with a good one

6. Send yourself reminders, emails and written notes placed strategically near trigger points

7. Forgive yourself if you relapse, start again the next day

8. Don’t’ be too hard on yourself, once you start working on this it will improve with time

9. Don’t try to change everything overnight

10. Change your environment and take a good look at your friendships

11. Use visualization to reach your goal

12. Reward yourself to motivate

13. Don’t be hard on yourself, it can take 3 weeks or more to incorporate an easy new good habit

HOW TO MAKE HABITS THAT STICK

1. Commit to 30 days, 3 weeks is the average time needed to make a habit automatic

2. Make it Daily- consistency

3. Start Simple

4. Remind yourself

5. Stay consistent, discipline is key

6. Form a ritual

7. Replace lost needs such as television for relaxation with reading a book or exercise

8. Get a buddy to help you stay accountable

9. It’s okay to be imperfect, change doesn’t happen immediately

10. Change your words, “you’re doing it”

11. Remove temptation

12. Look for positive role models

13. Visualize what would happen if you reverted to old bad habits. What do you think will happen if you give into temptation?

14. Write it down, type it out, intention makes it happen

15. Educate yourself on why this new habit will be good for you

16. Understand the downside of not making this habit

17. Make sure these habits are consistent with your goals and aspirations

Making resolutions without first having a stable core of healthy routines and habits will cause your resolution to fail and add to your list of disappointments. Incorporating healthy routines into your daily life will help you find the momentum to move forward and be prepared with a “ready for anything mindset”. Most importantly it will help you to be happier!

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