What are you practicing everyday? Whatever you do regularly – nourishing or depleting – becomes part of how you see yourself.  Does it serve you and those around you well?

Over many years, I’ve worked with individuals and teams who seem to have very similar challenges.  They know a fair bit about wellbeing and are highly motivated to build in habits that support them but really struggle to embed the habits in a sustainable way.

What is the one thing that you can commit to? Start small 

An example:  A member of a recent training spoke of their desire to build in ‘recovery breaks’ during busy days.  They spoke of ‘book ending the day’ with a five-minute meditation.  They are at their desk and simply take some time to get centred and focussed.  They find this really helps them navigate the working day well but also helps them connect and remain focussed when connecting with family members after a long working day.

Why would you bother? Know your why

An example: A client says that when they are really busy or grappling with a difficulty – going for a short walk before the working day begins really sets them up well, encourages better sleep in the day (great for the circadian rhythm) and is generally good for their mental well-being.  They know that this is non-negotiable – especially when they feel tempted to ditch this because of busy-ness.

What is the reward for making this change? Remember the earlier blog on reward vs threat – we move towards rewards and away from threats.

Example:  Holding an image in your mind of success – starting to own that identity and live your way into it.  If becoming more robust both in your personal life as well as professionally is your goal.  Rather than focussing on a negative self-image: not being disciplined or being a bit lazy, picture yourself as someone who is fit and strong, take small actions to support this image.  I’m always struck by some of the senior leaders I structure their days to allow for regular exercise, even whilst travelling.

What will remind you? Habit stack – link it to something you already do.  

Example:  Wanting to create more structure in your day, might include creating a to-do list at the start of the day as you boot up your computer and then at the end of the day as you shut down your computer, ticking off what you have managed to achieve and noticing what makes you feel most proud.  It could even be that you hold the mental image of closing down your computer tabs, and doing much the same with the ‘tabs’ open in your mind.  

A brief I was given when working with a big global media company was ‘help their people find their off button’.  One of my coachee’s spoke of how helpful he found it to go for a walk each evening and this became  an opportunity to close down the busy ‘windows’ in his mind which in turn supported a good nights sleep.  

How do you keep this going?  Tell someone about it – this keeps you accountable or even better, pair up with someone so that you can encourage one another.

A few years after taking up a new hobby which had enhanced my clients life in many ways, they mentioned to me this had been something that had come up in one of our conversations and through them vocalising their intention – they had felt more accountable and been more motivated to persevere so that in time this had become a key part of their life.If you’d like to know more about building habits that support you to live a resilient life, please contact me via [email protected] to arrange a time for a conversation.